What are media codes and how do I use them?

Short Description Media codes are short identifiers tied to tactics — often used for tracking, attribution, or external system integration. This article covers their purpose and lifecycle.

What this article answers

What a media code is.
When media codes are generated.
How to find and use them.

What a media code is

A media code is a short, unique identifier associated with a Tactic in Hive9. Different organizations use them for different purposes:

Campaign tracking in analytics tools.
UTM parameters for digital tactics.
Source codes for response attribution.
External system references when pushing tactics to integrated platforms.

Media codes can be generated automatically by Hive9 based on tactic attributes, or assigned manually depending on your instance's configuration.

How media codes appear

Media codes typically appear on the Tactic's Inspection Window as either:

A read-only field showing the generated code, or
An editable field where you can assign or override the code.

[SCREENSHOT NEEDED — Inspection Window with Media Code field highlighted]

When media codes are generated

If your instance auto-generates media codes:

Codes are generated when the Tactic is approved.
The External Name configuration in your Model controls the format — your admin defines which attributes feed the code and in what order.
If Regenerate On Edit is turned on, the code can update when the Tactic is edited and re-saved.

If your instance uses manually-assigned media codes, enter the code in the field directly when creating or editing the Tactic.

Using media codes externally

The media code is the bridge between your Hive9 tactic and external systems:

Paste it into your analytics UTM utm_campaign= parameter.
Use it as the source code in your CRM's lead source field.
Reference it in vendor-side reporting to tie spend back to the tactic.

When the tactic syncs to an integrated platform (Eloqua, Marketo, Salesforce, etc.), Hive9 can push the media code along with the tactic record so the external system knows what to call it.

Finding tactics by media code

To find a tactic when you have only the media code:

Open the Plan Grid.
Use the search field. Your instance may default to searching by name; switch the search attribute to Media Code (or External Name) if available.
Enter the code.

If your instance's Default Search Attribute for Grids is set to Media Code or similar, the search works directly. Otherwise, use the column header or filter panel to search by media code.

Common questions

My media code is blank — what's wrong? Most likely the tactic hasn't been approved yet. Auto-generated codes typically appear on approval. If the tactic is approved and the code is still blank, ask your admin to check the External Name configuration in your Model.

My media code didn't update after I edited the tactic. Check whether Regenerate On Edit is turned on for your instance. If it's off, codes don't update automatically — they're frozen after the initial generation.

Can I have two tactics with the same media code? Hive9 typically enforces uniqueness on auto-generated codes. Manually-assigned codes may not be enforced — coordinate with your admin if duplicates would cause attribution issues downstream.