4 takeaways from Adobe Summit 2019: Changing the world through digital experiences
The annual Adobe Summit conference never ceases to amaze, and the 2019 edition has done so once again – this time for 17,000 digital marketers from across the globe. We attend events across the world, but this year’s Summit really was a standout event.
Adobe’s motto of ‘changing the world through digital experiences’ struck home more than ever this year, diving ever deeper into the creation of positive human experiences. And, most pertinently for me: exploring how data is the key to improving those experiences.
Adobe’s bold mission, per CEO Shantanu Narayen: Change the world through digital experiences #adobesummit #adobeinsiders https://t.co/Ke7K0oqXA1 pic.twitter.com/CqEGydGml7
— Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) March 26, 2019
So, I thought I’d share my 4 key takeaways from this year’s Summit:
THE MODERN ROLE OF BRANDS IS TO MAKE CUSTOMERS’ LIVES RICHER
Customers no longer necessarily care who you are or what you’re selling, and instead buy from those brands that they remember have given them a good experience, have made their lives easier or indeed, richer.
Hubert Joly, CEO of BestBuy took to the keynote stage to discuss the brand’s transformation into the business it is today, the key to which is this exact sentiment:
Our business is NOT selling products, it’s enriching lives through technology†Hubert Joly @BestBuy CEO at #Adobesummit pic.twitter.com/ynTGYrlLuP
— Jason Goldberg (@retailgeek) March 26, 2019
Delivering these personalized digital experiences at scale is no easy task. But by understanding your customers’ digital behavior, organizations can not only optimize pages and journeys which improve customers’ experiences but also have a huge impact on their own digital KPIs.
DATA AND ANALYTICS CAN DRIVE REAL CHANGE
In one of the breakout sessions too, Vab Dwivedi, Director, Design Analytics at Dell reiterated a similar point. Dell is one of those companies that really lives and breathes experience-first. There is no better illustration of this than the development of their digital commerce organization: the 50-person centre of excellence driving growth through data, analytics and experimentation – focused on delivering personalized digital experiences.
And in his presentation, he outlined one of the fundamental reasons why he has helped get Dell to a point of true customer-centricity:
Great quote from @vabdwivedi
Vab will be at the Clicktale booth (no. 323) at the break to answer any questions he didn’t get to in the session – there were LOTS, so hope to see you there!
#AdobeSummit pic.twitter.com/BG9K79gYU0
— Clicktale (@Clicktale) March 26, 2019
ORGANIZATIONS NEED A CULTURE SHIFT TO ACHIEVE TRUE TRANSFORMATION
As Dell is proving, it’s vital that brands do not just pay lip service to delivering the best possible experiences, which means operationalizing everything around it – from data, to KPIs. As Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, stated in his keynote – there needs to be a culture change in every organization. We need to move from being know-it-alls to learn-it-alls.
The transformation will come from the “champions of change” who have the right mindset, and focus on experience in absolutely everything they do – from digital experience, to content, to analytics and data science. And in doing so, they need to take risks. Because with risk comes innovation, and with innovation comes the ability to change the world (through digital experiences).
The risk takers, the experience makers are driving innovation. @alewnes #AdobeSummit pic.twitter.com/2ANhCmjKUq
— Joe Martin (@joeDmarti) March 27, 2019
BEING DATA-OBSESSED AND CUSTOMER-CENTRIC ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Good data is the foundation of building exceptional experiences. And when matched with the right analytics tools, you can visualize exactly customers are seeing and doing. Desktop or mobile – everything is captured, so you can optimize strategically, based on actual user behavior patterns.
On stage at Summit, actress, producer and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon admitted to being a self-confessed ‘data nerd.’ But at the same time, through her work building clothing brand Draper James, she has gained insight into the minutiae of how customers behave and what they are looking for from modern brands.
In her terms, above all else, customers are looking for brands that are interested in making the world a better place.
Clicktale was acquired by Contentsquare in 2019. Since then, tools and features mentioned in this blog may have evolved. Learn more about our Digital Experience Analytics Platform.
