forrester: understanding tag management dec 2012

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Understanding Tag Management Tools And Technologyby Joe stanhope, August 15, 2012

FOR: Customer Intelligence Professionals

key TakeaWays

Marketers struggle With Complex digital Marketing and analytics environmentsCustomer intelligence and interactive marketing professionals look to tag management systems to help them execute and analyze digital marketing activities in a challenging environment that continuously changes, requires a diverse array of site instrumentation, and lacks rigorous internal processes.

Tag Management systems deliver on The promise of effi ciencyUsers expect a wide variety of benefi ts from tag management systems, but ultimately, TMS systems deliver the greatest gains to process effi ciencies, reducing the eff ort, resources, and time required to add, edit, and remove tags from sites.

The early-stage TMs Market offers Many Vendor optionsTh e young TMS market comprises a broad vendor landscape, giving buyers a wide spectrum of price points, feature sets, and technical options to choose from and match to their own requirements.

© 2012, Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited. Information is based on best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. Forrester®, Technographics®, Forrester Wave, RoleView, TechRadar, and Total Economic Impact are trademarks of Forrester Research, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. To purchase reprints of this document, please email [email protected]. For additional information, go to www.forrester.com.

FOR CUsTOmER InTEllIgEnCE PROFEssIOnAls

Why Read This RepoRT

Maintaining accurate and complete JavaScript tagging on websites is critical for ensuring the efficacy of marketing and analytics efforts. But the highly dynamic pace and volume of tag management requirements frequently overwhelm organizations’ resources and processes. To address this long-standing challenge, customer intelligence professionals are looking to a new class of applications called tag management systems (TMSes) to efficiently add, edit, and remove tags from websites. This report identifies the benefits derived by TMS practitioners, the landscape of vendors in this young market, and key factors for evaluating and differentiating solution options.

Table Of Contents

digital Complexity drives interest in Tag Management systems

Tag management systems Deliver Process Efficiencies First And Foremost

The accelerating TMs Market Gives Buyers Many options

Look Beyond Basic Features and hype To differentiate Vendors

Technical Foundation

Application Features

Extensibility

RECOmmEnDATIOns

offset Tag Management immaturity With a holistic approach

supplemental Material

notes & Resources

Forrester surveyed 76 tag management system users and interviewed 15 vendor companies.

Related Research Documents

Welcome To The Era Of Digital IntelligenceFebruary 10, 2012

How Tag management Improves Web IntelligenceDecember 22, 2010

Understanding Tag Management Tools and TechnologyUsers Benefit From A Rapidly maturing market And Proven gainsby Joe stanhopewith Dave Frankland and michelle Dickson

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Understanding Tag management Tools And Technology 2

© 2012, Forrester Research, Inc. Reproduction Prohibited August 15, 2012

diGiTaL CoMpLexiTy dRiVes inTeResT in TaG ManaGeMenT sysTeMs

Interest in tag management systems has skyrocketed in the past year, and it’s easy to see why.1 Organizations are facing unrelenting pressure to keep pace as digital channels become the centerpiece of customer experiences. But implementing and maintaining the data collection instrumentation for modern analytics and marketing execution is time consuming and resource intensive. TMS offerings promise to close the gap by consolidating tag execution and maintenance to a single management application. Forrester recently surveyed 76 tag management system users to learn about TMS adoption and practices. Adoption is soaring — fully 50% of survey respondents have used their tag management solutions for a year or less (see Figure 1). Users are attracted to the efficiency, flexibility, and page-load performance benefits of tag management systems to help them cope with complex web environments that:

■ Continuously change. Managing tags is a constant task as an organization’s digital presence evolves over time. Seventy-three percent of users edit existing tags, and 59% of users add new tags at least once a month (see Figure 2). Tag management activities take many forms as firms add or change vendors, add new sites and pages, and revise channel and campaign tracking requirements.

■ Leverage tags for many purposes. Tag management needs are not limited to web analytics applications. Tagging is the deployment method of choice for a wide variety of marketing, analytics, and tracking systems (see Figure 3). The ubiquity of JavaScript tags imposes costs on firms in terms of the skills and resources required to develop and maintain tags, in addition to increased page weight that affects page-load performance.

■ Lack rigorous processes. Few firms adhere to fully formalized tag management processes. Only 7% of users report that their firms’ tag management efforts follow highly formalized processes (see Figure 4). Ad hoc processes reduce organizations’ ability to keep pace with large numbers of tags that require regular additions and maintenance, putting marketing and analytics efficacy at risk.

