Triggers

Overview

Triggers are a fundamental part of user data management in the platform. They extend the ideas of a pixel setting user lists and frequency management to almost any user behavior event or decision within the platform. There are many events and items within the platform that can have triggers applied to them. These include:

  • Activities & Containers: A user's action, visit to a page, or a call to a tag.

  • Site Pages: A user's visit to a Site decision page.

  • Creatives and Creative Groups: When a user is served a particular creative or creative group.

  • Experiences: The experience that is selected within a Site page for a user (either via targeting or random selection).

  • Decisions: The outcome of a decision.

  • Data Elements: Data passed on tags as ssv_ or ssvm_ values, WSAPI calls, or offline; specific values or the presence of a value can be used.

Media creatives support attribute, user state, and frequency tracking triggers only. All Site creatives support attribute, callout, user state, and frequency tracking triggers. Callout triggers cannot be applied to data elements.

Viewing Triggers

  1. Navigate to the DSP logo in the upper left corner. The DSP shows a menu for Advertisers and Admin.

2. Select the Account that contains your advertiser, and then select your Advertiser. The DSP shows all the Advertiser's campaigns.

3. Click on Data Collection > Triggers. 

4. The platform shows all available Triggers. See Trigger Column Descriptions below for details.

Trigger Column Descriptions

Fields

Description

Trigger

The name of the trigger. 

Data Element Values

A green dot indicates that a data element is affected by this trigger.

Type

Indicates what the trigger will be setting. Available options are attribute, callout, frequency counter, or user state.

Action

Indicates if the trigger will set, or unset (clear) a value. In the case of a callout, the action is to "overwrite". In the case of a counter, the choices are "increment" or "reset".

Attribute Type

If triggering an attribute, indicates if the attribute is a simple or True State attribute.

Object Type

The type of object the trigger is placed upon. This can be an activity, create, creative group, data element, decision, experience, search event, or site page.

Object Name

The name is matched to the item which is set by the trigger. So if the trigger type is attribute, the name of the attribute is the name of the trigger. If the trigger type is callout, the name of the callout is the name of the trigger, etc.

Modified By

The user who last modified the trigger.

Modified On

The date of the last modification.

Create New Triggers

  1. Open the Triggers page, and then click + Trigger in the upper-right corner.

2. Select the type of attribute you want to create.

  • New Attribute Trigger. See Attribute Trigger Details for more.

  • New Callout Trigger. See Callout Trigger Details for more.

  • New Frequency Counter Trigger. See Frequency Counter Trigger Details for more.

3. Click Save on the New Trigger window when complete.

Attribute Trigger

Attributes can be set (or unset) via two different methods:

  • Triggers, based on real-time events (e.g. a pixel load, creative decision, page visit)

  • Offline load

This section focuses on using Triggers to update attributes. Please contact your Zeta representative for information on setting attributes via offline data loads.

Attribute Trigger Fields

Item

Required

Description

Basic Settings



Object Type

Yes

The Type of Object which the trigger will be attached to. Object Types include:

  • Activity

  • Creative

  • Creative Group

  • Data Element, specific

  • Decision

  • Experience

  • Search Event

  • Site Page

For example, an Attribute will be set if a particular Activity is performed by a user. In Figure 2 below, the Attribute "Already Emailed" is set when the Activity "Newsletter Sign-Up Email Open" has been detected.

Object Name

Yes

The name of the particular Object which the trigger will be attached to. Select from the list of objects which is generated once the Object Type and or Parent has been selected.

Attribute



First Party Attribute

No

Select an attribute from the list of First Party Attributes available in the advertiser's taxonomy.

Action

Only for TrueState Attributes

For a TrueState attribute, select the attribute value from the available list.

Attribute State

No

Identify if the attribute value is to be set or unset by the trigger.

Data Element Values


When placing a trigger on an Activity or a Data Element, there will also be an option to limit the trigger to specific data element content. To utilize, configure the following fields:

Criteria

Yes

Select the data element that must match to trigger the frequency counter. Your selection is based on whether the data element matches/does not match specific content, or if the data element is or is not empty.

Available Data Element Values

Yes

Select the data element value. The available items are based on the Data Element selected in the Object Name field (see above). When the data element condition is complete, click .

You can enter another data element by selecting another criteria.

Frequency Counter Trigger

A frequency counter can be set (or unset) based on real-time events (e.g. a pixel load, creative decision, page visit). Customers can be targeted based on how many times they have seen an ad, or how often they have visited an advertiser's webpage.

Frequency Counter Fields

Item

Required

Description

Basic Settings



Object Type

Yes

The Type of Object which the trigger will be attached to. Object Types include:

  • Activity

  • Creative

  • Creative Group

  • Data Element

  • Decision

  • Experience

  • Site Page

For example, a frequency counter will be set or reset if a particular Activity is performed by a user. In Figure 3 below, the Frequency Counter "Newsletter Opened" is set when the Activity "Newsletter Sign-Up Email Open" has been detected.

Object Name

Yes

The name of the particular Object which the trigger will be attached to. Select from the list of objects which is generated once the Object Type and or Parent has been selected.

Frequency Counter



Use Existing Trigger / Create Trigger

Yes

Select Use Existing Trigger to base this frequency counter off of an existing trigger.
Select Create Trigger to create a new trigger.

Select Frequency Counter

Yes (only if creating a new trigger)

Select a Frequency Counter from the list of counters available in the advertiser's taxonomy.

Select Action

Yes (only if creating a new trigger)

  • Increment: Select to increase the frequency counter by 1.

  • Reset: Select to reset the frequency counter.

Data Element Values


When placing a trigger on an Activity or a Data Element, there will also be an option to limit the trigger to specific data element content. To utilize, configure the following fields:

Criteria

Yes

Select the data element that must match to trigger the frequency counter. Your selection is based on whether the data element matches/does not match specific content, or if the data element is or is not empty.

Available Data Element Values

Yes

Select the data element value. The available items are based on the Data Element selected in the Object Name field (see above). When the data element condition is complete, click .

You can enter another data element by selecting another criteria.

Callout Trigger

Callouts extend CRM data into digital marketing channels in real time. Callouts are a Self-Service feature that enable the platform to pass user behavior, other user information, and/or event-triggered messages to third-party systems when an event occurs. Callouts define which events enable which message and the type of message to be sent via Channels and Partners. Callout triggers activate the callout based on user behavior.

Callout Trigger Fields

Item

Required

Description

Basic Settings



Object Type

Yes

The Type of Object which the trigger will be attached to. Object Types include:

  • Activity

  • Creative

  • Creative Group

  • Experience

  • Site Page

For example, a Callout will be activated if a particular Activity is performed by a user. In Figure 3 below, the Attribute "Already Emailed" is set when the Activity "Newsletter Sign-Up Email Open" has been detected.

Object Name

Yes

The name of the particular Object which the trigger will be attached to. Select from the list of objects which is generated once the Object Type and or Parent has been selected.

Callout



Callout

Yes

Select a Callout from the list of Callouts previously created. For information on creating a Callout, see Create a New Callout.

Date

No

If a date range is set, a Callout will only be triggered during the date range entered.

Export Triggers

Click the Export icon in the upper-right corner. The DSP will generate a CSV file of your trigger with the currently displayed columns.

Delete Triggers

Hover over a trigger name, and then click Delete to delete an existing trigger.


 

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