Case Study · dunnhumby

Rebuilding a failed Oracle and KPMG Eloqua implementation for a global data leader

dunnhumby is the global leader in Customer Data Science. PwC were brought in after an Eloqua and Oracle Sales Cloud implementation delivered by Oracle and KPMG failed to work in practice. I joined as senior Eloqua developer, architect and consultant to rebuild the platform and roll it out across EMEA, Americas and APAC.

This was not a patch job. The existing implementation was fundamentally wrong and needed to be replaced with a real architecture that could handle dunnhumby's scale and complexity.

dunnhumby global Eloqua rescue.

Client background

dunnhumby built its reputation by helping retailers and brands understand customers using large scale, multi dimensional data. Their customer science work underpins loyalty programs, retail media and commercial decision making in highly competitive markets.

With operations across EMEA, the Americas and Asia Pacific, they needed a marketing automation stack that matched their analytical maturity. Instead, they were left with an Eloqua and Oracle Sales Cloud implementation that had been delivered by Oracle and KPMG but did not function in the real world.

PwC Digital Services were contracted to pick up the pieces. The brief was clear. Fix the stack, restore confidence and deliver a global blueprint that could be rolled out to all regions. That is where I came in.

At a glance

  • Industry: Customer Data Science
  • Regions: EMEA, Americas, SEA + Australia
  • Partners: PwC Digital Services
  • Platforms: Oracle Eloqua & Oracle Sales Cloud
  • Role: Senior Eloqua Developer & Consultant

The challenge

The original Eloqua and Oracle Sales Cloud implementation delivered by Oracle and KPMG had failed across every dimension that mattered. It looked reasonable in slide decks but fell apart as soon as dunnhumby tried to run real campaigns through it.

A non-functional implementation

Core problems included misaligned data models, incorrect CDO usage, broken or incomplete integrations, inconsistent field mappings and automation that simply did not behave as expected. Lead scoring, segmentation and lifecycle logic were either missing or unusable.

This was not a case of a few bugs. It was a system that had never been properly architected for dunnhumby's needs.

Global rollout and internal complexity

On top of the technical issues, the transformation had to cover EMEA, Americas and South East Asia plus Australia. EMEA would act as the global blueprint, then be adapted and deployed to other regions that all had their own data, processes and stakeholders.

Internally, dunnhumby had grown fast. Many teams had their own established ways of working. Previous project failures meant there was understandable scepticism about another transformation program.

PwC brought structure and governance to the overall program. My job was to deal with the reality inside Eloqua and Oracle Sales Cloud, rebuild what was broken and create an architecture that could be trusted.

My approach

This was a year long program delivered in several phases. I acted as the senior Eloqua developer and architect embedded in the PwC team, but also as a consultant who could explain decisions to stakeholders and win back trust from regions that had seen the earlier failure.

Phase 1

Root cause diagnosis

I performed a forensic review of the Oracle and KPMG build. This covered contact governance, CDO structure, cloud app usage, integration flows, scoring, segmentation, campaigns and error handling. The conclusion was clear. The system was not just broken. It had never been correctly designed for dunnhumby.

Phase 2

Rebuild Eloqua and OSC

I redesigned the Eloqua and Oracle Sales Cloud architecture from the ground up. That meant new CDO models, corrected field mappings, robust integration logic, proper lead scoring, standardised segmentation, new templates and a clean lifecycle from first touch through to opportunity.

Phase 3

EMEA blueprint

EMEA was rebuilt first and used as the global blueprint. Once the region was stable and trusted, we refined the model and prepared it to be rolled out to the Americas and APAC with local adjustments where needed.

Phase 4

Rollout to Americas & APAC

Using the EMEA blueprint, we rolled the design into the Americas and then South East Asia plus Australia. This involved training, adaptation to local data structures, validation of integrations and helping regional teams adopt the new way of working.

Phase 5

Build internal ownership

Throughout the engagement I worked closely with Devanshu Dixit, who became dunnhumby's internal owner for Eloqua and Oracle Sales Cloud. I coached him on architecture, operations, troubleshooting and governance so that, by the end, the stack had a strong internal champion instead of depending on contractors.

Behind the scenes

A project of this scale only works when you build strong relationships behind the scenes. I worked closely with PwC architects, analysts, data teams and regional marketing leads to align design decisions, prioritise issues and rebuild trust after the failed Oracle and KPMG rollout.

Rebuilding trust

Many teams had been burned by the earlier implementation. I held regular deep dives, explained design logic clearly and demonstrated improvements live so stakeholders could see the system behaving correctly.

Cross-team orchestration

Integration teams, PwC consultants, regional marketers and data operations all had different expectations. I acted as a bridge – translating technical issues into business decisions and vice versa.

Hands-on development

Every fix, every CDO model, every integration rebuild and every score model was done hands on. This was not a theoretical architecture exercise – it was real implementation work across multiple global instances.

What I would do today

With my current toolset, frameworks and global program experience, the transformation would move even faster and with far greater visibility from day one. The fundamentals remain the same, but the execution would now be more modern, automated and resilient.

A standardised global governance pack

I would start with a fully packaged governance library – CDO definitions, naming conventions, scoring models, lifecycle diagrams, data dictionaries and QA checklists – ensuring every region follows the same playbook from the start.

Real-time visibility & automated QA

Using automated QA scripts, dashboards, integration monitors and error-surfacing tools, stakeholders would see issues immediately instead of discovering them during campaigns.

Modernised program design

The lifecycle, scoring and segmentation work would be rebuilt using my current enterprise patterns, which are significantly more robust than what I used years ago. Cleaner, faster, easier to maintain.

Faster regional replication

With a fully componentised approach, replicating the EMEA blueprint into Americas and APAC would be days instead of weeks, reducing implementation effort and maintaining consistency globally.

Impact

  • The failed Oracle and KPMG implementation was fully replaced with a working Eloqua and Oracle Sales Cloud architecture.
  • Global consistency across EMEA, Americas and APAC using a single, documented blueprint.
  • Reliable, predictable integrations between Eloqua, Oracle Sales Cloud and internal systems.
  • A shift from isolated one shot emails to structured, automated campaigns.
  • PwC analysts and dunnhumby teams upskilled in how to run and extend the new platform.
  • A strong internal platform owner in Devanshu Dixit to drive the stack after the project closed.

In my words

This was one of the most complex rescue projects I have been involved in. Oracle and KPMG left dunnhumby with a system that was not fit for purpose. PwC provided the framework and trust, and I rebuilt the Eloqua and Oracle Sales Cloud stack so it finally matched the level of sophistication you would expect from a company like dunnhumby. Working with Devanshu was a highlight, and I believe they now have the platform and internal ownership they deserved from the start.

- Greg Staunton

Need to fix or scale a broken Eloqua implementation

If your Eloqua or Oracle Sales Cloud setup was implemented badly or has never really worked, I can help you diagnose what went wrong, rebuild the architecture and create a blueprint that can scale across all your regions.