Mailchimp

Use this article when

• You are connecting Mailchimp to Avid for the first time, or reconnecting an expired connection.
• You want to see which Mailchimp capabilities Avid supports (Insights, Pathways, and Playbooks).
• You launch Playbook email touchpoints to Mailchimp and need each campaign to reach the right audience.
• You push audience data to a Mailchimp list through Pathways.
• You want to set a default pathway filter so only records with email addresses sync to Mailchimp.
• An Email Template shows Unsupported in the Mailchimp launch settings.
• You launched Playbook emails to Mailchimp before May 2026 and need to review targeting.

Applies to and prerequisites

What Mailchimp supports in Avid

On Settings > Connections, the Mailchimp tile shows capability badges. Those badges match the sections in this article.

How to connect Mailchimp

1. In Avid, go to Settings > Connections.

   Avid shows your current connections.

2. Click the Systems sub-tab, then click Add System.

   The Add a System window opens.

3. Find and select Mailchimp.

   The tile shows the Insights, Pathways, and Playbooks badges.

4. Click Authenticate.

   A Mailchimp sign-in window opens.

5. Sign in to the Mailchimp account you want to connect and approve the access request.

   You return to Avid. The connection appears as Mailchimp Acct: {account name}.

Insights: Mailchimp data in reporting

After you connect Mailchimp, Avid syncs Mailchimp data into Insights so you can report on email activity alongside the rest of your Avid data.

Data that syncs includes:

• Lists and list members
• Campaigns and campaign reports
• Email activity such as opens and clicks
• Tags, segments, interests, and unsubscribes

Playbooks: launch email campaigns to Mailchimp

How audience targeting works

Each Playbook email touchpoint has an Avid Audience.

When you launch to Mailchimp, Avid reads that touchpoint's Avid Audience.

Avid creates or reuses a Mailchimp static segment named AVID - <audience name>.

Avid then uses that static segment as the Mailchimp campaign audience condition.

If the touchpoint has no Avid Audience, Avid uses your Limit Sends to Specific Tags selection instead.

Your Tags to Exclude selection always applies, with or without an Avid Audience.

Launch Playbook emails to Mailchimp

1. Open the Playbook and click Touchpoints.

   You see the list of email and other touchpoints in the Playbook.

2. Open the email touchpoint you want to launch.

   The touchpoint details show Name, Channel, Status, and Audience.

3. Confirm the touchpoint's Audience. If the field is editable, choose the right value from Select an audience....

   The touchpoint shows the selected audience before launch.

4. If the Audiences tab is available, click it and confirm Selected Audiences are correct.

   The Playbook shows the audiences available for touchpoint targeting.

5. Return to Touchpoints, select the touchpoints you want to send, then click Preview N Touchpoint or Preview Play.

   Avid opens the launch view with Touchpoints, Settings, and Preview.

6. Select the email touchpoint group under Touchpoints.

   The Settings panel shows fields for the selected destination.

7. If more than one connection is available, choose Mailchimp from the dropdown next to Settings for.

   Avid loads the Mailchimp deployment fields.

8. Select the Mailchimp Audience.

   The Mailchimp audience (list) is set for the campaigns Avid will create.

9. Fill required fields: Reply To Email Address and Email Template.

   The touchpoint status changes from Review to Ready when required fields are valid.

   Some templates in the Email Template list are disabled and show Unsupported. These are Mailchimp Multichannel templates, which cannot receive campaign content through Mailchimp's API. Choose a classic drag-and-drop template instead. See If an Email Template shows Unsupported.

10. Optional: enter tracking parameters in UTM Parameters or Override URL.

    The default value is utm_medium=email&utm_source=mailchimp&utm_content=[EMAIL_NAME]. You can edit or clear this field. If you enter a full URL, Avid uses it as the destination link in the email body.

11. Optional: click Show Advanced Options to set Tags to Exclude.

    Excluded Mailchimp tags are blocked from the campaign audience.

12. Select Keep as Draft or Schedule for Sending under Campaign Status.

    When you select Schedule for Sending, Avid schedules the campaign in Mailchimp using the touchpoint's launch date converted to UTC.

13. Click Launch Play.

    Avid opens the Post-Launch Checklist and shows deployment progress.

