CM Group

Overview

CM Group is a marketing technology holding company that owns a portfolio of email and multi-channel marketing platforms including Campaign Monitor, Emma, Delivra, Sailthru, Liveclicker, and Vuture. The group serves a wide range of customers from small businesses using Campaign Monitor to enterprise publishers and financial services firms using Sailthru. When CM Group scripts appear on websites, they most commonly represent Campaign Monitor or Emma embedded signup forms, or tracking pixels attributing web visits back to email campaign clicks. The group rebranded to Marigold in 2023, though Campaign Monitor and Emma continue to operate as distinct product brands.

What This Script Does

CM Group scripts on third-party websites take two primary forms: embedded subscription forms and post-click tracking pixels.

Email signup form embeds (Campaign Monitor / Emma):

• A JavaScript snippet loads the form configuration from Campaign Monitor's servers (js.createsend.com/i/subscribe.js or similar) or Emma's CDN
• The rendered form collects the visitor's email address and any additional fields configured by the list owner (name, preferences, demographics)
• Form submissions are transmitted to Campaign Monitor's or Emma's API for subscriber list addition
• Double opt-in confirmation emails are sent from Campaign Monitor's infrastructure if enabled

Email-to-web tracking pixels:

• Broadcast and automation emails sent from Campaign Monitor or Emma contain tracked links that redirect through Campaign Monitor's click-tracking infrastructure (createsend.com redirect URLs)
• Separately, a web tracking pixel may be placed on the website to attribute which pages an email recipient visits after clicking through from a campaign
• This pixel sets cookies to link the email click identifier to on-site browsing behavior

Cookies set:

• cms — persistent cookie, typically 365-day expiry, stores a subscriber or visitor identifier used to link email campaign clicks to on-site visits for campaign attribution reporting
• Form suppression cookies (session or 30-day) preventing re-display of signup widgets to visitors who have already subscribed
• Click attribution cookies that persist the Campaign Monitor click ID from the email link landing through subsequent page visits

Data collected:

• Subscriber email addresses and any additional form fields
• Post-click on-site behavior: pages visited after arriving from an email campaign, time on site, conversions
• Campaign attribution data: which email broadcast or automation drove the web visit and any subsequent conversions
• Form interaction rates (impressions, submissions) for form optimization

Consent & Compliance

CM Group scripts are classified as marketing. Under GDPR and ePrivacy, two separate consent obligations apply: (1) the signup form requires explicit opt-in consent for email marketing communications under GDPR Article 6(1)(a) — the form serves as the consent mechanism; and (2) attribution tracking cookies and cross-channel measurement pixels require cookie consent under the ePrivacy Directive, as they are non-essential and serve marketing measurement purposes.

The email-to-web behavior tracking (following subscribers from email clicks onto the website) constitutes cross-channel behavioral profiling requiring valid consent. Under CCPA/CPRA, collection of email addresses for marketing and behavioral tracking requires disclosure and opt-out mechanisms.

CM Group (Marigold) is US-based; EU data transfers rely on Standard Contractual Clauses. Campaign Monitor holds ISO 27001 certification.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Yes. CM Group tracking pixels and attribution cookies serve marketing measurement purposes and require prior consent. Embedded signup forms may be considered functional if they operate without tracking cookies, but attribution and behavioral measurement components must be blocked until marketing consent is granted.