2022 Optimizely Content Marketing Platform release notes

December

Welcome becomes Optimizely Content Marketing Platform

As Welcome celebrates its first anniversary with Optimizely, and Welcome is an increasingly integral part of Optimizely's product suite, Welcome becomes Optimizely Content Marketing Platform (CMP) to represent better the capabilities you know and love.

Image renditions

Released: 12/18/2022

Save time creating different image versions.

Automatically generate different sizes and file types of image assets for use across multiple channels. Save time with automation instead of manually editing images to create different versions. See Image renditions.

Move a task from one owner to another

Released: 12/18/2022

You can move a task from one owner to another.

1. Go to Plan > Board view.
2. Organize the planning board view by task owners by selecting Columns > Owners, which displays columns of owners with their respective tasks.
3. Drag and drop a task from one owner to another.

See Board view planning.

Campaign template updates

Released: 12/18/2022

Campaign managers can view a tentative timeline for each activity within a campaign to plan their campaigns effectively.

The Activities tab of a campaign template shows the duration of each activity (230 days duration) and when each activity starts concerning the campaign's creation date (such as starts in 28 days).

See Manage campaign templates.

UX Delights

Customer feedback inspired the following user experience (UX) updates. 

• Global Search on text fields – Match search results to text fields and search object titles and article bodies, making it easier to find what you need. Archived objects are now removed from the Global Search to clear the way for the most relevant results, but you can still find them within the Plan or Requests modules.
• All-day events on the calendar –  Create an all-day event in addition to recently released intra-day events. All-day events will show on the same calendar day across time zones, while intra-day events are time-zone-specific
• Work request delete & archive –  Archive (and un-archive) work requests! Like archived tasks or campaigns, archived requests will not be shown in the list view by default, but you can include them in filtering.

Add Content dropdown

Released: 12/18/2022

Create content faster than before.

Search for any content and see the results directly within the dropdown. Access more options without a lot of scrolling. Find and select types of content when they become available.

Campaign milestones

Released: Private Beta, 12/18/2022

Track progress against key project milestones.

Use campaign milestones to more clearly see how a project is progressing and drive greater collaboration around important plan phases. 

Group related tasks together and map them to phases—called “milestones”—within a project. As a milestone date shifts, the associated tasks can shift too, saving a lot of work about work.

Microsoft Teams connector

Released: Private Beta, 12/18/2022

Manage tasks directly within Microsoft Teams.

Subscribe to many types of Optimizely CMP notifications, and receive, log and monitor your submitted work requests from directly within Microsoft Teams. Never miss a comment or alert, so you can stay on top of your assignments and due dates.

October

Board view

Released: Cutting Edge, 10/13/2022

The Board view (Kanban V2) got major improvements in both form and function. The new Board view lets us make future improvements much more easily and efficiently. 

• Improvements

  • UI changes

  • Colored fields badges

  • Removed all drag and drop restrictions that were there before

  • More accurate success and failure messaging for drag and drop

  • Click on any part of the card to bring up the detailed pop-over

• Feature additions

  • Task Ordering – vertical drag and drop of task cards to set priority in task view on the instance level; this is not available for step views.

  • Display Options – choose which meta data the user wants to see on the cards

  • Collapsible Columns – declutter the board by collapsing individual columns in any view

  • Create tasks in-line within the task view with status and campaign columns

  • Drag and drop columns in the same view to organize

  • Radio Buttons and Single Select Fields for Column and Group by options.

This greatly improves the user experience and interaction with task management because it reduces the effort of manually updating the metadata of individual tasks for our users. It lets us build a better board experience by getting closer to a product-market fit. 

See also: Board view planning

Adobe Creative Cloud (XD)

Released: 10/19/2022

Bringing marketers and creatives together shouldn't require the use of a new tool and we didn't want to leave XD out in the cold. Our Adobe Creative Cloud plugin removes the barriers between these teams whilst encouraging collaboration throughout the production of creative assets, without the need of additional training or tools.

Request, review and give feedback on the production of creative assets to your Adobe XD users directly from a task. Users can stay in Optimizely Content Marketing Platform (CMP) and Adobe users can stay in Adobe. Full, end-to-end task management between CMP and Adobe Creative Cloud.

 (Now supporting Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro and XD)

CMP users:

• Send a request to Adobe Creative Cloud users

• Proof & Annotate received files

• Request updates from the Adobe user

• Use the Auto-created workflow "Creative Cloud Asset Request" or add a single external step to your existing workflows

• Use approved assets within your publishing processes across websites, social and other downstream platforms or channels

Adobe users:

• Receive requests directly within Creative Cloud apps

• Manage assignments and statuses

• Upload multiple creative assets and updated versions to the task directly from CC

• Receive access to annotated feedback and Task Brief details

See also:

• Welcome (CMP) for Adobe XD
• Integrate Adobe Creative Cloud

My Task tray improvements

Tasks appear in the My Tasks tray if you were assigned a step. Previously, this tray was showing only currently assigned steps.

