In BlueConic, you can add consent Objectives to objects such as Connections, Listeners, AI Workbench Notebooks, and External Trackers, making sure that the object only applies to customers who have given consent to at least one of the selected Objectives.
To add consent Objectives to Segments and Dialogues, you use Filters.
How it works
When a visitor loads a page, the BlueConic script requests interactions (Listeners, Dialogues, client-side Connections) from BlueConic, sending the profile ID if available. If consent was just captured, it is included in this request.
BlueConic evaluates the visitor’s legislation and consent status before executing interactions. The profile loads with consented and refused objectives. If an interaction has an objective, execution depends on the legislation type:
Opt-in zones: The interaction runs only if a consented objective is attached.
Opt-out zones: The interaction runs unless a refused objective is attached.
In this case, the interest ranker updates the profile because consent was given, and the lightbox appears since the visitor approved it.
Summary: An interaction executes if:
It has no attached objective.
In opt-in zones, a consented objective is present.
In opt-out zones, no refused objective is present.
How to add an Objective to BlueConic Connections, Listeners, Notebooks, or External Trackers
Add Objectives to a BlueConic Connection (or Listeners, Notebooks, or External Trackers) by following these steps.
Navigate to the Connection's page and click the right sidebar.
Click Add to objective.
A pop-up window appears. Click the Objectives to add to the Connection, or check the select all box. Click Select.
The Objectives added to the Connection now appear in the Objectives widget.
How to add consent status from external systems
See Add consent status from an external system for instructions and considerations for importing consent status stored in external systems.
Use Filters to add Objectives to Segments or Dialogues
You can use the Segment Filter and Dialogue Filter to limit customer segments and dialogues to manage privacy and consent using objectives. For example, to create a customer segment based on privacy consent, use the Segment Filter with Objectives, where you can choose one of five customer consent responses:
Consented
Not needed or consented
Refused
Unknown
Refused or unknown
Add consent objectives to BlueConic customer Segments
When you define a customer segment, add an Objective filter and set conditions that determine which profiles belong to the customer segment. Here is how you specify that customers should have consented/not consented/refused a particular objective, such as privacy objectives for legislation zones like GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, PIPEDA, etc.
Note: Each legislation zone applied to an objective is designated as Opt-in or Opt-out through the Privacy settings page (Settings > Privacy). This designation, which affects all visitors within the selected zone, determines if the objective is met based on their consent. See Privacy Settings for more information.
Add consent objectives to BlueConic Dialogues
For BlueConic Dialogues, you set consent objectives in the Dialogue's Who tab. Here is where you can specify that the dialogue should be shown (or not shown) depending on the customer or visitor's response to a privacy or consent Objective.
Add Objectives to Listeners
BlueConic Listeners collect profile data as your customers and visitors interact with your channels. You can add marketing or privacy Objectives to Listeners, making sure that each Listener only applies to visitors or customers who have given consent to at least one of the selected Objectives.
Add Objectives to a Listener by following these steps:
Navigate to the Listener's page and click the right sidebar.
Click Add to objective.
A pop-up window appears. Click the Objectives to add to the Listener, or check the select all box. Click Select.
The Objectives added to the Listener now appear in the Objectives widget.
The impact of placing an item in an objective
Once consent is stored in BlueConic, it is used to control how data is collected and used. This table outlines how consent impacts various features or objects (e.g., Listeners, Connections, Objectives) in BlueConic.
Feature/Object | Impact |
Connections | Only non-EU profiles and those with consent to the objective will be processed by the connection for both export and import goals. |
Dialogues | Placing a dialogue into an objective does not affect its execution. Once shown to a visitor, components on the What tab (e.g., Forms) can write data to any profile property. If a dialogue updates a visitor’s profile, assigning it to an objective is recommended to link objectives with profile properties. This ensures proper data handling if consent is withdrawn. |
Listeners | Listeners run only for visitors who have consented to the objective they are placed in, based on your privacy and consent settings. |
Global listener | Global listeners (“globallistener” plugins) are always executed for all visitors and can be used for segmentation, even without a profile. However, data is stored in a profile only if the visitor is outside the EU or has given consent to the objective. |
Tracking pixels | Placing a tracker in an objective does not affect its basic function (redirecting to a target URL or displaying a pixel). However, profile enrichment occurs only if the visitor is outside the EU or has given consent to the objective. |
Segments | Placing a segment in an objective does not affect visitor participation, which is solely based on whether their profile meets the segment definition. |
Profile merging | When two profiles merge, the most restrictive legislation zone applies, meaning Opt-in takes precedence over Opt-out. Consents and refusals are combined, and if one profile consents to an objective while the other refuses, the merged profile retains consent. Timeline events from both profiles are preserved, and the rollup determines which email address and phone number are used. |
Objectives | If multiple objectives are linked to an object, a profile qualifies by meeting any one of them, which may lead to unexpected overlaps (e.g., email personalization and opt-in). Objectives can also group objects for specific use cases, often with “Require consent” disabled. This is why objectives can be added in the sidebar without affecting consent, as with Segments. |
FAQs
How can I ensure no profile is created without consent in BlueConic?
To comply with GDPR, prevent profile creation when a visitor has not given consent. This can be done by:
Only loading the BlueConic script after the visitor consents via the CMP (simpler but may cause loading issues).
Assigning objectives to all listeners and connections that write to profiles (requires more discipline but prevents unauthorized profile or cookie creation).
Note: If a CMP Listener syncs consents and refusals to BlueConic, it may still create a profile. To prevent this, avoid setting consents/refusals via the JavaScript API when a profile should not be created.
What should a BlueConic dashboard include for tracking consented and refused objectives?
A typical dashboard should include:
Profile Property Filters: “Consented Objectives” and “Refused Objectives”
Segment KPI: Displays individual consented/refused objectives for each objective
Trends Over Time: Multiple segments tracking all consented and refused objectives
Segment Percentage KPI: Shows the percentage of consented vs. refused objectives
How do objectives impact server-to-server connections in BlueConic?
When an objective is linked to a connection, it ensures only consented profiles are processed. For export goals, the connection automatically filters profiles based on consent, which is reflected in the UI. For example, if a segment contains 11.18K profiles, but only 5.66K have the required customer_id and consent, only those will be sent. For import goals, updates for profiles without proper consent are ignored, as shown in the run history.
Note: The legislation zone must be present in the profile. If the source’s legislation is known but not included in the feed, use the “Add a fixed value” data processor. Refer to the BlueConic REST API documentation for exceptions.