Orchestrating a "Mission Impossible" MAP migration rescue in 6 weeks

Executive Summary

When a billion dollar enterprise infrastructure leader faced a non-negotiable January deadline to complete their Marketo to Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement migration—with their existing agency unable to deliver—MarketOne stepped in to rescue and orchestrate what many would consider impossible. In just six weeks, spanning the holiday season, our global team took over project leadership, coordinated multiple vendor teams, and ensured seamless completion while maintaining zero operational disruption to lead flow or revenue generation.

The bottom line

MarketOne stepped into a stalled migration project and orchestrated its successful completion in 6 weeks, coordinating multiple teams and vendors to ensure business continuity for a billion-dollar enterprise when failure simply wasn’t an option.

The Challenge: When “Rescue Mission” became the only option

The perfect Storm

In November 2024, our client found themselves facing every marketing leader’s nightmare scenario. Their Marketo to Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement migration was underway but stalled, with a non-negotiable January cutover deadline rapidly approaching. Their current agency partner had initiated the project but lacked both the capacity and expertise to orchestrate the complex, multi-vendor effort required to deliver on time.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher:

Revenue at risk: Any disruption would immediately impact lead flow and deal pipeline
Campaign continuity: Multiple active marketing programs needed to continue without interruption
Data integrity: Years of marketing data and customer insights had to be preserved perfectly
Global coordination: Resources across multiple time zones needed seamless orchestration
Ecosystem complexity: Full Salesforce integration with multiple interdependent systems and specialists

The scale of the challenge

Most MAP migrations are planned and executed over a 6-12 month period with clear project ownership. The client had six weeks to complete a stalled project with:

Multiple specialized vendor teams requiring coordination
Internal resources spread across different functions
Existing work streams that needed assessment and completion
Integration specialists, data migration teams, and platform configurators all working simultaneously
A previous agency that couldn’t orchestrate the complexity

The challenge wasn’t starting from scratch—it was stepping into a complex, multi-team project mid-flight and ensuring everything came together flawlessly.

Our solution: The “War Room” approach

Rapid Response Strategy

When the client approached MarketOne, we immediately recognized this required an unprecedented project orchestration rather than hands-on execution. Our approach centered on three core principles:

Centralized Project Command: We established a dedicated “mission control” center with senior leadership from MarketOne embedded throughout the project, ensuring real-time coordination between all vendor teams and eliminating bottlenecks across the entire ecosystem.
Global Resource Coordination: We deployed our best project leaders and technical advisors to work alongside client teams and coordinate with existing specialist vendors—ensuring all moving parts worked in harmony rather than conflict.
MVP-First Orchestration: Rather than attempting to coordinate every possible feature, we focused on ensuring the Minimum Viable Product approach would deliver business continuity while coordinating future enhancement planning across all teams.

The Boston Workshop: Setting the Foundation

The project was kicked off with an intensive week-long workshop at MarketOne’s Boston headquarters, bringing together stakeholders from multiple countries and time zones. This wasn’t a typical requirements gathering session – it was surgical precision planning where every decision had immediate implications.

Key outcomes from the workshop:

Clear MVP definition with accountability mapping across all vendor teams
Detailed coordination plans for specialist teams handling data migration, integrations, and platform configuration
Risk mitigation strategies for every potential failure point across all work streams
Daily checkpoint protocols to maintain momentum across all vendors and internal teams

Implementation: Orchestrating the Impossible

Week-by-Week Coordination

Weeks 1-2: Assessment and Coordination Setup

Full platform, config, and project audit
Solution design and data mapping for SFMCAE environment
Team onboarding and access provisioning
Critical workflow and requirements identification

Weeks 3-4: Build and Configure

Technical Solution POCs & performance evaluations
Platform configuration and customization, including DNS
Full Marketo Asset & Data API extraction
Campaign recreation in SFMCAE environment
Integration development and testing

Weeks 5-6: Testing and Cutover

Final testing
User acceptance testing with Equinix team
Final data migration and validation
Go-live preparation and cutover execution

The Team Behind the Success

To deliver on the migration, MarketOne called on our deep reservoir of experience, combining resources from four different internal teams:

Strategy Team: Senior consultants defining approach and managing stakeholder alignment
Technical Team: Platform specialists, integration experts, and data architects
Production Team: Campaign builders, asset creators, and quality assurance specialists
Client Services: Dedicated project management and change management support

Results: Mission Accomplished

Quantified Success

Timeline Achievement

6-week delivery vs. industry standard of 6+ months
Zero missed deadlines across all critical milestones
January IP warming launch achieved on schedule
February production go-live executed flawlessly
Full operational readiness by end of Q1

Business Continuity

Zero disruption to lead flow during migration
100% data integrity maintained across all systems
Seamless campaign continuity with minimal gaps in market presence
Complete asset preservation with full historical data access

Operational Excellence

Full GDPR compliance maintained throughout migration
Global team coordination across multiple time zones
Agency transition completed with no critical knowledge loss
Enhanced capabilities through SFMCAE advanced features
What This Means for Your Business

This wasn’t just a technical migration – it was a business transformation delivered under impossible constraints. The successful delivery of the project demonstrates MarketOne’s ability to:

Execute complex marketing operations under extreme pressure
Coordinate global resources for seamless delivery
Maintain business continuity during critical transitions
Step in when other partners can’t deliver

Key Lessons for Marketing Leaders

1. Partner Selection Matters When Stakes Are High
When business continuity is at risk, you need a partner with proven capability to deliver under pressure. MarketOne’s global resource network and senior-level expertise made the difference between success and catastrophic failure.

2. Impossible Timelines Require Different Approaches
Traditional migration methodologies don’t work for compressed timelines. Our “war room” approach, MVP focus, and embedded leadership model enabled speed without sacrificing quality.

3. Global Coordination Is a Competitive Advantage
Enterprise marketing operates across time zones and regions. Having a partner who can seamlessly coordinate global resources isn’t just convenient – it’s essential for complex initiatives.

4. Experience Under Pressure Counts
When your existing partner can’t deliver, you need someone who has successfully navigated similar high-stakes situations. MarketOne’s track record with enterprise migrations provided the confidence our client needed to move forward.

Ready to Discuss Your Complex Migration?

Whether you’re planning a multi-vendor migration or facing a stalled project that needs rescue, MarketOne brings the orchestration expertise and senior-level project leadership to ensure success. Our global team has successfully coordinated dozens of enterprise marketing operations across every major platform and vendor ecosystem.

Don’t let migration complexity or tight timelines put your marketing operations at risk.