14. When the checklist shows the deployment is complete, click the link to open Mailchimp.

    Mailchimp shows the campaign Avid created.

What you will see in Mailchimp

Avid creates one Mailchimp campaign per touchpoint.

Each campaign uses the title <Playbook name> - <Touchpoint name> (AVID).

When a touchpoint has an Avid Audience, the campaign uses a Mailchimp static segment named AVID - <audience name>.

If you set Tags to Exclude, those exclusions appear in the same campaign audience condition.

If a Playbook has touchpoints aimed at different audiences, each campaign keeps its own targeting.

Review targeting after launch

1. Open Mailchimp and find the campaign Avid created.

   The campaign title includes the Playbook and touchpoint name.

2. Open the campaign's audience or segment settings in Mailchimp.

   Mailchimp shows the audience conditions for that campaign.

3. Compare the static segment (AVID - <audience name>) to the touchpoint's Avid Audience.

   The Mailchimp targeting matches the Avid Audience for that touchpoint.

4. Confirm any Tags to Exclude selections are present in the audience condition.

   The excluded tags appear with the audience condition.

If targeting looks wrong

If an Email Template shows Unsupported

Mailchimp offers two kinds of email templates: classic drag-and-drop templates and Multichannel templates (also called New Builder templates).

Mailchimp's API does not support adding campaign content to Multichannel templates. This is a Mailchimp limit, not an Avid limit.

Because of this limit, Avid disables Multichannel templates in the Email Template list and shows Unsupported next to them. You cannot select an unsupported template for a Playbook launch.

1. In the Mailchimp launch settings, open the Email Template list and choose a template that is not marked Unsupported.

   The template is applied and the touchpoint can move to Ready.

2. If every template you want to use shows Unsupported, create a new template in Mailchimp with the classic drag-and-drop builder, then return to Avid and relaunch.

   The new template appears as a selectable option in the Email Template list.

If you launched before May 2026

Review Playbook email campaigns Avid created in Mailchimp before May 2026.

Before this update, Avid did not read the touchpoint's Avid Audience during Mailchimp launch.

Every campaign in a launch used the same Limit Sends to Specific Tags selection from the launch dialog.

Different touchpoints in one Playbook may have reached the same broad audience as a result.

1. List the Playbook email campaigns Avid created in Mailchimp before May 2026.

   You have a list of campaigns to review.

2. Open each campaign's audience or segment settings in Mailchimp.

   Mailchimp shows the targeting that was used or scheduled.

3. Compare each campaign to the matching touchpoint's Avid Audience.

   You can see whether each campaign reached the intended audience.

4. Update the campaign audience in Mailchimp when the targeting does not match, or relaunch the touchpoint from Avid.

   The campaign uses the intended audience before you send it.

Pathways: sync audience data to Mailchimp

Pathways lets you push Avid audience data to a Mailchimp list on a daily schedule. Avid maps your source fields to Mailchimp merge fields and auto-tags synced contacts.

Set up a Mailchimp pathway

1. Click Pathways in the main navigation, then click Push Audience.

   Avid shows Step 1: Select an Audience with a searchable list of your audiences.

2. Search or browse for the audience you want to sync, then click it.

   The audience card is highlighted and Step 2: Choose a Destination becomes active.

3. Click your Mailchimp connection under Step 2: Choose a Destination.

   Avid loads the Pathway Summary showing the selected audience, sync frequency (Daily), and Mailchimp as the destination.

4. Review the Pathway Summary. If a Default Pathway Filter is available, choose whether to include it. For Mailchimp, set a connection-level filter that excludes blank emails first. See Set a default filter for all audiences.

   The summary shows the estimated record count based on the selected primary key.

5. Open Advanced Settings and expand Information.

   Avid shows the Destination Object and Method of Sync fields.

6. Select your Mailchimp list from Destination Object.

   Avid fetches the merge fields available on that list. If you do not see your list, click the refresh button.

7. Choose a Method of Sync.

   Avid shows the selected sync method. See Sync methods below for details.

8. Expand Column Mapping and set the Primary Key Column.

   The primary key determines how Avid matches records to Mailchimp contacts. For Mailchimp, this is typically an email address column.

