Managing marketing across multiple teams and publications is complex, especially when systems and processes aren’t fully connected. CUPA sought a solution to streamline operations, improve collaboration, and gain clearer insights into their marketing activities.
Here’s how we partnered with them to create a unified platform that transforms workflows and centralises data for greater efficiency.
The Challenge
CUPA, a global academic publisher, faced significant operational hurdles in managing marketing activities across multiple teams and publications. Despite having capable teams and established processes, their reliance on legacy systems and Monday.com created a fragmented ecosystem, complicating efforts to:
Run conferences and manage event budgets
Plan email campaigns and manage publication reviews
Track award submissions
Coordinate complex marketing activities
Collect and analyse unstructured customer feedback
Consequently, critical data and activities were spread across multiple platforms, resulting in low internal visibility. Miscommunication, duplicated efforts, and delays in accessing marketing insights were common. Generating documents such as flyers or summaries was a time-consuming, manual process, often yielding inconsistent outputs.
Recognising the need for a connected, centralised solution to support growth and operational excellence, CUPA partnered with Ribbonfish to design and implement a custom Salesforce solution, onboarding over 300 users into an existing Salesforce org.
The Solution
Ribbonfish began with a Business Analysis phase to deeply understand CUPA’s processes and user needs. Through interviews, system audits, and technical discovery, they produced:
A clear blueprint of the proposed Salesforce architecture
Transparency around project complexity and effort
Flexibility for CUPA to define Phase 1 scope with confidence
While this upfront work extended the project timeline, it ensured alignment with business stakeholders and laid a strong foundation for long-term success.
Marketing 360
A Marketing 360 framework centralised all marketing activities related to publications, replacing the fragmented tools and siloed processes previously in place. The system now automatically links campaigns, reviews, events, and awards to each title, providing:
Full visibility for teams into every publication-related activity
Reduced miscommunication and duplication of effort
A single source of truth for internal reporting and author updates
This unified approach has saved staff significant time and enabled transparent reporting across the organisation.
Conference Management
CUPA’s academic conferences, previously managed via disconnected processes, now operate through a centralised Salesforce framework. A dedicated Campaign object anchors all event activities, while integrated sign-up tracking ensures captured contacts can be used in future campaigns. Marketing teams can manage product price lists within the system, and a built-in prize giveaway function allows fair, automated winner selection.
This comprehensive approach simplifies global event management, strengthens data capture, and enables detailed performance analysis, linking event activity directly to measurable marketing impact.
Budget Management
Previously, conference and sponsor budgets were managed in Excel, a manual process prone to errors and time-consuming reporting. The Salesforce-based budgeting engine automates financial processes, allowing teams to:
Track budgets in real time
Compare actuals against forecasts
Generate sponsor-specific breakdowns with a single click
The new system ensures financial transparency and supports smarter decision-making.
Task Management
Monday.com previously handled task coordination, but it was disconnected from marketing campaigns, products, and events. Salesforce now houses task management, linking activities directly to the broader marketing framework.
Predefined task templates and workflows reduce manual setup, while personalised “to-do” lists and automated notifications keep teams focused and accountable. Managers can assign, monitor, and report on tasks natively in Salesforce, streamlining operations and creating a clear audit trail of marketing activities.
Award Submissions
Tracking author awards had been fragmented, relying on email chains, manual entry, and Monday.com. Ribbonfish implemented a dedicated Awards Management module, introducing public-facing submission forms that feed directly into Salesforce.
Award submissions are now automatically integrated into the Marketing 360 view, improving reporting accuracy and providing a transparent, centralised record of awards activity.
User Experience Design
User experience was a priority throughout the project. Ribbonfish’s UX experts collaborated with CUPA stakeholders to create an intuitive interface. Feedback described the system as “easy to use,” even for Salesforce novices.
Combined with tailored training, the thoughtful design ensured rapid adoption across 300+ users, allowing the organisation to realise the full benefits of the Ada platform.
Reporting & Dashboards
Previously, teams relied on Excel exports for reporting, which was slow, error-prone, and inconsistent. Salesforce dashboards and custom reporting tools now provide real-time insights into publications, events, and budgets.
A drag-and-drop report builder empowers non-technical users to create their own reports, while leadership benefits from tailored dashboards tracking campaign impact, participation, and spending. This shift has greatly improved transparency, accuracy, and responsiveness in decision-making.
Document Generation
Creating marketing materials such as flyers, price lists, and summaries was previously manual and inconsistent. Salesforce now automates document creation, ensuring speed, consistency, and brand alignment. This frees teams to focus on high-value marketing tasks instead of repetitive administrative work.
Implementation Approach
Ada was delivered through a phased model to ensure clarity, flexibility, and adoption. Ribbonfish’s business analysis phase produced a detailed blueprint, enabling CUPA to see how Salesforce would consolidate and transform marketing operations.
Solution development followed an agile approach, allowing additional functionality as needed. Data migration consolidated records from multiple legacy systems while maintaining accuracy. Over 300 users were onboarded in waves, supported by customised training materials, video walkthroughs, and a knowledge base, ensuring a smooth transition and high adoption rates.
The Results
In less than nine months, CUPA transformed its academic marketing operations through the Ada platform:
Unified Marketing Operations – Campaigns, conferences, and awards are now managed in a single Salesforce platform, replacing over five legacy tools.
Increased Efficiency – Automation in task management, budget reporting, and document generation saved staff time, improved accuracy, and allowed focus on strategic work.
Improved Reporting and Visibility – Real-time dashboards and automated reports provide actionable insights instantly, replacing slow spreadsheet exports.
Seamless User Adoption – Over 300 users adopted the system quickly, supported by intuitive design and comprehensive training.
CUPA now operates on a modern, scalable platform that addresses current challenges and supports future innovation in academic marketing.
Conclusion
By partnering with us, CUPA successfully modernised its marketing operations through a powerful Salesforce implementation. The custom Ada solution enabled CUPA to move away from disjointed legacy systems, unify data, and streamline critical processes.
With improved visibility, automation, and a user-first design, CUPA now operates on a platform built not only for today’s needs but also for future innovation and growth. The project stands as a testament to our ability to deliver complex Salesforce solutions with precision, scalability, and a clear focus on user experience.
If you’re looking to modernise your marketing operations and unlock the full potential of Salesforce, contact us today to explore how Ribbonfish can help your organisation achieve similar results!