2.1. Setting up the cookie popup.
2.3.1. Cookie consent manager cookie.
2.3.2. Cool Tabs visit tracking cookies.
2.3.4. Google Analytics Cookie.
2.3.5. Google Tag Manager tracking code.
3.1. Implementing the popup in your campaign.
3.2. Documentation and legal terms.
1. Introduction.
In this tutorial we explain how to add a cookie consent popup to your Cool Tabs campaigns and which cookies and trackers are used, so you can decide which ones to enable and properly document them in your campaign's legal terms.
Having a properly configured cookie popup is essential to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other privacy regulations, which require informing users transparently and obtaining their explicit consent before collecting data or tracking them through cookies.
Cookies are small files stored in the user's browser that serve very different purposes: from remembering user preferences to enabling statistical analysis of visits or measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. At Cool Tabs, we mainly use them to manage the participant's session and, when you configure it, for analytical tracking of the campaign.
In this tutorial you will learn:
How to activate and configure the consent popup.
Which cookies and trackers you can enable, and what each one does.
How to customize the texts and behavior of the popup.
What to include in your campaign's legal terms.
2. Step by step.
2.1. Setting up the cookie popup.
To activate the consent manager:
Go to your campaign settings in Cool Tabs.
Navigate to 'Trackers and cookies' > 'Cookie consent management' tab and enable it.
Here you can configure all the cookies and trackers you're going to use, so they appear in the consent panel. Keep in mind that if you disable a tracker, it will stop being recorded for all users and you will lose that information in the statistics panel.
Once activated, the popup will appear in the bottom-right corner of the campaign and will let the user choose which cookies and trackers to accept.
Important: if the user rejects a cookie or tracker, it won't be loaded in their browser, and any existing ones will be automatically deleted.
2.2. Popup texts.
All popup texts are customizable. If you don't modify them, the default texts configured by Cool Tabs will be displayed.
Popup notice text. Shown in the initial popup, before the user opens the options. Default: "We use cookies for the following purposes".
Modal window title. The header of the window that opens when the user expands the options. Default: "These are the cookies we use".
Modal window description. Explanatory text inside that window. Default: "Here you can view and customize the information we collect about you".
Block the screen with the modal until permissions are accepted or rejected. By default, the popup appears discreetly and users can ignore it. If you enable this option, the popup will be centered on the screen and will block it until the user accepts or rejects the cookies.
2.3. Configuring cookies.
After customizing the texts, the next step is to decide which cookies and trackers you want to activate in your campaign. To properly inform your users and comply with regulations, it's helpful to understand what each one does.
Most cookies are associated with a specific campaign and include its ID in the name. In the tutorial examples we'll always use 12345 as a reference ID, but in your campaign it will be a 5 or 6-digit number.
Below you'll find the details of each type of cookie and tracker you can configure.
2.3.1. Cookie consent manager cookie.
When you enable the consent manager, a cookie is automatically created to remember the user's preferences:
consent_12345: stores the user's consent. Duration: 15 days.
2.3.2. Cool Tabs visit tracking cookies.
This tracker is what allows us to show you the visits panel for your campaign. If you disable it, we won't be able to collect visit data and you'll lose that information in the statistics.
It is integrated with the consent manager, so users can reject it if they wish.
It generates the following cookies:
cm12345
cn12345
- cs12345
- uv12345
- lr12345
- lcm12345
- lcn12345
2.3.3. Technical cookies.
These cookies are essential for the campaign to work and therefore cannot be disabled. Without them, users wouldn't be able to register, upload content (photos, videos…) or complete the participation form.
They are used to manage the participant's session while they interact with the campaign: maintaining configuration, identifying the user, preventing duplicate entries and ensuring the integrity of the data they submit.
Technical cookies used:
_cp: maintains the campaign configuration.
an_token: stores the user's authentication token.
auth_12345: internal authentication ID (varies per campaign).
cphash: session hash that ensures data integrity. Duration: 1 year.
2.3.4. Google Analytics Cookie.
Google Analytics lets you understand and analyze how visitors use your campaign, using an anonymous user ID. With it, you'll get data such as how many times your campaign is visited, when the first and last visits occurred, or where users are coming from.
Activating this tracker is necessary to send participant data to your Analytics and so we can show you the conversion funnels for your campaign. If you disable it, you'll lose information such as: total visits, unique users, page views, views by hour of day and day of the week, usage by device, and referred visits.
To display it in the consent manager, check the box 'Show Analytics checkbox in permissions popup'.
If you set up your own GA4, the following cookies will be used:
_ga
_ga_R1RPD2BJN3 (example of a client GA4 cookie).
This setup is integrated with the consent manager, so participants can disable Analytics tracking if they want.
Additional options you can configure:
Check the box by default: it will appear pre-selected in the consent manager, although the user can still uncheck it.
Run the tracker mandatorily: it will activate on page load with no option for the user to disable it.
Custom title and description: you can adjust them so participants clearly understand what the cookie is used for, or leave the default texts.
If you don't use Google Analytics, simply leave this option unchecked.
2.3.5. Google Tag Manager tracking code.
Google Tag Manager is a tag and tracking code manager that lets you measure visits and also track Google Ads conversions (formerly AdWords).
Since GTM can be used to include any type of tracker, we can't know exactly how you're using it: you'll need to communicate that to users in your campaign's legal terms.
To display it in the consent manager, check the box 'Show Google Tag Manager checkbox in permissions popup'.
Available options:
Check the box by default: it will appear pre-selected, although the user can uncheck it.
Run the tracker mandatorily: it will load automatically and the user won't be able to disable it.
The title and description will be shown with their default values. Since we don't know how you'll be using it, we recommend explaining it to the user in your campaign information.
2.3.6. Facebook pixel cookie.
Cool Tabs also lets you use Facebook cookies to measure the performance of your Facebook Ads campaigns. These cookies let you analyze the effectiveness of your ads and user interaction with them.
To display it in the consent manager, check the box 'Show Facebook pixel checkbox in permissions popup'.
If you don't use the Facebook pixel, you don't need to enable this option.
Available options:
Check the box by default: it will appear pre-selected, although the user can uncheck it.
Run the tracker mandatorily: it will load on page open and the user won't be able to disable it.
2.3.7. Custom tracking code.
If you need to add a tracker that isn't listed in the options above, you can add it as a custom tracker and it will be integrated into the cookie manager.
You'll be able to:
Customize the name and description.
Include the JavaScript code you want to execute.
- Enable or disable it by checking the corresponding box.
Once you've configured the popup and cookies, don't forget to click 'Save' so the changes are applied.
2.4. Cookie warning popup.
If you don't want to offer users a consent manager, you can instead display only an informational cookie notice, with no customization options. In this case, all available cookies and trackers in the campaign will be used.
You can activate it from the 'Cookie notice banner' tab.
Here is an example of how it will be displayed.
3. Other specifications.
All trackers (Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Facebook…) are compatible with each other, so you can enable all the ones you need at the same time.
3.1. Implementing the popup in your campaign.
A well-implemented cookie popup not only ensures legal compliance but also conveys transparency and trust to users. Clearly inform them about how their data will be used and always give them the option to accept or reject non-essential cookies.
Before launching your campaign, test the popup and check that all cookies and trackers behave as configured.
3.2. Documentation and legal terms.
To comply with privacy regulations, your campaign's legal terms must clearly document:
Description of each cookie: name, purpose and duration.
Consent options: how the user can accept or reject cookies.
Privacy policy: how personal data is processed and how cookies are used.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at help@cool-tabs.com.
4. Related content.
How to set up campaign tracking and conversion codes.
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