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dotCMS Success Stories: Real-World Examples

Organizations need content management systems that can keep up with rapidly evolving customer expectations. dotCMS, an enterprise-grade hybrid CMS, has become a trusted solution for countless businesses looking to deliver engaging, personalized experiences across multiple channels. But what does success with dotCMS actually look like in practice?

This post explores dotCMS Success Stories, showcasing how forward-thinking brands have leveraged its powerful platform to drive transformation, efficiency, and growth. Whether you’re evaluating dotCMS for your own organization, exploring why dotCMS has become the preferred choice for so many enterprises, or simply interested in how leading brands manage their digital content, these real-world examples will inspire you.

1. Hospital Corporation of America: Empowering Healthcare Content

Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), one of the largest healthcare services providers in the United States, needed a content management system capable of delivering secure, compliant, and dynamic content experiences across hundreds of hospital websites.

Before adopting dotCMS, HCA struggled with outdated tools that made site updates cumbersome and error-prone. The organization required a platform that supported distributed authoring, enterprise governance, and multi-site management while ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations like HIPAA.

With dotCMS, HCA implemented a centralized content hub that empowered local content editors to update information quickly—whether that meant publishing timely health alerts, updating physician directories, or launching microsites for community initiatives.

Key Outcomes:

  • Reduced time to publish updates from days to hours
  • Seamless governance over hundreds of hospital sites
  • Improved patient engagement through consistent branding and content delivery

This example highlights how dotCMS can support complex, compliance-driven industries without sacrificing agility.

2. Newell Brands: Orchestrating Global Brand Experiences

Newell Brands, the global consumer goods company behind names like Rubbermaid, Sharpie, and Coleman, faced a major challenge: unifying dozens of brand websites under a consistent digital experience.

Their existing content infrastructure was fragmented, with different teams using disparate tools and workflows. This inconsistency made it difficult to roll out campaigns, maintain brand guidelines, and manage translations across regions.

Newell Brands turned to dotCMS to create a modular, enterprise-grade content platform capable of scaling globally. By consolidating their brands onto dotCMS, they empowered local marketing teams to customize content for regional audiences while retaining centralized control over core assets, templates, and branding.

Key Outcomes:

  • Consolidation of 40+ brand websites onto a single platform
  • Streamlined workflows across regional teams
  • Faster campaign launches with reusable content modules

This is one of the most impressive dotCMS Success Stories, demonstrating how a large multinational can balance global governance and local relevance.

3. TELUS: Unifying Customer Journeys

TELUS, a leading Canadian telecommunications company, needed to modernize its web infrastructure to better engage millions of customers.

Their legacy systems were slow, monolithic, and couldn’t keep up with customers’ expectations for seamless experiences across devices and channels. Moreover, content teams were bottlenecked by inflexible templates and limited personalization capabilities.

dotCMS offered TELUS the hybrid architecture and API-first flexibility to break down silos. They redesigned their customer journeys, integrating dotCMS with CRM and analytics tools to personalize content at scale.

Key Outcomes:

  • Personalized web experiences that dynamically adapt to customer behavior
  • API-powered integrations with customer data platforms
  • 35% faster content deployment cycles

This success story underscores the value of dotCMS in complex, high-volume digital ecosystems.

4. Wiley: Streamlining Content for Education

John Wiley & Sons (Wiley) is a global publishing powerhouse with a rich catalog of academic and professional content.

Wiley needed a modern CMS to help them deliver resources efficiently to students, educators, and researchers worldwide. Their previous CMS lacked the flexibility to manage diverse content formats and workflows spanning editorial, marketing, and digital teams.

With dotCMS, Wiley built an extensible platform to power content delivery across portals, apps, and partner channels. By using structured content and APIs, they made it easier to repurpose assets for different audiences and devices.

Key Outcomes:

  • Centralized management of complex educational content
  • Support for multiple distribution channels from a single hub
  • Enhanced collaboration among editorial, product, and marketing teams

Wiley’s story illustrates how dotCMS supports innovation in content-driven industries.

5. Breville: Creating an Omnichannel Retail Experience

Breville, the premium kitchen appliance brand, has customers across North America, Europe, and Australia. They needed a CMS capable of delivering consistent product stories and content-rich experiences in all markets.

Breville’s challenge was to unify product marketing, recipes, videos, and user guides into an engaging customer journey that spanned ecommerce, social media, and in-store displays.

dotCMS enabled Breville to build a centralized content hub where marketing teams could author and manage content for all channels. By integrating with their ecommerce and CRM platforms, they delivered personalized experiences that drove both online and in-store engagement.

