Configure an Email Campaign: Launching

1. In the Pre-Launch Review section, place check marks next to the processing steps where the platform should stop and require an approval before continuing on to the next step. For each option that's checked, an approval will be required before the Campaign can proceed.

   • Queuing Statistics: Confirm the stats before letting content calculation begin.

   • Content Permutations: Review the permutations before letting personalization begin.

   • Sending: Require approval of the overall Campaign before sending messages.

2. In the Tool Ribbon, click Launch > Launch Campaign. The system begins the Campaign launch process.

3. After you launch a Campaign, you can view statistics and status information regarding each step in the Launch process. This screen displays each of the four Launch steps, along with the status, start time stamp, end time stamp, and record quantity. Optionally, click the down-arrow icon next to a step to view detailed statistics for that step.

4. The Launching screen also displays a change log within the Changes section. If this Campaign was modified post-launch, the system adds a record to this section, with the date and time of the change.

To approve a launch step:

1. In the Review and Approve section, click Approve next to the step that's awaiting approval. The system displays a warning dialog box.

2. Click Ok. The system then proceeds with the next step in the launch process.

After a Campaign has launched and begun deploying, you can optionally use the Sending approval checkpoint as a way of pausing message deployment. Essentially, you are unapproving the Sending step that you previously approved, in order to stop the Campaign from sending.

When you unapprove the Sending step, the system immediately stops sending messages, but continues to queue any new triggered messages, and continues to collect activity data (opens, clicks, etc.) on any messages previously deployed. The status of the Campaign is changed to Pending Approval. The Sending step can later be re-approved in order to resume sending. Unapproving the Sending step is typically done when you need to make changes to an active Campaign via Pick Up Changes, you want to queue records while suspended, and you intend to later resume the Campaign.

If you unapprove the Sending step in a triggered Campaign (either date- or event-triggered), the platform continues to listen for trigger occurrences while the Campaign is in a suspended state. Any triggers that occur while suspended will be captured, the messages will be queued, and the platform will send those messages after you re-approve the Sending step.

Note: Even if you click all three Unapprove buttons, the system will still continue to queue any new triggered messages.

For more details on all the available options for stopping a Campaign, please see Stop Campaign Deployment.

To un-approve the Sending step, in the Review and Approve section, click Un-approve next to Sending.

If you attempt to suspend a Campaign while it's still in the message creation phase, the platform will complete message creation before suspending the Campaign. 

The status of the Campaign is changed to Suspended. This Campaign can later be resumed. Suspending a Campaign is typically done when you need to make changes to an active Campaign via Pick Up Changes, and you intend to later resume the Campaign.

For more details on all the available options for stopping a Campaign, please see Stop Campaign Deployment.

The available Suspend options depend on the type of Campaign, each of which is described below.

Suspend a regular one-off Campaign

To suspend a Regular One-off Campaign, click Suspend Campaign. A confirmation dialog box is displayed; click Suspend.

Suspend a date-triggered Campaign

Within a Date-triggered Campaign, the platform will not add new records to the processing queue while the Campaign is in a suspended state. So, even if the Recurrence Frequency occurs while the Campaign is suspended, those new triggered records won't be added to the queue. Those records will essentially get skipped, even if you later resume the Campaign.

Conversely, any existing records that were in the processing queue at the moment you suspend the Campaign will remain in the queue. If you later resume the Campaign, those queued records will get deployed. Suspending a Date-triggered Campaign just stops NEW triggered records from being added to the queue.

To suspend a Date-triggered Campaign, click Suspend Campaign. A confirmation dialog box is displayed; click Suspend.

Suspend an event-triggered Campaigns

Within an Event-triggered Campaign, the platform offers two different options for suspending a Campaign:

• Suspend, and don't queue -- With this option, the platform will not add new records to the processing queue while the Campaign is in a suspended state. So, even if the triggering event occurs while the Campaign is suspended, those new triggered records won't be added to the queue. Those records will essentially get skipped, even if you later resume the Campaign.

