Adobe capitalises on rising digital marketing spending

Digital marketing spending in Thailand in 2017 will continue to rise as companies are still in the early stages of their digital business transformation journeys, says global computer software firm Adobe Systems Incorporated.

“Thailand is the second-largest market opportunity in Southeast Asia for Adobe as we’ve seen strong demand from companies that want to engage customers in digital channels,” said VR Srivatsan, managing director of Adobe Systems Incorporated for Southeast Asia.

“We expect Thailand’s digital marketing spending will grow by at least 30% during the next five years.”

Many industries such as banking, telecom, retail, e-commerce, tourism, media and entertainment are facing significant digital disruption as consumers are increasingly engaging with new technologies.

To survive, Mr Srivatsan said companies need to deliver the right messages to effectively engage consumers through the use of digital marketing.

To capitalise on digital marketing trends, Adobe is providing a marketing cloud tool that enables advertisers to tap into a wider set of consumer data to reach audiences across various channels.

Sales of Adobe’s digital marketing software accounted for 30% of its global sales revenue of US$5.9 billion in fiscal 2016 ending November.

Digital media software accounted for 67% and the remaining 3% came from print and publishing software.

Asia-Pacific contributed up to 14% of the group’s total, said Mr Srivatsan.

Murray Howe, head for industry strategy for Asia-Pacific of Adobe, said about half of Adobe’s customers in Thailand say they planned to invest in digital transformation this year.

With the proliferation of mobile devices and new technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality, creatives are being challenged to create content more rapidly than ever before.

Organisations need to adapt quickly to the new demands of creating for more platforms and a broader set of customers, across different devices and locations, and measure the impact of their work on business results, said Mr Howe.

Mr Srivatsan said Adobe is working closely with public and private educational institutions to build the country’s digital workforce, in a drive to push the government’s initiative towards Thailand 4.0, developing a valued-based economy.

Starting from February, he said the price of Adobe products in Thailand will increase because the currency exchange rates have fluctuated significantly over the last few years.