You might already be using a free tag management system (TMS) such as Google Tag Manager to manage your marketing tags.

Have you heard about the free tag management system by Adobe?

Launch (or Adobe Experience Platform Launch) is a next-generation tag management system designed to unify data from multiple sources. It’s a rule-based TMS, which allows more control over each part of your tags.

Launch also offers extensions, a great feature to help you extend the platform based on your needs.

In this article, you will learn how to leverage your marketing solutions with Launch. The article covers: 

• Launch’s main features
• The best extensions
• How to start working with Launch
• How to get Launch for free

What is Adobe Launch?

Launch is the next generation of tag management system developed by Adobe. It’s an entirely new product with a new code base aimed to replace the previous Dynamic Tag Management (DTM) by Adobe. 

Launch offers a simple way to deploy and manage your analytics, marketing and advertising tags.

Launch empowers anyone to build and maintain their own integrations with extensions.

You can easily install, configure and deploy new extensions. What else is great about Launch? It’s free!

Launch’s best feature: extensions

An extension is a package of code (JavaScript, HTML, and CSS) that extends the Launch user interface and client functionality.

It enables you to build, manage and update your integrations using a self-service interface.

You can think of Launch as an operating system and extensions are the application you use to achieve your tasks.

All the extensions can be found within the Extension Catalog. Some extensions are provided by Adobe and offer integrations with other products of the Adobe Experience Cloud such as Adobe Analytics or Adobe Target. 

It’s simple for you to deploy specific extensions that help you with your marketing activities. 

And if you don’t find the perfect extension you can choose to extend the system and build your own.

Create robust rules with Rules Builder

Launch offers an excellent Rules Builder mechanism.

You can create rules that combine multiple events, sequenced in the way that you determine. Rules Builder uses an if/then logic with conditions and exceptions. 

Here are some example of elements you can use to build a rule:

• Events: a click, a mouseover, any custom event
• Conditions: the trigger of your rule
• Exceptions: cases your rule must not be executed
• Actions: set variables, send requests, send conversion pixels, etc.

Rule Builder includes real-time error checking and syntax highlighting for custom code.

If you are a non-developer, this feature will save you time. It can check whether or not your tags or pixels will work and by that, prevent errors before publishing.

Data Elements

Data Elements are variables that collect, organise and deliver data across web-based marketing and advertising technology. 

Launch is open

Launch has an open API that gives you plenty of freedom regarding automation and integration.

Here are some interesting use cases that you could implement thanks to the open API:

• Interaction with the Reactor APIs
• Automated deployment
• Integration with your own internal systems
• Develop a custom user interface

Launch, a lightweight tag management system

Web performance is key. Your web pages must be lean and load fast.

The Launch tag container is 60% lighter than Adobe DTM and 40% lighter than Google Tag Manager’s. 

The content of your container is minified, including your custom code. Everything is modular. If you don’t need an item, it’s not included in your container. The result is a fast and compact implementation.

An excellent publishing process

Enterprise Publishing is another highlight of (Adobe Experience Platform) Launch.

The publishing process enables your team to publish code to your webpages. Different users can create a version of the container, approve it, and publish it to your website.

What this means?

• Changes to your code are encapsulated within the libraries you define
• You specify where and when you want your code to be deployed
• Multiple libraries can be built in parallel by different teams
• Unlimited development environments

Launch, you next tag management system

Launch is a next-generation tag management system. The system, designed by Adobe, was released in 2018. It uses the latest technologies and on top of this, is designed for the needs of modern digital marketing. 

You don’t have the excuse of cost anymore – Launch is free. And the best thing? You don’t have to be an Adobe Experience Cloud customer. Anybody can start using Launch.

Start using Launch today.

Patrick Psiuk

Analytics Expert