9. Map your source columns to Mailchimp destination fields. Available destination fields include Email (required) and any merge fields on the selected list (such as FNAME, LNAME, or custom fields).

   Mapped columns appear in the column mapping table. Merge fields are grouped under Merge Fields in the destination dropdown.

10. Click Save Pathway.

    Avid saves the pathway configuration. The sync begins on its daily schedule.

Sync methods

Set a default filter for all audiences

You can set a filter at the connection level that applies to every audience synced to a Mailchimp list. This filter runs before any individual audience definition, so it controls which records are eligible for sync across all pathways on that connection.

1. Click Pathways in the main navigation, then click Manage Pathways.

   Avid shows your active pathway connections.

2. Expand your Mailchimp connection and click the filter icon next to the destination object name.

   Avid opens the pathway filter page with a Limit All Audiences section.

3. Use the query builder to add a condition that excludes records without an email address. For example, set the email column is not blank.

   The filter previews the condition you set.

4. Click Save.

   The filter applies to all audiences synced to this Mailchimp connection. Individual audiences can still override this filter when you push them.

You can also use this filter to restrict syncs by contact type, email subscription status, or other criteria.

Auto-tagging

Every time Avid syncs contacts to Mailchimp through a pathway, it adds a tag named AVID - <audience name> to each synced contact.

This tag appears automatically in Mailchimp. You do not need to configure it.

You can use this tag in Mailchimp to filter or segment contacts that came from a specific Avid audience.

Manage active pathways

1. Click Pathways in the main navigation, then click Manage Pathways.

   Avid shows your active pathway connections grouped by destination. Each connection shows its status (Active, Error, or Inactive) and the number of audiences configured.

2. Expand a Mailchimp connection to see the audiences synced to it.

   The table shows each audience with its sync status, estimated records, and last sync failures.

3. Use the action buttons to pause, resume, force sync, or cancel a sync for a specific audience.

   The sync status updates to reflect the action you took.

To change column mappings or filters for an existing pathway, click the map or filter icon next to the destination object name.

Notes and limits

Insights

• Insights sync is scheduled. New Mailchimp activity is not always available in Avid immediately after it happens in Mailchimp.
• The same Mailchimp connection that powers Insights also powers Pathways and Playbooks.

Playbooks

• New launches apply each touchpoint's Avid Audience as the Mailchimp campaign audience.
• Limit Sends to Specific Tags applies only when a touchpoint has no Avid Audience.
• Tags to Exclude applies to both audience-based and tag-based campaigns.
• Mailchimp campaigns that were already sent cannot have their recipient list changed after sending.
• Mailchimp Multichannel templates are not supported. Mailchimp's API cannot add campaign content to them, so they show as Unsupported in the Email Template list.
• Schedule for Sending uses the touchpoint's launch date, converted to UTC, to schedule the campaign in Mailchimp.

Pathways

• Pathways sync to Mailchimp on a daily schedule. You cannot change the sync frequency.
• Avid matches Mailchimp contacts by email address.
• Set a connection-level default filter to exclude blank emails before you sync large audiences.
• Avid auto-tags synced contacts with AVID - <audience name>. You do not need to configure this tag.
• Merge fields available for mapping are pulled directly from the selected Mailchimp list. If you add a new merge field in Mailchimp, click the refresh button in the pathway's Destination Object to see it in Avid.
• The Update or Create sync method adds new contacts to your list. Review your Mailchimp plan limits before enabling this method for large audiences.

When to contact support

Contact LockStep Support if:

• The Mailchimp connection will not stay Active after you authenticate.
• Insights still shows no Mailchimp data after the first sync has had time to finish.
• A Playbook launch completes in Avid but no campaign appears in Mailchimp.
• A pathway sync shows repeated failures after you reconnect the Mailchimp integration.
• You need to configure subscriber status handling for pathway syncs.
• Merge fields you expect to see are missing from the pathway mapping after refreshing.

Include the Playbook or pathway name, the Mailchimp audience (list) name, the date and time of the issue, and any error messages you see.

Next steps

• What integrations work with Pathways?
• Set up a Pathway
• Review related Playbooks articles
• Review Avid audience management