Key Outcomes:

  • Unified content strategy across multiple countries and channels
  • Higher conversion rates through consistent brand storytelling
  • Scalable infrastructure to support growth in new regions

This is one of the standout dotCMS Success Stories, proving the platform’s ability to power global omnichannel retail.

  1. University of Surrey: Enabling Agile Content Publishing The University of Surrey, a leading UK institution, needed a flexible platform to manage its growing portfolio of web properties, including marketing sites, research portals, and student services.

Before dotCMS, the university’s teams faced bottlenecks when publishing news, course information, and event updates. They wanted to empower non-technical users to create and manage content without relying heavily on developers.

By adopting dotCMS, Surrey introduced intuitive authoring tools, workflows, and permissions. Now, content contributors across departments can collaborate efficiently while maintaining editorial standards and brand consistency.

Key Outcomes:

  • 60% faster content updates across web properties
  • Better user experience for prospective and current students
  • Reduced reliance on technical teams for routine changes

This example shows how dotCMS empowers higher education institutions to deliver agile digital experiences.

7. Road Scholar: Powering Dynamic Travel Content

Road Scholar is a not-for-profit educational travel organization offering trips across the globe. They wanted to showcase their unique itineraries in a compelling, easily navigable way.

Their existing CMS limited flexibility and made it difficult to quickly update trip information or publish new programs.

dotCMS provided the flexibility Road Scholar needed to create dynamic travel content that can be reused across landing pages, search results, and marketing campaigns. The platform’s multilingual and multi-site capabilities also helped them cater to diverse audiences.

Key Outcomes:

  • Faster time to market for new trip launches
  • Consistent presentation of itineraries and content modules
  • Improved SEO performance and organic traffic

As one of the more niche dotCMS Success Stories, Road Scholar proves that dotCMS isn’t just for large enterprises—it’s also a powerful tool for mission-driven organizations.

8. Ideal Standard: Personalizing Customer Experiences

Ideal Standard, a global manufacturer of bathroom solutions, wanted to reinvent its digital presence to better serve customers and distributors.

Their website previously offered static, generic content that didn’t reflect users’ needs or preferences. They needed a CMS capable of delivering personalized experiences for professionals, retailers, and end customers.

dotCMS helped Ideal Standard create role-based content experiences, with dynamic product recommendations and resources tailored to each audience segment.

*Key Outcomes:
*
- 40% increase in customer engagement metrics

  • Streamlined product information management
  • Personalized content experiences that improved conversions

Ideal Standard’s transformation is a testament to the power of dotCMS in B2B and B2C environments alike.

9. Children International: Transforming Donor Engagement

Children International is a humanitarian organization dedicated to ending poverty for children. Donor engagement and transparency are central to their mission.

The organization’s legacy CMS made it difficult to update content about sponsored children and community projects, undermining donor trust.

With dotCMS, Children International built a dynamic donor portal that showcases real-time updates, photos, and stories from sponsored children. Contributors across the globe can securely update content, ensuring donors always see fresh, relevant information.

Key Outcomes:

  • Greater donor retention through transparent reporting
  • Faster content updates with distributed authoring
  • More engaging experiences across devices

This is one of the most moving dotCMS Success Stories, demonstrating how technology can drive positive social impact.

10. AutoNation: Scaling Digital Transformation

AutoNation, America’s largest automotive retailer, wanted to accelerate its digital transformation to better serve modern car buyers.

Their previous content systems were siloed, making it difficult to deliver cohesive experiences across dealership websites, marketing campaigns, and CRM touchpoints.

dotCMS provided the scalable, hybrid infrastructure AutoNation needed to power thousands of dealership sites with consistent branding and localized content. The platform’s extensibility enabled seamless integrations with inventory systems, finance tools, and customer data platforms.

Key Outcomes:

  • Consolidation of hundreds of dealer websites onto a unified platform
  • Improved customer journeys with personalized content and inventory visibility
  • More agile marketing campaigns with reusable templates and workflows

AutoNation’s case demonstrates how dotCMS can underpin enterprise-scale digital transformation efforts.

Conclusion

These ten examples illustrate the real-world power of dotCMS development across industries as diverse as healthcare, retail, higher education, travel, and nonprofit. Whether an organization needs to orchestrate global brand experiences, streamline complex workflows, or create highly personalized content journeys, dotCMS consistently delivers measurable outcomes.

If you’re evaluating content management solutions or looking to modernize your digital presence, these dotCMS Success Stories prove that with the right platform, you can turn ambitious goals into reality.

Would you like help assessing whether dotCMS is the right fit for your business? Feel free to reach out—I’m here to help you navigate your own success story.

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