Adobe Summit was a whirlwind in the best of ways. The past four days have been filled with talks, meetings, sessions, and amazing experiences. Being part of the Adobe Insiders group was a true honor and privilege to be a part of.
I was part of the 66+ amazing professionals who came from all over the world to collaborate, engage, and share the overall experience of what it was like to be at Adobe Summit in Las Vegas. Some of these professionals I have written about in my book, featured in my classes, and looked to as being the leaders in our field.
And I was working with them. Whoa.
No pressure right?!
There were certain expectations and KPIs we were aiming for to get here for the coverage of the conference.
Here are some of my main takeaways here from the conference:
New exciting ventures, features, and initiatives by Adobe. I’ve been going to Adobe conferences and events for the past four years, and each year I keep telling myself – Adobe has done it again! I am not sure what they can do next to top this!
Well, they always seem to do! This was my first time at Adobe Summit, and so I was interested in seeing how this compares to what Adobe MAX offers.
I went to all of the keynotes and was blown away. Hearing the new partnerships and initiatives Adobe is doing with Microsoft and other brands is exciting. Of course, attending Adobe Sneaks as also fun (the new potential features they have for data and AR here for the Experience Cloud look amazing – I literally wanted all of these features!)
Investing in yourself while branching out. This was a strong message that came up not just from the speakers, but also from the Adobe Insiders as well. We heard from Reese Witherspoon (whenever I tell people my journey in the PhD program, I always have said I was literally like the Elle Woods in my class!) and Drew Brees (New Orleans Quarterback).
Both are in different industries, but both have experienced similar challenges in their positions. It was amazing to hear the dedication and investment both shared on what they were doing to help others or themselves in the industry. This was good to hear since we often think – well, this person is successful because they were lucky or at the right place at the right time.
Luck does not have any thing to do with it. Hard work and investing in your knowledge, skills, and experiences does. This particular message resonated with everyone in the group when Drew shared how he trains off and in season. Several mentioned – this is what I have to do to be successful in the industry. The marketing – and even digital and social areas – is a competitive field.
Importance of meeting IRL. Loved the fact I was able to finally meet some professionals and friends I had connected with YEARS ago on social and finally get a chance to meet them in real life. This happened SO many times at Adobe Summit and was thrilled about this!
I had a chance to meet some professionals in person finally after years of chatting virtually on social media. It was so great to finally meet you in person Scott, David, Carlos, Sarah, Frank, Ross, Amber, Kate, Kerry, Peter, and Vincenzo! I had a lot of fun meeting up with friends and catching up again like Lee and David! Great times had by all.
One of the biggest highlights for me was to finally meet the team at Hootsuite in person. As you know, I have integrated Hootsuite into my classes now for 6+ years (AMAZING!) and it was AMAZING to meet Nick (who does an epic job on #Hootchat, Hootsuite’s monthly Twitter chat) and Eva from Hootsuite.
Did I also mention they had the BEST brand booth at Adobe Summit?! Hootsuite created this great initiative where you could sign up and have coffee with another attendee at the conference. What a great networking idea!
Of course Nick and I had to have our “random” coffee meet up documented of course!! Thank you Nick and Eva for all you do for educators, students, and pros! Hootsuite is truly one of my favorite companies! Proud and honored to be a #HootAmb!
Millennials are old according to GenZ. OUCH! As a millennial (or a Xennial, if you follow the new cohort standards!), this was not the first time I have heard this. However, as I share with my students, I am not old – but vintage – because vintage never goes out of style!
We got a chance to hear from an interesting Generation Z panel on what they are looking for from brands, what trends and things they see in the digital and social media marketing space, and what are some things they feel brands need to stop doing.
As a researcher, I always am interested in exploring what other cohorts have to say and how this influences their overall decision on marketing and brand choices. We got to hear different perspectives and where each GenZ panelist wants to accomplish in the future.
We can all learn from each other and share our different experiences, perspectives, and insights.
Influencers and professionals are people too. We sometimes forget this when we are working in social media – we often think – wow! This person is being highlighted as a must follow or best 50 people on social, so that means they are different from you and me.
What I saw over the course of the four days in Las Vegas were a group of professionals who were supportive, energetic, and extremely friendly. Lots of laughs were being had by all, selfies and group shots were of course taken and given out, but everyone also supported each other to accomplish our common goal as Adobe Insiders.
I took a lot of photos during the time I was in Las Vegas with the Adobe Insiders, but I didn’t take any selfies with any one of them. I really wanted to soak up in the conversations I was having with each professional I was with – and in some cases – I completely forgot to take a picture!
We came in from all over the world and arrived into Las Vegas as a group of professionals. However, when we left Las Vegas, we came away as being part of the Adobe Family (aka the new hashtag for our group is #AdobeFam!)
I am happy to have met these amazing professionals and I now call all of them my friends.
Adobe is the GOAT of influencer marketing. No question. Rani, Mark and Monica are the best in this area. Hands down, no question. Their dedication and hard work really shined in how we were treated and supported. I have been part of other influencer campaigns and have created some myself for my students – so being on the other side and seeing what the best do in this area. I was blown away.
This was a really good lesson on how an influencer marketing plan and campaign should be run. I was impressed with Adobe’s preparation here for before the event, but my mind was completely blown from what we were able to see on the ground. The attention to details, coordination of the messages and content, and the line of access and communication were exceptional.
What is also important here to consider for IM campaigns if of course metrics – if you are bringing in influencers for a campaign, did you achieve the goals and objectives you set out to do?
From what we have seen so far, we have! I was interested in seeing for myself what I was able to do for this initiative. Trust Insights shared daily their graphics for their network analysis here for the conference.
Why is this important? First, I love data, and it is a great example I can bring back to my students and say – HEY! Evaluation and data metrics are key elements to consider when you are evaluating IM or any other digital/social elements here for a campaign. Second, for personal branding purposes, this is a great metric to have for future opportunities.
Special thanks to Talkwalker for the metrics! This was VERY insightful and helpful to see!
Summary
Words can’t describe how thankful I am to Rani, Mark and Monica from Adobe. You three are absolutely the best!
As a professor coming in to this experience was epic – I was coming in from somewhat of a different background from the rest of the Adobe Insiders, but you all welcomed me with open arms and encouraged me to create, collaborate, and be an active member of the #AdobeFam.
You all have been so generous in your time, support, and commitment for all of us these past few weeks. Your kindness truly means the world to me – this experience has opened my eyes to new approaches, tools, and experiences I will share with my students and in my classes.
Thank you again Rani, Mark, and Monica for everything you have done for us this week.
If you want more recaps, here are some other great recaps of the Adobe Insiders experience to check out like the David Armano worked on.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Disclosure: I attended Adobe Summit as part of Adobe’s Summit Insider Program and I attended the conference for free.
