Microsoft Dynamics Marketing service will be discontinued, and learn what’s coming next.

Last year, we announced that Microsoft Dynamics Marketing would no longer be sold to new customers starting November 2016.

Microsoft has made the decision that Microsoft Dynamics Marketing will be discontinued as of May 15, 2018. For details, see the Customer FAQ.

With the discontinuation of service, Microsoft suggests customers explore a few options that may serve their on-going marketing needs, such as: Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing, Adobe Marketing Cloud, and other partner solutions.

A new online service, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing is expected to release in Spring 2018 and will be available for customers to preview before then. You can sign up for the preview and will be notified when the preview is available: https://experience.dynamics.com/insider/.

In the meantime, we suggest that enterprise customers or customers with more advanced marketing needs consider Adobe Marketing Cloud. Please visit this site for more information.

We also recommend that you refer to AppSource to help you find additional applications built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 that may align to your business or department needs

In this blog post we would like to give you some details on the immediate impact on current subscriptions and discuss the future of Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing capabilities.

How does this product decision impact current subscriptions?

We understand how the discontinuation of a service can affect the business of our customers and we are committed to helping minimize the impact.

All customers received a document explaining the licensing impact in detail. Here’s a brief summary of the essential information:

Our customers may continue to use the Microsoft Dynamics Marketing service as they do now for the remaining term of their subscription or until the date of discontinuation of service, May 15, 2018, whichever occurs first. Customers can retrieve their organization’s data for up to 90 days from the end of their subscription or the discontinuation of the service, whichever occurs first.

But even better: To help lessen the financial impact on our customers, starting October 1, 2017, we will no longer charge a monthly fee for using the Microsoft Dynamics Marketing service! We will also give prorated credits for prepaid licensing fees for the period between October 1, 2017 until the end of your subscription or May 15, 2018, whichever occurs first.

In addition, customers now will be able to extend their subscription until May 15, 2018.

Details about Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing

Our new service, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing is expected to be released in Spring 2018 in select countries and will be available for preview to our Microsoft Dynamics Marketing customers before then. Customers can sign up for the preview and will be notified when the preview is available: https://experience.dynamics.com/insider/

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing will include features and benefits that our Microsoft Dynamics Marketing customers will find very appealing including audience management and segmentation, messaging based marketing via email, web marketing through landing pages and tracking, campaign management with functionality to model and manage customer journeys across marketing and sales, lead generation and scoring, event management, customer 360 views and analytics.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing will be built on the same Dynamics 365 platform as Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales and therefore not only supports interoperability between different apps but also provides excellent options for customizations and extensions.

This comparison chart gives a high-level overview on the supported marketing functionality in comparison:

 

Dynamics

Marketing

Dynamics 365

for Marketing

Multi Channel Campaigns
    Visual Campaign automation
    Email Marketing
    SMS Marketing *
    Linked In channel
    Webinar
    Web Tracking and Content
    Landing Pages
    Marketing content delivery
Lead Management
Event Management
Sales collaboration
Segmentation
Customer Insights, Profiling Cust 360
Reporting and Analytics
SDK / Extensions / Customization
Integration / Process / Workflow
Project Management
Budget Management
Asset & Media Management

* SMS marketing channel will be available as custom channel provided by a 3rd party communication channel provider.

Questions and Answers

Can Microsoft Dynamics Marketing customers transition to Dynamics 365 for Marketing?

Microsoft Dynamics Marketing customers should evaluate Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing when available in preview, and plan their transition when it becomes generally available in Spring 2018. Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing will be available in select countries in the initial release, with expanded geographic -availability to follow. Customers should check availability for their country with their Microsoft representative or on this blog site as additional information becomes available.

A transition from Microsoft Dynamics Marketing to the Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing will require some effort and should be considered a re-implementation of the marketing execution from a technical and project viewpoint. With the use of the Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Connector for Dynamics 365, customers can prepare by migrating certain data to Dynamics 365. Customers can then build new segments, customer journeys, marketing email and landing pages in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing.

Should customers consider Adobe Marketing Cloud instead?

Adobe Marketing Cloud is the recommended marketing solution for Microsoft Dynamics 365 enterprise customers.

Customers using the Campaign Management functionality of Microsoft Dynamics Marketing in global, enterprise-scale deployments should consider migrating to Adobe Campaign Management as the foundation for a broader enterprise marketing strategy.

What 3rd party solution does Microsoft recommend for Marketing Execution?

We understand that many customers have deployed Microsoft Dynamics Marketing in departments, in smaller organizations or in situations where marketing automation is still in the early stages of maturity. Those customers should consider migrating to Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing or to third party solutions.

AppSource is an excellent place to help you find additional applications built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 that may align to your business or department needs.

What 3rd party solution does Microsoft recommend for Marketing Resource Management (like marketing project management,
budgeting, asset management)?

Migration options are limited for Microsoft Dynamics Marketing customers using Marketing Resource Management functionality (including project management, budgeting, and asset management) as Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Marketing will not include equivalent Marketing Resource Management functionality. Customers should evaluate if a different application from Microsoft Dynamics 365 or third-party solutions meet their requirements.

Where can a customer get help for the transition process?

Microsoft is committed to helping make your transition as smooth as possible. Please contact your Microsoft partner or account representative. Upon request, a list of partners who may be helpful in the transitioning process will be provided.

A good resource is the guide on how to prepare for the scheduled sunset of Dynamics Marketing.

We recommend our customers to  get involved into the preview program for Dynamics 365 for Marketing through the Insider Program here: https://experience.dynamics.com/insider/

The Insider Program will allow you to evaluate the next generation of marketing tooling from Microsoft and give you access to feedback mechanics, preview forums for specific questions and select direct access to the product team to ensure a good information flow and direct support for your migration of your marketing tooling.

Sincerely,

The Microsoft Dynamics Marketing Team