When creating forms in Campaign Builder, you can add custom fields to collect the exact information you need from your visitors. These fields can be configured to store data in two different ways — Contextual data and Non-contextual data. Understanding the difference is important for how your data is organized and used across campaigns.
What are Custom Fields?
Custom fields allow you to go beyond the standard form inputs (like name and email) and collect additional information such as preferences, product interests, or campaign-specific answers. You can fully define the label, type, and storage behavior of each field.
Contextual Data (Stored per Campaign)
Contextual data is information that is stored in connection with a specific campaign.
This type of data only applies to the campaign where it was collected and does not follow the profile across other campaigns.
Example:
If you add a field asking “Which product are you most interested in?” to a form within a particular ad campaign, the answer will only be saved under that campaign. If the same profile interacts with another campaign, that field will be blank again.
Use contextual data when the information is only relevant in the context of a single campaign - for example:
Campaign-specific preferences
Answers that may vary between campaigns
Data you don’t need to reuse elsewhere
Non-contextual Data (Stored per Profile)
Non-contextual data is information that is stored directly on the profile.
This means the value is shared across all campaigns where that profile appears.
Example:
If you add a field like “Company name” or “Phone number,” and the user fills it out, it will be stored on their profile. The next time the same user engages with another form or campaign, that information will already be available.
Use non-contextual data when you want to:
Build a consistent profile database
Reuse the same data across campaigns
Enrich your contact profiles with long-term attributes
Choosing the Right Type
When adding or editing a custom field in your form builder, you’ll have the option to define how the data is stored.
Choose contextual if the field is campaign-specific, and non-contextual if the data should be part of the user’s permanent profile.
Selecting the right type helps you keep your data structured, relevant, and easy to manage across your campaigns.