■ Resist external support. Managing tags relies heavily on internal resources: input from multiple internal stakeholders; specific knowledge about tag and application deployments; and access to core infrastructure such as the web content management system. Accordingly, 66% of firms regard tag management as an internal job, assigning ownership to tagging’s greatest beneficiaries: the marketing and web analytics teams (see Figure 5 and see Figure 6). Without third-party services or outsourcing, firms often struggle to make internal capabilities suffice.




Figure 1 Most Users Have Recently Adopted Their Tag Management Solutions

Source: Forrester Research, Inc.74123

“How long have you had your current tag management solution?”

22%

28%

29%

13%

1%

1%

5%

0%

Less than six months

Six months to less than one year

One year to less than two years

Two years to less than three years

Three years to less than four years

Four years to less than �ve years

Five years or longer

Don’t know

Base: 76 tag management end users(percentages do not total 100 because of rounding)

Source: Q2 2012 Global Tag Management User Online Survey




Figure 2 Users Add And Edit Tags Frequently


“On average, how often do you do the following activities using your tag management system?”

1%

3%

12%

13%

20%

24%

9%

4%

9%

1%

3%

0%

4%

5%

8%

20%

22%

12%

12%

12%

3%

4%

0%

4%

1%

7%

5%

18%

21%

18%

14%

4%

7%

Several times per day

Daily

Less than daily but multipletimes per week

Weekly

Less than weekly butmultiple times per month

Monthly

Less than monthly but multipletimes per quarter

Quarterly

Less than quarterly

Other

Don’t know

Edit existing tagsAdd new tagsDeactivate or remove tags






Figure 3 Firms Deploy Tags To Support Many Marketing And Analytics Capabilities


“What types of tags do you deploy via your tag management system?”

5%

14%

26%

38%

42%

47%

50%

59%

62%

64%

88%

Other

Recommendations

Voice of the customer(surveys and feedback)

Social media

Audience measurement

Testing

Behavioral targeting

A�liate marketing

Ad serving

Search marketing

Web analytics

Base: 76 tag management end users(multiple responses accepted)





Figure 4 Few Firms Have Fully Formalized Processes For Tag Management


“To what degree does your firm adhere to a structured processwhen adding, revising, or removing tags?”

(Select one)

1%

7%

26%

28%

38%

Other

Managing tags follows a highly formalized process

Managing tags is predominantly an ad hoc process

Managing tags follows formalized processes formost tasks, but some tasks are ad hoc

Managing tags follows formalized processesfor some tasks but is mostly ad hoc

Base: 76 tag management end users


Figure 5 Firms Prefer To Support Tag Management In-House


“What is your preferred method of supporting tag management?”(Select one)

1%

1%

1%

11%

20%

66%

Allow external agency or consultancy tomanage the entire process

Allow vendor to manage the entire process

Other

Work with our vendor’s professionalservices group

Work with an external agencyor consultancy

Manage entirely in-house

Base: 76 tag management end users





Figure 6 Marketing And Analytics Own Tag Management


“What department in your firm is responsible for tag management?”

4%

7%

11%

13%

28%

38%

Business intelligence or corporateanalytics group

Other

eCommerce

IT

Web analytics group

Marketing



Tag Management systems deliver process efficiencies First and Foremost

TMS users have high expectations for tag management systems, seeking improvements in several areas, including condensed cycle times for tag additions and changes, faster page-load performance, and reducing the technical skills required to manage tags (see Figure 7). Reflecting the value of tag management systems, users report a variety of gains, concentrated heavily on process efficiencies (see Figure 8). The top three benefits reported by users ultimately yield reductions in the time required to manage tags. And the results are dramatic — the capability to implement new or revised tags within a single day leaps from 18% to 80% after users deploy a TMS (see Figure 9).




Figure 7 Users Look To Tag Management To Resolve A Variety of Challenges


“Which topics represent the three greatest challenges that you seek to resolve with yourtag management system?”

