The Conflicts within Adobe's Social Media Marketing

While deciding which company to research for this assignment, I first began by thinking of products that I regularly consume in a physical sense, like shoes, cosmetics, or car brands. Yet I realized that I didn't ultimately feel connected with these brands. I didn't feel a part of them.

After further contemplation, I landed on a brand that I use much more regularly. So regularly, in fact, that all of my work relies upon my access to it. This company is none other than Adobe. 

Many consumers of Adobe use their various software programs on a daily basis to accomplish their creative goals, like myself. They talk about the new updates to software, bug fixes, new ways to design or utilize programs, anticipation for new software, and share their creations with the Adobe community. 

I was interested in this brand because it is the company that ultimately helped me realize my interest in design and marketing to begin with. Without access to this platform, I likely would not have progressed in my skills in these areas as quickly as I have been able to over the past few years. Adobe software helped me learn skills in the areas of graphic design, book layout design, video editing, podcast editing, and much more.

Adobe claims that "Creativity is in our DNA." Their website mentions that they develop new technologies to further this creativity, work to shape the next generation of storytellers, and inspire new categories of business. Another website called Cleverism outlines their value proposition as incorporating three categories: accessibility, innovation, and brand/status. 

Because Adobe is a software company, they are always looking to develop new technologies and improve upon their pre-existing platforms. There has been a growing intrigue around their newest software in development, called Adobe Firefly. This is an AI program that is claimed to "give all creators superpowers to work at the speed of their imaginations," as outlined by their pinned Instagram post explaining the software. 

Instagram comments have been fueling discussion and debate over the new software. Interestingly, the majority of comments appear to be opposing this new software development, or questioning why Adobe can't just make updates to software like Photoshop. One of the top comments says that this is "the beginning of the end," as many creatives fear that AI will begin to take over the roles of actual designers. Adobe was quick to reply with a response stating that this software is meant to serve as a sort of "co-pilot" to creatives, rather than a replacement.

Another interesting element of Adobe's Instagram is regularly creating content that interacts with their audience in a relatable and engaging way while also promoting their products. One such example is a reel posted only two days ago as of the time of writing, yet has already generated 26K likes. This reel highlights a designer who goes around re-creating posters without being asked to help small groups gain more traction. This concept creates an inspiring story while also highlighting various design software, without explicitly mentioning the software at all. 

This has inspired many people in the design community to go out and help people by using Adobe software. It even ended up reaching the original goth band that the poster was designed to help promote. 

Adobe also does an excellent job of creating content that centers around current events. Since this month is Earth Month, Adobe shared designer's content that was themed around the importance of keeping the planet green. Yet it appears that many people are confronting Adobe as "green washing" in an attempt to remain culturally relevant, rather than making a lasting impact.

Adobe appears to have a variety of elements incorporated throughout their social media marketing. They post content by designers using their platforms, inspiration for other creatives, updates on software development, culturally relevant issues, and the occasional meme. It appears that Adobe is pretty good at implementing social media best practices, such as posting regularly, responding quickly to comments, and posting a variety of types of content that draw in their audience engagement.

Adobe definitely utilizes the power of storytelling within a lot of their content, such as the reel mentioned above. Story-based content seems to out-perform simply graphics or images. Adobe also does a great job of featuring well-known artists or collaborating with big content creators, such as the production team behind the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once. Content with a story or a pre-existing community behind it helps drive further interaction for the brand. 

I imagine that Adobe's main target audience on Instagram are people who are already currently using their software platforms. Most comments seem to relate to previous experience using Adobe products, which aligns with this theory. Adobe's marketing goals behind creating content for social media platforms such as Instagram is likely to inspire its pre-existing users to continue creating on their software, or to purchase additional software or products. 

Additionally, Adobe has worked hard to establish itself as a well known figure in the creative world. Everyone is familiar with its software, particularly Photoshop. Through actively engaging with their creative community Adobe is only continuing to build its repertoire of a high quality design software company. Brand recognition is key and something that Adobe excels in.

Adobe also seems to do a pretty good job of interacting with its customers over social media. They respond fairly quickly to negative comments by providing insight into potential misunderstandings, such as in the case of Adobe Firefly. At other times, however, Adobe simply chooses not to respond to hate comments. I noticed this seemed to be the case when comments received less likes or interaction. Perhaps these slipped through the cracks, or perhaps Adobe decided not responding to all comments is the best course of action.

Adobe Firefly is creating a large amount of controversy in the creative design world, as touched upon briefly in the first example of posts. Creatives are worried that their jobs will be overtaken by the increasingly growing power of AI. If I were the brand manager of Adobe, I would ensure that my team was well prepared to respond to potential hate comments or arguments revolving around this issue. Likewise, any more controversial current events or product development should be thoroughly thought-through to address potential outcry to best maintain a professional company image. In addition, I think it would be critical to listen to the comments of customers and to be willing to adjust the direction of certain campaigns or projects in accordance with this feedback. This shows that Adobe actually cares for the needs and wants of its customers. 

Through this assignment I have gained a glimpse into the difficult world of managing the social media aspect of a massive company. Ensuring that your audience is interested in the content you are producing and that negative feedback is properly addressed is critical to a company's digital marketing success. I also gained a lot of insight into this company that my career path quite literally depends upon, which was very intriguing. 

At the end of the day, I can only hope that Adobe listens to its consumers.