Difference in Campaign Name Properties

Marketing & Content Hub Reporting & Analytics
1

Hello!

Can someone help me understand the difference in the “Campaign UTM” property within the Contact data set and “Campaign - Campaign Name” property within the Campaign data set in reporting? I’ve run a report to look at MQLs and associated campaigns, and many of these MQLs have different campaign names listed between the two properties. What is the difference? Thanks!

Jenny

3

Hey @JGrayson6,

Thanks for bringing this to the community!! :glowing_star: :raising_hands:

Great question! Here are a few resources that might spark some movement or point you in the right direction!

  1. Campaigns FAQ
  2. Analyze Individual Campaign Performance
  3. Aggregate Campaign UTMs and HubSpot Campaign Names

Tagging in some folks who may be able to speak to the nuances here:

Hey @UlianaV, @SkeeStylus, @JWingate2 – do you have any suggestions for @JGrayson6 on this?

Thanks!!

Sam, Community Manager

4

@stassey Thanks for the response. I’ve reviewed the resources you shared- thank you.

To clarify, I’m wondering what the differences are (in the reporting tool) of a UTM campaign from the campaign data source as opposed to the contact data source, and how can these properties hold different values?

Does UTM_campaign from the Campaign data source mean the contact is associated to the campaign (via a list, email, etc.)

Then what does the UTM_campaign value represent in the Contact data source? Is it the campaign that made them become a contact?

I’m confused because it seems like UTM_campaign can hold different values based on the data source you’re looking at in reporting, and I’m trying to determine which I should be using. Thanks!

5

Hey Jenny @JGrayson6

This is one of the most common points of confusion in HubSpot reporting! The short answer is: they measure two completely different things in HubSpot’s backend architecture (Touchpoint / Source vs. Campaign Object Association).

Here is why they show different values for the same MQL and when to use which:

1. Contact Data Set → Campaign UTM

  • What it is: A static property tied directly to the Contact record. It typically stores the utm_campaign value from the specific session where the contact first converted (First Touch) or submitted a form.

  • How it works: Once populated, it represents how that individual person entered your database or converted.

2. Campaign Data Set → Campaign - Campaign Name

  • What it is: An object-level rollup tied to HubSpot’s Campaign Tool (Marketing > Campaigns).

  • How it works: Whenever you tag assets in HubSpot (emails, social posts, ad campaigns, workflows, landing pages) under a single HubSpot Campaign name (e.g., "Q3_Webinar_Launch"), any contact who interacts with any of those tagged assets gets associated with that Campaign Object.

Why do they hold different values for the same MQL?

Imagine this common lifecycle path:

  1. Jan 15: A prospect clicks a Google Ad with utm_campaign = search_brand_2024 and fills out a form.

    • Contact Campaign UTM = search_brand_2024

  2. Feb 20: You send them a nurture email that is tagged inside HubSpot under the Campaign Object "Q1_Product_Demo".

  3. Feb 21: They click the link in that email, request a demo, and become an MQL.

If you run your MQL report:

  • Contact Data Set (Campaign UTM): Shows search_brand_2024 (tells you where they came from originally).

  • Campaign Data Set (Campaign Name): Shows Q1_Product_Demo (tells you which marketing campaign influenced them/pushed them to MQL).

Which one should you use?

  • Use Campaign UTM (Contact Data) if your leadership wants to know First Touch Acquisition (Which ad campaign generated this lead?).

  • Use Campaign Name (Campaign Data) if you want to evaluate Multi-Asset Influence (Which holistic HubSpot marketing campaign touched this contact before they became an MQL?).

If you are trying to attribute MQL revenue accurately, relying strictly on native Contact UTMs will miss all mid-funnel nurture interactions, while the Campaign tool can sometimes double-count contacts across multiple campaigns.

Hope this helps clear up the reporting logic!

Best,
Adrian Knoll
Co-founder & CEO @ Tulu

6

This is super helpful! Thank you @AdrianKnoll . I did no realize the contact UTM Campaign holds the info for only the first conversion. This is huge.

Appreciate all of the steps and explination.

Jenny