(Select up to three)

7%

4%

7%

8%

11%

12%

13%

13%

17%

20%

22%

32%

36%

42%

45%

Other

Enforcing standards and policies, such as privacy

Removing old and/or decommissioned tagsfrom websites

Maintaining tags on a long-term basis

Number of sta� and departments involvedin managing tags

Ensuring consistency across pages and sites

Amount of time spent managing tags by sta�

Data quality

Cost of managing tags

Flexibility to evaluate and adopt new vendors

The manual nature of managing tags

The technical skills required to manage tags

Page-load performance

Website development and code release cycles

Duration of the process to implement newor revised tags






Figure 8 Process Efficiencies Dominate TMS Benefits


“What are the top three benefits your company has realized through tag management?”(Select up to three)

0%

1%

3%

4%

4%

9%

11%

13%

16%

17%

22%

26%

28%

33%

42%

49%

Ability to enforce standards and policies,such as privacy

Other

Ability to remove old and/or decommissioned tagsfrom websites

Tags have complete coverage, resulting in improveddata quality, measurement, and marketing attribution

No bene�ts

Ability to manage tags throughautomated processes

Managing tags requires fewer sta�

Tags are more accurate, resulting in improved dataquality, measurement, and marketing attribution

Improved tag consistency across pages and sites

Reduced cost associated with managing tags

Improved page-load performance

Ability to manage tags without coding oradvanced technical skills

Improved �exibility to evaluate andadopt new vendors

Managing tags requires less time by sta�

Reduction in the duration of the process toimplement new or revised tags

Ability to manage tags outside of websitedevelopment and code release cycles






Figure 9 Users See A Major Reduction In Tag Management Cycle Times


“How long does it take on average to implement a new or revised tag?”

8%53%An hour or less

Several hours

A day

Several days

A week

Several weeks

One to two months

Two to three months

Three to six months

Longer than six months

Don’t know

Prior to using a tagmanagement systemUsing a tagmanagement system


7%

3%

17%

13%

22%

12%

9%

3%

3%

4%

14%

13%

9%

3%

4%

0%

0%

0%

1%

3%





The aCCeLeRaTinG TMs MaRkeT GiVes BUyeRs Many opTions

Historically, tag management system options have been very limited — users were consigned to developing home-grown solutions or working with niche vendors. Why is the market for tag management accelerating today? The combination of widely available commercial-grade TMS offerings and pent-up user demand creates a symbiotic relationship aimed at resolving long-standing, day-to-day pain points. Specialist and enterprise vendors are piling into the market to meet user demand, encouraging adoption with ever-improving solutions, and creating a healthy — or slightly overweight — dose of marketing and evangelization (see Figure 10). Although the TMS market is still in the early stages of development, vendors are already coalescing into several categories:

■ Digital intelligence vendors. At first blush, TMS promises of flexibility and control make analytics vendors’ interest in tag management counterintuitive.2 But vendors such as Adobe and IBM have more to gain from effective tag management than most. TMS capabilities expand their product footprints, manage data collection for their own product suites, and improve the overall manageability and cohesiveness of solutions delivered to clients. These vendors are well established and will appeal to firms that are heavily committed to their respective product lines, but their TMS offerings lack independence and focus heavily on managing their own data collection, often at the expense of third parties.

■ TMS pure plays. Most of the startups in the TMS market are pure plays. They are typically founded by former marketers, analysts, and consultants — many of whom have personally lived through the pain of tag management. Vendors such as BrightTag, Ensighten, Search Discovery, and Tealium are highly focused on tackling tag management head-on with the goal of delivering the most functional and easy-to-use TMS capabilities. These vendors are highly innovative and will appeal to analytics-led organizations, but as young companies, they are still developing their support infrastructures and credibility. These vendors are likely acquisition targets as the segment inevitably matures and consolidates.

■ TMS marketing platforms. TMS marketing platform vendors focus on developing tag management to support marketing capabilities. In addition to standalone TMS features, vendors such as DC Storm, Krux Digital, and TagMan see tag management as a foundational technology for attribution analysis, conversion tracking, and data management platforms. These vendors offer a broad marketing-oriented perspective that appeals to advertisers and publishers, but their marketing capabilities beyond core tag management are limited to specific use cases such as attribution analysis and data management platforms.




Figure 10 The Tag Management Systems Vendor Landscape


Vendor name

TagManagement

productavailable sinceWebsite URL

Head-quarterslocation Product name

Pricingmodel

Adobe 2011adobe.com San Jose,Calif.

Adobe TagManager

BrightTag brighttag.com Chicago BrightTag ONE

Datalicious 2012supertag.datalicious.com

Sydney,Australia

Supertag

DC Storm 2009dc-storm.com Brighton,UK

Storm Container Tag

Ensighten 2009ensighten.com Cupertino,Calif.

Ensighten Manage

IBM ibm.com/marketing-solutions

Armonk,N.Y.

