DMA (Digital Markets Act): everything you need to know!

Since the Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into force in March 2024, the rules of the game for digital advertising in Europe have changed. While the GDPR (2018) aimed to protect privacy, the DMA aims to break up the monopolies of digital giants.

For marketing managers, the equation is simple: without technical compliance, it's the end of remarketing and similar audiences on Google. This article breaks down the real impact of the DMA on your marketing stack and how Consent Mode V2 has become the only key to maintaining your acquisition performance.

Why is your ecosystem impacted by the DMA?

The Digital Markets Act does not directly target advertisers, but rather "gatekeepers. " These are the systemic platforms that structure the web: Alphabet (Google), Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and ByteDance (TikTok).

To avoid huge fines (up to 10% of their global turnover), these players must now prove to the European Commission that they have obtained explicit consent from users to cross-reference their data.

The domino effect on advertisers

This is where you come in. Google can no longer simply assume consent. It requires you, the advertiser, to send it a technical "signal" proving that the user has said "yes."

The direct consequence: If you do not send this signal via Consent Mode V2, Google will cut off access to targeting features (Remarketing, Customer Match) and reduce the accuracy of your tracking.

What is Google Consent Mode V2?

Consent Mode is the protocol that allows your site to communicate the consent status of your users to Google tags (Google Ads, GA4, Floodlight).

Version V2 introduces two new critical parameters in addition to the existing ones (analytics_storage and ad_storage):

   
• ad_user_data: Does the user agree to their data being sent to Google for advertising purposes?
   
• ad_personalization: Does the user accept remarketing (personalized advertising)?

Without these two green lights, advertising "pipes" automatically close.

Which collection strategy should you choose?

The implementation of Consent Mode V2 offers two levels of granularity. The choice depends on your risk appetite and your data needs.

Option 1: Consent Mode "Basic" (Maximum Security)

This is the strict approach. If the user refuses cookies:

   
• No Google tags are triggered.
   
• No data is being sent.
   
• Consequence: You lose 100% visibility on users who have not consented (often 30 to 40% of traffic).

Option 2: Advanced Consent Mode (Performance & Modeling)

This is the recommended approach to maximize data. If the user refuses cookies:

   
• Google tags are triggered in "restricted" mode.
   
• They send anonymous "pings" (without cookies or personal identifiers).
   
• The benefit: Google uses these pings to model conversions. This gives you a statistical overview of performance, filling in the gaps in your GA4 and Google Ads reports.

How does Welyft ensure your compliance and data security?

Implementing Consent Mode V2 isn't just a box to check; it's a surgical intervention on your tagging plan. Asa data analytics agency, we deploy a rigorous methodology:

1. Audit of the CMP (Consent Management Platform)

We check whether your cookie banner (Cookiebot, Didomi, Axeptio, OneTrust, etc.) is technically capable of capturing and transmitting the new `ad_user_data` and `ad_personalization` signals.

2. Google Tag Manager (GTM) configuration

We reconfigure your beacons so that they listen to CMP signals.

   
• Enabling "Consent Overview" in GTM.
   
• Update triggers to comply with Basic or Advanced logic.
   
• Verification of the trigger order to prevent data leaks before consent is given.

3. Recipe & Validation

We use "Preview" mode and the developer console to ensure that pings are sent correctly (`gcs` and `gcd` status) and that remarketing is active for consenting users.

Turn constraints into opportunities

DMA and Consent Mode V2 are not optional. Failure to comply means accepting to run your acquisition campaigns blindly and depriving yourself of Google's powerful bidding algorithms.

By switching to Advanced mode with a clean implementation, you can recover up to 70% of lost conversions through modeling. This is a major competitive advantage over poorly configured players.

Are you unsure about your current configuration? Are your Google Ads audiences declining? Request a Consent Mode compliance audit from our data experts.