Forrester Groundswell Award Submission

DESCRIPTION OF ENTRY

Adobe was launching a new offering – Creative Cloud – in April to the creative professional audience that would change not only the company’s existing software offering model, but also the way creatives work. The Creative Cloud breaks the mold of how and where creatives work, giving them the latest creative apps and features when they are available, and allowing for more collaboration, file sharing, and publishing. The challenges were to convey this and catalyze social conversation in a way Adobe hasn’t done with past product launches. These challenges demanded a campaign that would shift the focus from technology and product to a rallying cry that creative professionals can get behind socially.

The solution – Create Now – a manifesto that served as an anthem that elevated the product launch efforts for Adobe and became something the Creative Cloud brand stood for with the market introduction. This manifesto was, and continues to be, injected throughout the integrated online and offline efforts.

KEY CONVERSATION-DRIVING ACTIVITIES

The Creative Cloud Launch Events

April 23 – This was the primary live event that announced the Creative Cloud. The event was held at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco and was live streamed for global consumption. The event conversation volume was significant, generating an average of a tweet per second.

May 7 – A designer-centric event held in New York

Scavenger Hunts

The Creative Cloud Scavenger Hunt

This hunt was held in San Francisco on April 23, and incorporated the use of FourSquare, QR codes, Instagram and Twitter to share location tips, product information and help participants on the ground. Below is a quick video recap along with a few social conversations and coverage generated. The grand prize: $10,000 and a lifetime membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud.

Participant Conversations and Coverage

Documentary of a Participant’s Experience at Each Stop on YouTube

Sample Conversations:

The Race to Create Scavenger Hunt

This was the online version of the previous and activated those not in San Francisco to participate, with clues scattered across Adobe digital properties (e.g., the website and social networks). Up for grabs were a number of 1-year memberships to the Creative Cloud.

Sample Conversations:

Both scavenger hunts garnered more than 600 participants during the brief window they were held on launch day (April 23).

’30 Days of Giveaways’ Sweepstakes

The sweepstakes was hosted on a Facebook app, using the Adobe Social solution. The Like-gated app drove Fan growth, with participation incentivized by daily giveaways of a 3-month Creative Cloud membership.

Social Amplification

There is continued Facebook and Twitter (#CreateNow) amplification across number Adobe branded social profiles with content shared embodying the spirit of the manifesto.

Social Conversations

Creative Spotlight Series

Video Content

There were a host of videos created that embodied the spirit of the Create Now anthem and celebrated the creative process, including:

Why I Create

A montage looking at when people started creating, what their inspiration is and what creating (or the ability to create) means to them.

CS6 Artist Series

The series provides a behind-the-scenes look into the inspiration and creative process of the new product imagery for the Creative Suite 6 family, included in the Creative Cloud.

http://tv.adobe.com/show/adobe-cs6-artist-series/

HIGH-LEVEL RESULTS

With an anthem to rally around, the Creative Cloud launch was the most socially activated launch for Adobe to date and was the most successful, with the company seeing a tenfold ROI.