IBM CoremetricsDigital DataExchange

KruxDigital

krux.com SanFrancisco

Krux SuperTag

QuBit opentag.qubitproducts.com

London OpenTag

SiteTagger sitetagger.co.uk Cardi�,UK

SiteTagger OnDemand andSiteTagger Enterprise

SearchDiscovery

searchdiscovery.com

Atlanta Satellite

TagMan tagman.com New York TagMan

Cara Europe tagUNITE.com Munich,Germany

tagUNITE

Tealium tealium.com Del Mar,Calif.

Tealium IQ

UberTags ubertags.com New York UberTags

Free to Adobe DigitalMarketing Suitecustomers, or CPM upliftto Adobe SiteCatalystcustomers

Free up to 20,000 pageviews per month, thenvolume based on pageviews

2011

2010

2011

2009

2010

2007

2010

2010

Volume based onpage views

2010


Flat monthly feeper site


Free to IBMCoremetricscustomers



Volume based onpage views, do-mains, and activity

Per product moduleper site

Volume based on pageviews per productmodule

Volume based onvisits


2011

TagCommander

tagcommander.com

Paris TagCommander 2010 Volume based onpage views




Figure 10 The Tag Management Systems Vendor Landscape (Cont.)


Vendor nameAdobe

BrightTag

Datalicious

DC Storm

Ensighten

IBM

KruxDigital

QuBit

SiteTagger

TagCommander

SearchDiscovery

TagMan

Cara Europe

Tealium

UberTags

Number of tagmanagementclients in live

production

Number ofenterprise tagmanagement

clients Marquee clientsDominion Enterprises, Harrah’sResorts, Scripps Networks Interactive, Vodafone

Crate and Barrel, Gap,JetBlueAirways,1-800-Flowers.com

Amaysim, Aussie, Bupa,Unicef

EDF Energy, Low CostHolidays, Play.com, uSwitch

Dell, Microsoft Stores, SonyElectronics, United Air Lines

None

BrainyQuote, NBCUniversal,YouBeauty, Wikia

BBC, Financial Times, O�ce, Research In Motion

ASDA, AXA Bank, British Gas,DSGi

Bouygues Telecom,La Redoute, Levi’s, Meetic

Assurant, Chick-�l-A,J.P.Morgan, Ticketmaster

J. Crew, Kellogg’s, Marriott,Travelocity

Allianz, Premium Bettwasche,Sixt Rent a Car, Star Kauf

News International, NHL,Nokia, Volvo

167

100

30

100

60

0

14

1,000

74

70

39

252

350

102

100

125

60

3

40

47

0

3

12

5

12

6

153

5

35

25 LexisNexis, Meredith, SonyElectronics, The Limited

Additionalplatform o�eringsWeb analytics, siteoptimization, datamanagement platform

Privacy management,application tagging

Cross domain tracking,data collection

Attribution management,data integration,marketing reporting


Web analytics, campaignmanagement, interactionanalysis

Data managementplatform, web dataprotection

Privacy management,attribution management

Privacy management

Privacy management, datamanagement, attributionmanagement, conversiondeduplication, applicationtagging

Privacy management

Privacy management,attribution management

None


Privacy management




Figure 10 The Tag Management Systems Vendor Landscape (Cont.)