Public links

Use custom roles to control who can manage asset public links in the library.

September

Work request API

Released: Cutting Edge, 09/07/2022

Using the work request API, organizations can automate and streamline their work request flow from multiple sources into Content Marketing Platform (CMP). Coupled with the work request Webhooks, organizations can fully sync all types of work requests from internal and external software into CMP, and act upon them using our APIs directly. This also lets you create tasks and campaigns directly from a Work Request via the API.

The work request API and its corresponding Webhooks let integrators build middleware that can synchronize all types of data into Optimizely Content Marketing Platform (CMP) for further action. You can take external form data to create Work Requests directly on CMP, which you then can synchronize back to the originating system. This closes the loop completely, and provides complete visibility of work requests and updates on them. For example, you can synchronize CMP with internal ticketing systems and forms that are used to ingest work from external stakeholders - thus turning CMP into a source of truth for managing work requests.

User experience improvements

Released: Cutting Edge, 09/23/2022

Using the work request API, organizations can automate and streamline their work request flow from multiple sources into

• Intraday Events – Add time to events

• Marketing Work Request – Upload assets from the library

• 'Completed By' Experience on Steps – See who completed a step on behalf of another team/individual

• Forward / Backwards Scheduling – If a task has already been started, the F/B scheduling does not automatically change the start date of a task

See the announcement on Yammer for a demo and more information.

August

Activities tab for campaigns

Released: Cutting Edge, 08/31/2022

You can manage sub-campaigns, tasks, events (and soon to be milestones) inside the campaign itself on the Activities tab.

Prior to this release, campaigns had a separate tab for tasks and a separate tab for events inside the campaign making it hard for a customer to quickly drill into a campaign and see/manage all the activities that ladder up to the parent campaign in one location.

Work request improvements

Released: Cutting Edge, 08/31/2022

• You can add a comment when declining a work request

• Requestors can now re-submit a declined work request

Prior to this release, requestors could not re-submit their work request after it was declined. They would have to create a new work request to submit. The marketing team can add a comment when declining a work request so that the user understands why it is being declined.

Bulk-accept all sub-steps

Released: Cutting Edge, 08/31/2022

You can complete a parent step with sub-steps using a single click. Prior to this release, you needed to complete all sub-steps individually to mark the parent step complete.

Website, CMS, and Feeds page update

Released: Cutting Edge, 08/31/2022

The revamped Website, CMS, and Feeds settings tab updates the previous page with updated design standards. It was also moved inside the Integrations page, where all integrations exist going forward.

The previous Website, CMS, and Feeds page had legacy features that did not conform to our updated design and UX standards. This update replaces the old page with the same functionality, re-written with our latest technology stack - thus making it resilient and conforming to our latest standards. Moving it into the Integrations page also makes the settings clutter-free and easy to navigate.

July

Smart durations (workflow)

Released: 07/18/2022

This new feature automates the process of updating multiple due dates manually if a step is completed ahead/later than its due date. Activating this from the workflow settings page will allow you to automatically update subsequent due dates if the previous step has been completed or skipped.

To summarize, this will:

• allow instance admins to activate/deactivate the feature on the workflow level.
• auto update subsequent due dates based on the date of completion(or skip) of the previous step.
• allow auto updating of due dates for dependent tasks as well.

Fields unification

Released: 07/18/2022

Labels and Custom Fields were once treated separately but are now merged into one category called “Fields,” designed for simplicity.

You can manage fields for any object, such as campaigns or tasks, from a single consolidated tab. You can also update taxonomy automatically based on inheritance logic.

SSO improvements

Released: 07/05/2022

SSO improvements to accommodate:

• Auto login if user is already connected to SSO.
• IFrame embeddable links from the share link experience.

June

Branded login experience

Released: to Edge environment 06/19/2022

A fully branded experience with the following customizability on the login page:

• Branded URL
• Organization logo
• Instance specific SSO CTA
• Instance specific welcome note
• Color customizable CTA button

Workflow redesign

Released: 06/12/2022

Workflows now sports a brand new look and feel, specially designed to help marketers work faster. This includes:

• Drag and drop workflow steps
• Change process and workflow on a task midway through (carrying over content, comments and more)
• Save updated workflow as a template
• Easily mark a step or task complete with one click
• Rich-text descriptions on steps

May

Users & Teams settings page

Released: to Edge environment 05/17/2022

The revamped Users & Teams Page is more intuitive, easier to use, and has been upgraded with a new user experience that is consistent with the overall platform. It is now easier than ever to create Teams, and add users to those teams. Additionally, it is now also possible to assign an Avatar for each Team, thus helping differentiate them.

Overall, this makes it easier for Administrators to manage their users and teams from one single intuitive experience and thus increases adoption.

