Google Cloud Storage Destination

MessageGears delivers audience files directly to a Google Cloud Storage (GCS) bucket. This is a flexible destination for teams that want to receive audience extracts in their Google Cloud environment — for use in downstream activation, BigQuery ingestion, analytics, or other data pipelines.

Prerequisites

Before setting up the Google Cloud Storage destination, make sure the following are in place:

• A Google Cloud project with a GCS bucket already created
• A Service Account with the Storage Object Creator role (or Storage Object Admin for overwrite support) on the target bucket
• A Service Account key file (JSON format) downloaded from the Google Cloud Console
• A MessageGears audience or Blueprint ready to publish — see Creating and Editing Audiences and Blueprints for Campaign Segmentation

Step 1: Provide your GCS credentials to MessageGears

The GCS destination uses a Service Account key that MessageGears stores securely on your behalf. Provide the following to MessageGears Support when setting up the destination:

Field	Description
Service Account Credentials JSON	The full JSON key file downloaded from Google Cloud Console
Bucket Name	The name of the GCS bucket to deliver files to

MessageGears Support will configure the destination and confirm when it is ready to use.

info

For security best practices, create a dedicated Service Account with access limited to the specific bucket only. Do not reuse a Service Account that has broad project-level permissions.

Step 2: Create a Service Account key in Google Cloud

If you have not yet created a Service Account key, follow these steps:

1. In the Google Cloud Console, navigate to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
2. Select or create a Service Account with Storage Object Creator access to your bucket.
3. Click Keys > Add Key > Create new key and select JSON.
4. Download the key file and provide it to MessageGears Support.

warning

Service Account key files grant access to your Google Cloud resources. Treat them like passwords and do not share them publicly or commit them to version control.

Step 3: Configure folder paths

GCS destinations support delivering files into a subfolder (prefix) within your bucket. When setting up campaigns, note the following:

• The Bucket field on the campaign settings page must contain only the bucket name — do not include folder paths with slashes here.
• Include any folder paths in the campaign Name field instead.

Step 4: Build your audience in MessageGears

Use the MessageGears audience builder or a Blueprint to define the segment you want to deliver to GCS.

For guidance on building audiences and Blueprints, see:

• Creating and Editing Audiences
• Blueprints for Campaign Segmentation

Step 5: Create an External Campaign targeting the GCS destination

Once your audience is defined and the GCS destination is configured, create an External Campaign to deliver the file:

1. Navigate to Campaigns > External.
2. Under Settings, select your audience or Blueprint.
3. In the Destination dropdown, select your Google Cloud Storage destination.
4. Set your schedule (one-time or recurring) and click Save or Launch.

For a full walkthrough of the External Campaign workflow, see External Campaigns.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Resolution
Campaign fails to deliver	Invalid or expired Service Account key	Verify the key is valid and the Service Account has write access; contact MessageGears Support
Files not appearing in expected bucket	Incorrect bucket name or key scoped to wrong project	Confirm the bucket name and Service Account permissions; contact MessageGears Support
File delivered to wrong path	Folder path included in Bucket field	Move any folder path to the campaign Name field

For additional help, contact MessageGears Support.