• Suspend, and queue -- With this option, the platform will add new records to the processing queue while the Campaign is in a suspended sate, if the triggering event occurs. Those new triggered records will be added to the queue, and those records will get deployed when you later resume the Campaign.

With both of the above options, any existing records that were in the processing queue at the moment you suspend the Campaign will remain in the queue. If you later resume the Campaign, those queued records will get deployed.

To suspend an Event-triggered Campaign, in the Tool Ribbon, click one of the following:

• To suspend without queueing new triggered records, click  Suspend All. A confirmation dialog box is displayed; click Suspend.

• To suspend and continue to queue new triggered records, click Suspend Send Only. A confirmation dialog box is displayed; click Suspend.

Resume a Campaign

To resume a Campaign, click Resume Campaign.

The status of the Campaign is changed to Done. This action can’t be undone, and the Campaign can’t later be resumed.

For more details on all the available options for stopping a Campaign, please see Stop Campaign Deployment.

To stop a Campaign, Click End Campaign.

The status of the Campaign is changed to Canceled. This action can’t be undone, and the Campaign can’t later be resumed.

Note: If you delete a launched Campaign by moving it to the Recycling Bin, the system automatically changes the status for this Campaign to Canceled. Even if you later restore the archived Campaign from the Recycling Bin, you still can’t resume it.

For more details on all the available options for stopping a Campaign, please see Stop Campaign Deployment.

To cancel a Campaign, in the Tool Ribbon, click Launch > Cancel Campaign.

You must suspend the Campaign before you can run Pick Up Changes. The only exception to this rule is an Event-triggered Campaign that uses Advanced Event Trigger as the Trigger Type; in that one scenario, you don't need to first suspend the Campaign before running Pick Up Changes.

Note: Any messages that have already been deployed can't be retrieved.

For Regular One-Off Campaigns, you can change the Campaign schedule and content; however, you can't change the Filter once the Campaign launches.

For Event-triggered and Date-triggered Campaigns, you can change any aspect of the Campaign, including the Filter.

To modify a launched Campaign:

1. Make any necessary changes to the Campaign.

2. Select Launching from the Functional Menu.

3. Click Suspend Campaign. A confirmation dialog box is displayed; click Suspend.

4. Click Pick Up Changes.

5. When Pick Up Changes is finished, click Resume Campaign.

Note: Some channels, such as Print and Data File Extract, allow you to recreate the proofs when you pick up changes. In the Tool Ribbon, click Pick Up Changes with Proofs.

Note: The Edit Link URLs option is not available in an Event-triggered Campaign that uses the Email Campaign Trigger API as the trigger type.

If your URL contains Merge Symbols, the platform imposes certain restrictions on what you're allowed to modify post-launch. You can change any of the static portions of the URL, as well as any parameters sent within the URL. You can't change anything related to the Merge Symbols, including their sequence, or the number of Merge Symbols; this means that you can't switch the Merge Symbols around, or add / remove a Merge Symbol.

For example, let's say the original URL is as follows:

https://www.cheetahdigital.com/store?utm_source=cheetah&utm_medium=email&mi_ecmp={(campaignid)}&utm_campaign=20180525_promo&om_rid={(customer_id)}&utm_content=3

This URL contains two Merge Symbols -- "campaignId" and "customer_id." You could make changes to any other aspect of this URL, except for those two Merge Symbols. The revised URL must still contain those exact same two Merge Symbols, with the same names, and in the same sequence. You can't remove them, or add a new Merge Symbol, or flip the sequence of these two Merge Symbols.

To edit link URLs after the Campaign has launched:

1. In the Tool Ribbon, click Launch > Edit Link URLs. The Post-Launch: Edit Link URLs pop-up window is displayed, showing all of the links being tracked within this Campaign.

2. Place a check mark next to the URL that you want to modify. The URL text field becomes editable.

3. Enter the new URL.

4. Repeat the above steps as needed to modify additional URLs.

5. Click save link urls.