Vendor nameAdobe

BrightTag

Datalicious

DC Storm

Ensighten

IBM

KruxDigital

QuBit

SiteTagger

TagCommander

SearchDiscovery

TagMan

Cara Europe

Tealium

UberTags

ImplementationMethod Browser side

Browser andserver side

Browser side

Browser side

Browser side


Browser side

Browser side

Browser side

Browser side andserver side

Browser side

Browser side


Browser side


NativeTMS

ReportingDeployment

Options

APIAvailability and

functionalityPrebuilt TagIntegrations

On demand No No Adobe products

On demand Yes Yestag management,

data export

300 tag templates

On demand,hybrid

No No 10 tag templates

On demand,hybrid

Yes Yesreporting

100 tag templates

On demand,hybrid, on premises

Yes Yestag management

75 tag templates


reporting

IBM Coremetricsproducts and four tagtemplates

On demand,Hybrid

Yes Yestag management,

reporting

15 tag templates

On demand Yes Yestag management

50 tag templates

On demand,On premises

Yes No 300 tag templates

On demand,hybrid

Yes No 100 tag templates

On demand,hybrid

Yes Yestag management,

data export

Two tag templates

On demand Yes Yesdata export

275 tag templates


tag delivery

None


Yes Yesadministration

300 tag templates


Yes No None




Look Beyond BasiC FeaTURes and hype To diFFeRenTiaTe VendoRs

Tag management systems are a relatively new class of application, and users should anticipate a dynamic vendor landscape populated by young companies and rapidly evolving solutions. Although the precepts of TMS are well understood, standard pricing models, semantics, and solution configurations still need to fully coalesce.3 Vendors are in a rush to build out their core products and establish a foothold in the market, leading to a surge in marketing activity, lookalike solutions, and conflicting claims. Users currently look at a wide variety of factors when selecting tag management systems, with top attributes spanning ease of use and management, pricing and cost of ownership, vendor service and technical capabilities, and tag support (see Figure 11). To differentiate vendors and determine the best fit for your respective TMS requirements, evaluate vendor capabilities on three dimensions: technical foundation, application features, and extensibility.

Technical Foundation

The technical foundation consists of the underlying design, operation, and delivery of the TMS application.

■ Infrastructure. As a predominantly on-demand solution, TMS infrastructure is critical for ensuring performance, uptime, and security. Users must evaluate vendor service-level agreements (SLAs) and technical factors such as data center or cloud service usage; disaster recovery and redundancy; and the use of content delivery networks or distributed infrastructure to support global deployments.

■ Deployment method. Users have a choice of several TMS application deployment methods. The default option for all vendors is on-demand, but several vendors support on-premises and hybrid deployments — where the client selects the location of the script code file. On-premises and hybrid options may appeal to organizations from regulated industries with significant security concerns.

■ Implementation method. TMS vendors offer a variety of implementation methodologies. Most vendors rely on client-side tag implementation, although a few emphasize server-side tag management. Both options require JavaScript tags, but the designation refers to where most tags are fired, either at the browser or server level.

■ Support and services. Users require support from vendors in addition to technology. A mature TMS offering features full technical documentation and robust technical support, including access via multiple channels and an online knowledge base. Users should also consider how vendors deliver professional services to support implementation, training, and strategic advisory.




application Features

Application features represent the key components beyond standard TMS functionality that drive efficiency and the capacity for self-service utilization.

■ Partner ecosystem. Cutting and pasting tag code into a TMS is the most basic tag management feature, but it’s not efficient. Advanced TMS vendors partner with key interactive marketing and analytics vendors to prebuild common tags and offer user-friendly tag management templates to add and edit tags without writing or accessing code.

■ Workflow and user administration. Even with an efficient TMS environment, tag management will involve multiple stakeholders. Users should evaluate administration features to control user access to functionality and data. TMS workflow capabilities should be consistent with an organization’s own multistage processes for tag creation, quality assurance, and approvals.

■ Usability. An effective TMS user experience features a modern application interface based on common and intuitive interaction principles. The user interface (UI) should reduce complexity for nontechnical users with logical layouts and guided task flows and should support power users with functionality for efficient, granular management of large numbers of tags, vendors, and domains.

■ Native reporting. Many, but not all, TMS offerings feature native site and tag-level reporting to provide visibility to the tag management environment. Advanced reporting offerings include error reporting; attribution and conversion analysis; and page-load performance data, acting as a secondary audit point that complements existing analytics tools.

extensibility

Extensibility provides the ability to leverage TMS features in multiple environments, from other applications, and alongside additional marketing and analytics functionality.

■ Environment support. Tag management users and vendors currently emphasize TMS support for fixed Internet websites. But as digital marketing increasingly moves beyond the website, users should consider TMS options that support instrumentation in multiple environments such as mobile websites, applications, and media platforms such as Flash.

■ TMS platform extensions. Beyond standard tag management functionality, determine what additional features the TMS platform can deliver to support your organization’s marketing and analytics requirements. Most TMS vendors offer privacy management capabilities, but many also offer additional functionality for attribution and data syndication.

■ Application programming interface. Application programming interface (API) usage in tag management is rare today but holds significant future promise. Not all vendors currently support APIs, but the feature is useful for bulk implementation of large numbers of tags, remote system management, developing custom user interfaces, and exporting data for advanced analysis.




