Why Mailgun switched to Osano

Ever since the EU General Data Protection Regulation was enacted in 2016, there has been no shortage of news stories about the number of fines data protection authorities have issued to non-compliant organizations. 

But for companies like email service provider Mailgun by Pathwire that are well aware of their legal obligations, it's not just about finding a vendor for consent management; it's about finding the right vendor.

Who is Mailgun?

Mailgun, which helps companies of all sizes send, deliver and validate email at scale, was recently looking for a new cookie management solution. The company sends billions of emails per month, allowing brands like Lyft, Cinemark, Patreon and Dribble to create connected experiences with their customers. In October 2019, Mailgun acquired Mailjet, a leading European email marketing company, to break further into the EU market.

What was their problem?

Its current consent-management solution had become a headache, as a result of various technical problems and poor customer service. 

Nick Lafferty, Mailgun's head of growth marketing, found himself looking for a consent-management solution that could live within the company's marketing department. Previously, Mailgun's developer and legal team owned the vendor selection process. But integrating its former consent-management solution into Mailgun and Mailjet's websites resulted in data collection problems; the marketing team suddenly couldn't gather a significant number of the critical metrics it needed to be strategic. The solution was configured in an "overly strict way, blocking us from reporting on basic metrics like anonymous page views for nearly 60% of our web traffic," Lafferty said, "which was frustrating, to say the least." 

Mailgun needed a fresh start with a consent-management solution that was easy to implement, one requiring little developer setup and flexible enough to leave undisrupted other business functions, like marketing analytics, while still complying with international privacy laws. 

"I wanted a partner to help advise on best practices and be an external expert on cookie compliance," Lafferty said. "Our legal team also needed to sign off on the tool, so having a tight compliance and consent-storage system was also key." 

What was the solution?

Easy implementation: 5 minutes and one line of Javascript

After a challenging run with its previous provider, implementing Osano into Mailgun and Mailjet needed to be easy.

Lafferty was hoping "five minutes and one line of JavaScript," as Osano describes the process, turned out to be true. He needed the process to be swift and effective.

"I asked our web developer to install the code on the website and then I was off to the races," he said. Once Osano started collecting cookie and script information, it was time to categorize the consent data, a process Lafferty called "straightforward," adding, "Our Osano rep helped me set up bulk rules, which made the entire implementation super fast. Osano's simple installation was a breeze to implement and miles beyond our previous provider," Lafferty said. 

Responsive customer support: Email responses in minutes, not days

Beyond implementation, Mailgun's new solution had to include the kind of customer service a growing business needs. He calls his experience at Osano "some of the most responsive customer support I've experienced at any vendor." 

And that kind of service is vital to Mailgun when it thinks about long-term partnerships. 

"Emails get answered in minutes instead of days," Lafferty said. "Our Osano contact has frequently offered to hop on impromptu Zoom calls to help troubleshoot issues and have more in-depth discussions. That level of responsiveness has been an incredible way to build trust in Osano."

To learn more about Osano's consent management platform, click here.