⚠️Note: Google Tag Manager is only available to Sellers on the Enterprise OTT Plan. If you are interested in learning more please contact our Sales Team.
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tag management system that allows you to track the usage of your website and easily trigger both Google and third-party code snippets (generally referred to as “tags”) without having to modify the source code of your site. While Vimeo has quite a few native OTT integrations, GTM expands the platform to software that we might not support out of the box.
This article discusses how to add a Google Tag Manager Container ID to your OTT site.
First, you’ll create a container for your OTT Site and then, using Google’s web-based interface, you can add tags and then define rules for when each tag should fire.
Some examples of what you can add via GTM:
- Google AdWords Conversion Tracking
- ⚠️Note: OTT also offers a native Google Ads integration
- Remarketing and/or Conversion Tracking
- Custom HTML and Javascript
If you are new to GTM, we recommend reading about Google Tag Manager here.
How do I add a Google Tag Manager Container ID?
You’ll need to create a Google Tag Manager account here if you haven’t already done so. Be sure to select Web for your target platform, as Vimeo OTT does not currently support GTM in our Branded Apps.
Once you’ve created an account, go to the Workspace section of your Tag Manager to find your container ID (it will look like GTM-XXXXXXX).
Now you’ll need to add that ID to your Vimeo OTT Site. In your OTT site admin,
- Navigate to Manage > Site > Tracking tab.
- Paste the full container ID under the Google Tag Manager Container ID.
- Save your settings.
Adding the tag will automatically add your GTM container to your OTT site which will begin tracking data immediately. Similar to other tracking on Vimeo OTT sites, this will be disabled for sellers whothat are Made For Kids and customers who have requested that they not be tracked per GDPR regulations. You can only add a single GTM Container ID, as Google recommends only using one container per web domain.
Verifying that Google Tag Manager is installed
If you’d like to confirm that Google Tag Manager is installed properly, you can use either of the following tools to help troubleshoot the issue:
- Preview Mode in Google Tag Manager
- The Google Tag Assistant (Legacy) Chrome Extension.
Tracking Events in Google Tag Manager
Tags are configured to send data when an event occurs, such as page views, video plays, or purchases. Tag Manager uses triggers to specify what events to track and “listens” for that event to occur. When the event occurs, the tag fires and sends associated data, such as an item value or transaction ID, to the specified destination.
⚠️Note: For these data layer events to be populated on your OTT Site, you must have also added your GA4 tracking code in Vimeo OTT.
GTM Events
Below is a list of some of the most commonly tracked Events in Vimeo OTT
| Event | Description |
| page_view | When the page loads or the browser history state is changed by the active site. |
| login | When a user completes login from the login page. |
| Search | When a user types a searchable term in the site’s content search field. |
| begin_checkout | When a user lands on a checkout page with a payment form. |
| sign_up | When a new customer record is created via checkout or FVOD registration. |
| purchase | When a checkout transaction is completed. |
GTM Variables
These are the OTT parameters that you can create as variables in GTM
| Variable Name | Description |
| site | Numerical Site Key # |
| user_id | Unique User #ID. Only available when Customer is logged in |
| search_term | When a user types a searchable term in the site’s content search field. |
| checkout_method | Payment method type (Credit Card, Google Pay, etc) |
| checkout_type | payment_element or card_element |
| coupon | Promo code or coupon used, if applicable |
| currency | 3-letter3 letter currency code (e.g. USD, GBP) |
| discount | Discount amount, if any |
| items | An array of the items that have been purchased, includes:
|
| page_title | Name of the page |
| tax | Tax amount, if any |
| transaction_id | Unique identifier for the transaction |
| value | Amount paid in viewers currency, excluding taxes and discounts |
Creating Triggers, Variables & Tags
Every Vimeo OTT event that you want tracked must be created as an Event Tag in Google Tag Manager.
For each Event, you need first to create a Trigger that listens for certain events to happen such as a button click or page view. The trigger tells the tag to fire when the event is detected. Then, in the Variables tab, you will create the custom parameters associated with each event.
Setting up your Triggers
- Login to Google Tag Manager
- Click Triggers in the left-side navigation, and then click the New button
- Select Trigger Configuration
- Choose the Trigger Type. This could be a Page View, a Click, or a Custom Event
- If you imagine a tag being triggered on all pages choose All Pages, or you can choose Some Page Views and enter a page path (e.g. /browse)
- Give the Event a name.
- Save
Defining Variables in GTM
We automatically push several events into GTM as customers navigate through your OTT Channel but to leverage them in your tags or triggers, you must first define them as Variables. This is an essential step.
To create a Variable in Google Tag Manager, follow these steps:
- Login to Google Tag Manager
- Click Variables in the left side navigation, and then in the User-Defined Variable section, click the New button
- Click on the Variable Configuration box and under Variable Type
- Select Data Layer Variable
- Describe your Variable at the top left and then add the Name of the Variable based on the above list of Parameters available in the Vimeo OTT data layer. These are Data Layer Variables that are part of the eventModel in the JSON object, so all variables will follow the format: eventModel.[VARIABLE NAME].
- You’ll want to create Variables for as many of the Vimeo OTT parameters that you would like to track. Your user-defined variables should look similar to this:
Creating Tags
Now that you have defined both the triggers and variables, you can create a Tag that fires based on the trigger and sends the appropriate parameter.
- Login to your Google Tag Manager account
- Click Tags in the left side navigation, click the New button, and then click Tag Configuration
- Give the tag a name
- Choose the type of Tag. For third-party integrations, this will often be “Custom HTML” or “Custom Image” but there are many other tags to choose from
- Complete the integration steps
- This will vary depending on the integration.
- Edit Triggering
- Select the corresponding trigger that you’d set up previously to determine when the tag should fire.
- Click Save
Publish Your Container Changes
Google Tag Manager does not automatically send these changes out until you Publish.
Click Submit in the top right of the page once you have configured your Triggers and Tags.