Migrate from Adobe Campaign to Mailchimp

Discovery and edition identification

We audit the source Adobe Campaign instance to identify the edition (Classic v7, Standard, or v8) because each edition requires a different extraction method. Classic v7 uses SOAP API or package export; Standard uses REST API or list export with workflow chunking for large sets; v8 requires reconciliation of FFDA local and cloud databases. We also audit custom schemas (nms:ext: namespace), Services and subscription records, campaign and delivery history, and the Active Profile billing flag distribution across the recipient list. The discovery output is a written migration scope with an extraction method per edition and a list of Merge Fields to pre-create in Mailchimp.

Mailchimp audience setup and Merge Field pre-creation

We create the destination Mailchimp Audience with the required Merge Fields before any data loads. Standard Merge Fields (FNAME, LNAME, PHONE, ADDRESS, BIRTHDAY) are created from the default set. Custom Merge Fields are created to match each Adobe Campaign schema extension field identified during discovery. We configure tag naming conventions for Services and set up any required segments (e.g., by subscription type or engagement status) before migration begins. This step prevents API rejection during the import phase.

Subscription and Active Profile billing classification

We classify every Recipient record against the Active Profile billing flag. Records that should land as unsubscribed or cleaned (suppressed, bounced, opt-out) are tagged with their intended Mailchimp status before import. This step is critical because Mailchimp counts all contacts in the audience toward the billing tier regardless of status; incorrectly flagging suppressed records as subscribed inflates the customer's Mailchimp bill in the first month post-migration.

Recipient and subscription data extraction

We extract Recipient records using the edition-appropriate method: REST API for Standard and v8, SOAP for Classic v7, or workflow-based file export for Standard exports exceeding 100,000 rows. Subscription records are extracted separately and joined to the recipient set. Custom schema data is extracted via direct SQL query against the underlying tables (for Classic v7 and v8 FDA) or via custom resource API calls (for Standard). All extractions produce flattened CSV or JSON files ready for Mailchimp API ingestion.

Mailchimp import with status resolution and dedupe

We load the recipient set into Mailchimp via the Members API with status resolution (subscribed, unsubscribed, pending, cleaned) applied per record based on the billing classification step. Tags are applied per Service subscription. Duplicate email addresses are resolved using Mailchimp's built-in dedupe logic (by email address) with a preference to keep the most recently active record. Merge Field values populate from the flattened custom schema data. Large imports use batch endpoint with chunking and exponential backoff on rate limit responses.

Campaign history and delivery log migration

We migrate Adobe Campaign campaign metadata (labels, types, dates) as Mailchimp Campaign records. Associated delivery logs (BroadLog) migrate as campaign report entries with send timestamps, bounce classifications, and hard/soft bounce flags. Tracking log click events migrate as click activity records where the Mailchimp API supports per-contact click storage. Open events are aggregated-level only in Mailchimp and cannot be reconstructed per-recipient; we note this limitation in the delivery documentation.

Cutover, validation, and workflow rebuild handoff

We freeze Adobe Campaign writes during cutover, run a final delta migration of any records modified during the migration window, then enable Mailchimp as the active sending platform. We deliver the Workflow and automation inventory document listing every Adobe Campaign workflow, typology, and personalization block requiring rebuild in Mailchimp's automation builder. We do not rebuild automations as code; that work is handled by the customer's marketing team or a Mailchimp implementation partner. We support a one-week hypercare window for reconciliation issues raised post-cutover.