The challenge
When Mimecast acquired Code42 and Aware in 2024, Cait Daniels, Director of Global Digital & ABX, inherited a complicated puzzle: four product suites, nine geographic theaters, and no predictive model in place. The existing Demandbase instance only surfaced accounts that had already visited the website, leaving the top of funnel completely dark.
Scaling a global advertising strategy meant solving three interconnected problems.
First, overlapping audiences across product lines made it difficult to reach buyers without conflicting messages or wasted spend.
Second, some regions required localized content in Italian, French, German, and Spanish, while others could share assets—but where to draw that line?
Third, the traditional approach would require managing individual segments for every campaign permutation, creating exponentially more work as the team expanded.
Cait had a head start: She’d been building workflows in beta at Code42 before the acquisition. But taking that foundation across four languages, nine regions, and two predictive models would test whether Intelligent Workflows could truly scale.
The goal
Build a single automated system that routes accounts to the right campaigns by product, region, segment, and buying stage without requiring manual segment adjustments every time something changes. Consolidate campaign management into one visual canvas while proving measurable pipeline impact at a global scale.
Tools you’ll be using
- 6sense Intelligent Workflows
- 6sense Predictive Models
- 6sense Display Advertising
- LinkedIn Ads
- CRM (for opportunity stage data)
How it works
The workflow routes accounts through a logical hierarchy:
Model → Geography → Segment → Buying Stage → Campaign
Every account enters through a single model-based segment, then branches based on location, company size, and journey stage. Engagement checks determine whether accounts move to retargeting or nurture campaigns.
This structure consolidates what would have been 60+ individual segments into two base segments (one per predictive model) while still delivering tailored messaging across every permutation.
Step-by-step
1. Start with a model-based segment
Rather than building directly from their ICP, Mimecast created a model-based segment specifically for advertising. This allowed them to filter for fit criteria (strong/moderate fit only) and prioritize industries where paid support had the most impact.
One segment feeds the entire workflow. Previously, every campaign would have required its own segment; now they build once and branch from there.
2. Branch by geography
Mimecast routed accounts by region before diving into segments or buying stages. Their workflow branches into nine regions:
- North America
- UKI
- DACH
- Southern Europe
- Northern Europe
- Republic of South Africa
- Middle East
- ANZ
- ASEAN
Geography comes first because language, creative assets, and budget allocation follow regional lines. EMEA campaigns run in four languages; North America can often consolidate U.S. and Canada if budgets allow.
3. Segment by company type
Within each geography, Mimecast branched by segment:
- 6QA accounts (prioritized)
- Mid-Market/Enterprise
- SMB
This acknowledges different sales velocities; SMB accounts typically move fast while Enterprise deals can linger in the decision stage for months.
4. Route by buying stage
Each segment splits into awareness, consideration, decision, and purchase, with dedicated ad campaigns for each stage. Mimecast added timer nodes to control how long accounts see ads before progressing.
Key consideration: Only segment as granularly as your content allows. If your decision and purchase ads use the same creative and landing page, combine them into one branch.
5. Add engagement-based routing
After accounts flow through buying stage campaigns, Mimecast checks engagement. Accounts that engage route to retargeting campaigns with stronger CTAs. Accounts that don’t engage route to nurture campaigns, keeping them warm without burning budget.
6. Test and adjust your timing
Timer nodes reflect Mimecast’s actual sales cycle. SMB timing was shorter (these buyers move fast). Enterprise timing stretched longer. If retargeting segments aren’t serving, they broaden engagement triggers; but not so broad that targeting loses relevance.
7. Consolidate where possible
Every campaign requires budget tracking and reporting. If audiences can be grouped without losing relevance, group them. Mimecast used folders in 6sense to organize campaigns and build a tracking system that maps every campaign to its budget allocation.
8. Launch and measure
Mimecast published their workflow and let it run. They achieved the following results in under one year:
- 10x pipeline return on ad spend across all regions
- 60+ campaigns consolidated into two base segments
- Above-benchmark engagement rates with less time spent refreshing ads
- 41.83x and 14.17x model performance (purchase-stage accounts much more likely to open opportunities within three months)
