Overview
Campaign tracking codes are the foundation of marketing attribution. This check ensures that when a user arrives at your site via a marketing channel (Email, Paid Search, Social, etc.), the tracking parameter in the URL is correctly captured and mapped to the Adobe Analytics Campaign Variable (v0).
Note: campaign ids can be configured to map to other eVars, but v0 is the standard.
Without this check, your marketing spend becomes a "black box," as you cannot link specific conversions or revenue back to the campaigns that generated them.
Why it is important
Accurate campaign capture is essential for calculating Marketing ROI:
Attribution Integrity: If the tracking code is missed or stripped during a redirect, the visit is usually categorized as "Direct," leading to an under-estimation of your marketing performance.
Spend Optimization: Marketing teams rely on this data to decide which channels to fund and which to cut. Incorrect data can lead to poor budget allocation.
Standardized Reporting: Consistent capture ensures that campaign metadata (Classification) can be applied correctly in Adobe Analytics to group data by Channel, Creative, or Placement.
Implementation
ObservePoint acts like a simulated user to test your tracking through Audits and Journeys. It starts by loading your landing page using a URL that contains a specific campaign code.
Once the page is open, it checks the Adobe Analytics data sent in the background to see if the v0 (eVar0) parameter contains that same code. If the values match, the test passes; if they are missing or different, it fails.
Remediation
If campaign codes are not being captured correctly, investigate these common points of failure:
1. Get Query Parameter Configuration
Ensure your Tag Management System (TMS) or AppMeasurement.js is correctly configured to look for the right parameter.
Action: In Adobe Launch (AEP Tags), check that your "Campaign" Data Element is using the correct URL Parameter name (e.g.,
cidvs.utm_campaign).Action: If using the
getQueryParamplugin, verify it is included in your library and called withindoPlugins.
2. Persistence through Redirects
Marketing URLs often go through multiple redirects (e.g., a "vanity" URL or a tracking link from an ad platform).
Action: Ensure your server-side redirects are configured to "append" or "pass-through" query strings. If a redirect strips the
cid, Adobe Analytics will never see it.
3. Case Sensitivity and Formatting
Adobe Analytics is case-sensitive unless configured otherwise in the admin console.
Action: Use your TMS to force the campaign code to lowercase before it is sent to Adobe to prevent "Email_Sale" and "email_sale" from appearing as separate line items.
4. Data Layer Mapping
If your implementation relies on the Data Layer to pass the campaign code, ensure the code is extracted from the URL and placed into the Data Layer before the Analytics tag fires.
Action: Check the timing of your "URL Parsing" script to ensure it executes before the primary page view rule.
Conclusion
Campaign tracking is the link between marketing activity and business results. By validating that tracking codes are correctly captured, you protect the data that drives your attribution models and budget decisions.
Regular testing with ObservePoint ensures that your "attribution DNA" remains intact throughout the user journey, from the first click to the final conversion.