Bulk edit for assets (library)

Released: to Edge environment 05/17/2022

Users can now edit asset metadata in bulk during upload and within the library

April

Make campaigns mandatory during task/event creation

Released: to Edge environment 04/07/2022

Users will now have the ability to make campaigns mandatory for task or event creation on the instance level.

Campaign templates

Released: to Edge environment 04/04/2022

Convert any campaign into a template to be used in the future to start off complex campaigns with a single click.

When a campaign is templatized, the following elements are preserved within the Campaign Template:

• Campaign briefs
• Tasks, including all the elements within the task:
  • Brief
  • Fields
  • Contents
  • Related tasks/events (if they belong to the same parent campaign or it’s sub-campaigns)
  • Attachments
  • Publishing information
  • Budget information
  • Workflow (including due dates, assignees, etc.)
• Events and all of its data
• Campaign fields
• Campaign contents
• Campaign attachments
• Sub-campaigns and all the elements within them (including briefs, tasks, fields, etc.)
• All assigned dates of the Campaign along with its sub-campaigns and tasks are preserved as durations that are later used to either forward or backward schedule while creating a template from the campaign (as per creator’s preference on the create modal)
• Budget information on the campaign and all of its activities.
• Shared permissions of the parent campaign as well as all of its activities (sub-campaigns, tasks, etc.)

While creating a Campaign from the template, users can:

• Preview the campaign template before selecting it.
• Cherry-pick elements they want to replicate in the new campaign.
• Forward/backward schedule the campaign and all of its elements.

Users can access templates from the settings page and carry out the following:

• Preview templates
• Delete any campaign template
• Activate/De-activate campaign templates

However, users will NOT be able to EDIT existing templates within the scope of this release.

March

Simplified workflow (task)

Released: to Edge environment 03/31/2022

We re-designed the whole Workflow to reduce user clicks and provide a better user experience. This first release includes the following improvements:

• Simple, modern design
• Changeable workflows
• 'Save as template' (with overwrite)
• Drag-&-drop steps​ & sub-steps
• Remove workflow ​from the task
• Rich-text step descriptions
• Create approval steps without actions
• Step status dropdown
• 'Mark Complete'
• New interaction of "Push to Library" experience

Unified fields

Released: to Edge environment 03/30/2022

Labels have now been merged with Custom Fields under the heading of "Fields" for unified, first-class treatment in some core areas of the platform. Users will be able to manage fields, assign fields to campaigns and tasks, filter on fields in the Plan module, and perform a wide range of inline edit operations on the List view in the Plan module. The high-level features included in this release are:

• One settings location for editing Fields and Labels
• The Additional Information Tray is replaced by a new Fields Tab on Task Details
• Fields can be added during the creation of Campaigns and Tasks
• Existing Label inheritance behaviors are now extended to Fields
• List View "Add Column" includes Fields of all types
• List View inline edit support for all field types including images, video, rich text
• Plan Module Filter support for fields of type choice and single-select

Preset crops (library)

Released: to Edge environment 03/14/2022

The ability to download preset crops of images makes it easier for Marketers to manage their web and social publishing easily. The reduced friction within the cropping process will encourage higher adoption of the DAM, and enable better retention.

Bulk delete assets (library)

Released: to Edge environment 03/10/2022

The ability to delete multiple assets in one single go makes it easier for Librarians to manage their assets. DAM users can now clear up unnecessary assets from the Library in a smooth single flow, which will ensure a better user experience, and thus enable higher adoption.

Content tab redesign and Push to Library interaction (task)

Released: to Edge environment 03/08/2022

We have re-designed the content tab’s header in the task and also revamped the “Push to Library” interaction from tasks.

February

WEBP support (library)

Released: to Edge environment 02/24/2022

Users now have the ability to transcode/convert various image formats to WEBP, and vice versa.

Campaign APIs

Released: to Edge environment 02/09/2022

Customers can build integrations that depend upon 'listening' for campaign data and campaign operations. For instance, integration with Salesforce can be automated to receive campaign updates whenever a campaign is created, updated, or archived.

Email Notifications

Released: to Edge environment 02/09/2022

New email notifications include:

• Upcoming Step Due Date – Choose to be updated 1, 5, and/or 10 days ahead of an approaching deadline.
• Step Past Due – Opt in to receive a daily alert when there is work waiting for your action.

January

Copy campaign content

Released: to Edge environment 01/24/2022

Users now have the ability to copy Campaign Content when copying a Campaign.

Adding assets to campaigns

Released: to Edge environment 01/24/2022

Users now have the ability to upload/add assets to their campaigns.

UXD updates

Released: to Edge environment 01/20/2022

• You can click on the Folder Title to enter a folder.
• New Folder Creation & Renaming is now more intuitive with a full-screen modal making it easy to understand where to focus.