Figure 11 Users Avoid Complexity When Selecting Tag Management Systems


“Which of the following are the five most important factors when selecting a tag management system?”(Select up to �ve)

1%

3%

5%

5%

5%

7%

7%

8%

9%

11%

12%

13%

14%

16%

21%

28%

28%

30%

32%

33%

39%

50%

62%

Vendor’s geographic coverage

Other

Deployment model (such as on-premises,on-demand, or hybrid models)

Vendor’s partner network

The tag management application is a module withina larger suite of analytics and/or marketing tools

Experience in our industry

Availability of a service-level agreement

Vendor’s thought leadership

Breadth of environments supported (such aswebsite, mobile, applications, etc.)

Professional services and training capabilities

Availability of advanced or proprietary features and functionality(such as API, privacy management, data syndication, etc.)

Vendor’s reputation (e.g., known as a leader in this �eld)

Strength of vendor’s reference customers

Vendor’s product support capabilities (live and onlinesupport, knowledge base, documentation, etc.)

Standard features and functionality (such as rules, templates,version management, administration and work�ow, etc.)

Breadth of tags supported

Total cost of ownership

Vendor’s infrastructure and scalability

Vendor’s ability to service my business needs

Pricing model

Ease of implementation andongoing management

Ease of use


Implementation method (i.e., client-sideJavaScript, server-side, etc.)





R e c o m m e n d at i o n s

oFFseT TaG ManaGeMenT iMMaTURiTy WiTh a hoLisTiC appRoaCh

Tags have never been as important and pervasive as they are today, but managing them is a perpetual drag on resources and processes. The rapid acceleration of the TMS market over the past couple of years from obscurity to “the new black” clearly shows users’ excitement at the possibility of a better way to manage tags. But tag management is still immature. In a crowded, early-stage market, customer intelligence professionals must understand their exposures to tagging issues, identify which types of TMS vendor can support their needs, and conduct evaluations that go deeper than basic tag management features.4 To make the right choice:

■ Ensure comprehensive digital ecosystem coverage. Users must consider tag management solutions in the context of their own digital marketing and analytics requirements. To ensure a good fit, a TMS should support all internal and external users; the preferred tag management workflow; the full set of tags currently in use; and deployment to all web and application environments where an organization operates.

■ Prepare for the implementation and ongoing usage. Selecting a TMS is only the start of the tag management journey. Ultimately a TMS is simply an enabling technology. Planning is the key to long-term TMS success. Users must audit their current sites; schedule the transition of tags to the new system; conduct rigorous quality assurance to ensure continuity; train users on the new TMS application; and update tag management processes for effective governance.

■ Select a vendor for the long haul. TMS deployments are deeply embedded within organizations because of the implementation investment and centralization of data collection. Replatforming a TMS vendor is difficult, making selection of a vendor for the long term paramount. Beyond product and support capabilities, users must evaluate corporate health; the product mix; the management team and board of directors; funding; and the customer base to ensure that their vendors can provide support today as well as in the future.




sUppLeMenTaL MaTeRiaL

Methodology

Forrester fielded its Q2 2012 Global Tag Management User Online Survey to 76 individuals who are current users of tag management systems. For quality assurance, all respondents were required to provide contact information and answer basic questions about their firms’ revenues, location, and type of business.

Forrester fielded the survey in May and June 2012. Respondent incentives included receiving a copy of the published research.

Exact sample sizes are provided in this report on a question-by-question basis. This data is not guaranteed to be representative of the population. Unless otherwise noted, statistical data is intended to be used for descriptive and not inferential purposes. While nonrandom, the survey is still a valuable tool for understanding where users are today and where the industry is headed.

endnoTes1 We determine interest in this context in two ways. First, Forrester is experiencing a significant and

sustained volume of analyst inquiries on the topic of tag management. Second, data gathered during the research process shows that the majority of vendors in this report are experiencing substantial new customer growth.

2 A tag management system supports any number of tags from multiple applications and applies those tags to any page. This increases the flexibility of firms to run tags on specific pages, add or remove vendors and agencies, and run proof-of-concept projects. A big payoff: reduced switching costs and reliance on any single supplier. See the December 22, 2010, “How Tag Management Improves Web Intelligence” report.

3 The most viable option for maintaining tags falls to an emerging class of applications called tag management systems. These solutions replace individual on-site tags with a single master tag and aggregate tag execution and maintenance to a consolidated management application. See the December 22, 2010,

“How Tag Management Improves Web Intelligence” report.

4 Tag management success starts with a comprehensive audit to identify how tags currently integrate with your website. What does the website tag audit entail? CI professionals must apply a framework to assess key website measurement, performance, and management characteristics to evaluate the common drivers of tag management issues. See the December 22, 2010, “How Tag Management Improves Web Intelligence” report.




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