Personalization via Velocity Scripting

Technical Execution•Marketo Email Templates

Used Marketo Velocity scripting to create hyper-specific personalization based on user account data. Fill out the form below and watch the email content change instantly. Try the sample values shown in each field to see how different metrics affect customer health.

From: Sarah Altemus

Reply-to: lab@activtrak.com

Subject: ActivTrak's productivity benchmark comparison is ready

Preheader: See what to watch (and what to celebrate!) ahead of 2026

View Full Code on GitHub

Edit Values

Company Name

First Name

Workday Span

Screen Time

Productive Time

Focus Time

Collaboration Time

The Challenge

At ActivTrak, we needed to send highly personalized productivity benchmark emails to customers based on their unique account data. Each customer received their unique account data, and the messaging needed to adapt based on whether their metrics fell within healthy ranges, required monitoring, or needed immediate action.

Creating individual email versions for every possible combination would have been impossible to maintain. We needed a dynamic solution that could:

Process complex data inputs (time strings, numerical ranges)
Apply conditional logic to determine messaging
Generate personalized content blocks dynamically
Maintain consistency across thousands of recipients
Scale efficiently without manual intervention

The Solution

I developed a comprehensive Velocity scripting solution that automated the entire personalization process. The script handles data parsing, conditional logic, and dynamic content generation, all within the email program.

Conditional Logic

Implemented multi-tier logic that evaluates metrics against benchmarks and determines appropriate messaging (success, warning, or action required).

Data Parsing

Built custom functions to parse time strings (like "8h 18m") into usable formats for calculations and comparisons.

Dynamic Content

Generated personalized titles, colors, and messages based on each customer's specific data patterns.

Fallback Handling

Implemented robust error handling and smart list filters to ensure emails rendered correctly when data was missing or fell outside of expected values.

Code Examples

Here's a look at the core Velocity scripting logic that powers the personalization:

Time Parsing Function

## Parse time string (e.g., "8h 18m" or "44m") into minutes
#set($timeString = $lead.collaborationTime2025)
#if($timeString.contains("h"))
  #set($parts = $timeString.split("h"))
  #set($hours = $convert.toInteger($parts[0].trim()))
  #set($minutes = 0)
  #if($parts.size() > 1 && $parts[1] && $parts[1].trim() != "")
    #set($minutesPart = $parts[1].replace("m","").trim())
    #if($minutesPart != "")
      #set($minutes = $convert.toInteger($minutesPart))
    #end
  #end
  #set($value = ($hours * 60) + $minutes)
#else
  #set($minutesPart = $timeString.replace("m","").trim())
  #set($value = $convert.toInteger($minutesPart))
#end

Conditional Logic Example

## Process Collaboration Time with conditional messaging
#if($value >= 30 && $value <= 60)
  <p><strong style="color: #2ED4B5;">Congrats!</strong> 
  Your collaboration time closely matches the benchmark...</p>
#elseif($value > 60 && $value <= 90)
  <p><strong style="color: #FBD13E;">Keep an eye on this.</strong> 
  Collaboration time is higher than the benchmark...</p>
#else
  <p><strong style="color: #FF864B;">This may call for action.</strong> 
  Collaboration time requires immediate attention...</p>
#end

Dynamic Content Token

## Token usage in email template
<table>
  <tr>
    <td>
      {{my.Collaboration Time Content}}
    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>
      {{my.Focus Time Content}}
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>