Marketing Cloud Next - Consent Management: Email, SMS, WhatsApp

Note: This article is a companion article for the Consent Management: Frequently Asked Questions resource. Check that article out for additional details and other frequently asked questions.

Do transactional emails check consent?

The transactional consent check is off by default. However, if a Communication Subscription is populated at send time, consent is evaluated even when the global setting is disabled. 

Recommended pattern: unless you want consent honored at send time, do not select a Communication Subscription for transactional sends.

See this knowledge article for more information on resolving why an email wasn’t sent due to the recipient not being opted in.

How does consent work for SMS and WhatsApp?

SMS and WhatsApp consent use the same Communication Subscription + CSC DMO model as email, with Contact Point Phone records. Opt-in/opt-out keyword handling is configured per channel. Note that "transactional" SMS (OTP, 2FA, account notifications) still requires consent under TCPA and most carrier rules.

How do the different email unsubscribe and complaint actions affect consent?

Marketing Cloud Next records all opt-outs at the Communication Subscription level — there is currently no account-level or channel-level opt-out. 

An "opt out of all" action (for example, "Unsubscribe from all" on a preference page) opts the recipient out of each of their current subscriptions individually. Opt-outs are also independent of sending domain and business unit. If someone opts out of a global Communication Subscription (one that can be sent from any business unit), that opt-out applies to sends from every business unit.

How each method behaves today:

• Email body unsubscribe link — Opts the recipient out of the specific Communication Subscription used on that send (subscription level).

• One-click / List-Unsubscribe header (HTTPS one-click and mailto) — Operates at the subscription level when the originating subscription can be identified from the send.

• Spam complaint (feedback loop / FBL) — Opts the recipient out of all of their current subscriptions.

• Reply Mail Management (RMM) — Opts the recipient out of all of their current subscriptions.

Example scenario:

1. A recipient undergoes an “opt out of all” action.

2. The recipient is then opted out of all current subscriptions individually. 

3. Later an admin creates a new subscription and opts this original recipient into it. 

4. The recipient could then receive marketing based on the new subscription. There is no channel-level or global opt-out mechanism. 

Note: Opting a recipient out of all current subscriptions is the current behavior for spam complaints and Reply Mail Management. Once channel-level consent is available (on the roadmap), these actions are planned to opt out at the channel level instead.