Adobe Imagination Challenge Word-of-Mouth Marketing Case Study
Jun 27, 2015
Adobe Imagination Challenge Word-of-Mouth Marketing Case Study
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
The Imagination Challenge was devised to support
the overall Adobe Student Back to School marketing
campaign based on three objectives:
1. Broaden the Audience
2. Create Awareness
3. Positively Influence Brand Preference & Purchase Intent
Overall Campaign Objectives
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Social Media Objectives
Social Media was tasked with driving engagement around the campaign and included the following four objectives:
1. Collaborate with influential bloggers in student segments to spur original third party content generation in coordination with the BTS campaign
2. Drive traffic via student influencer endorsements to Adobe Imagination Challenge microsite
3. Generate buzz throughout campaign milestones by continuously persuading audience to participate and use Adobe CS5.5
4. Drive active use on Adobe Students Facebook and Twitter channels to create excitement surrounding the Imagination Challenge
Blogs
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Social Impact – Results at a Glance
25% of top 140,000 Google search results for “Adobe Imagination Challenge” attributable to influencers
• 245K+ views of celebrity judge videos • 6 blog posts repurposing 14
AdobeSystems YouTube channel videos
• 10% increase in followers
• Drove > 3,200 visitors to BTS microsite
• 237 tweets using #AdobeImagination
• 832 tweets discussing the Imagination Challenge
• 6,000+ new Adobe
Students page likes • 50 posts supporting
Imagination Challenge • Drove > 4400 visitors
to BTS microsite
• 34 supporting blog posts • 54+ twitter shares and 20+ FB likes
propagating influencer posts • Drove >5,000 visitors to BTS microsite
• 220K+ views on YouTube
• 75,000+ Social Embeds of video
• 405+ tweets mentioning video
• 8k+ Facebook Likes on Photoshop Rap Video
Blogs
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
30% Top Google Results for “Adobe Imagination Challenge” were attributable to influencer content generation
6 of the bloggers drove 14 links into
these videos
Google Results
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Variety of Blog Content
22 influencers with • 8.5M aggregate readers • 50K+ twitter followers • Majority of audience
made up of students and parents
Winner Announcements
Google+ celebrity judgeInterview
Real or Fake
Milestone Announcements
Celebrity Judges
Challenge Launch
Result Student Influencer Corps
34 blog posts highlighted:
We continuously provided unique opportunities for influential bloggers to interact with the campaign, thus spurring content generation throughout .
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Blog Posts- Challenge Launch
“Through their Imagination Challenge, Adobe is offering up 5 grand prizes of $10,000 each, as well as 36 $50 prizes for runners ups. What would you do if you had a $10,000 back-to-school budget? MacBook Air, new wardrobe, book fees…the possibilities are endless!” --Leah Schklar, TalkNerdy2Me
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Blog Posts- Meet the Judges
“Have you entered your project yet? As I mentioned in that previous post, submissions will be judged in part by a panel of celebrity judges. Today I’d like to profile each of them… Read on to find out more!” --Thomas Frank, College Info Geek
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Blog Posts- Announcing Winners
“Today, the Adobe Imagination Challenge Round 1 Winners were announced – did you win? Do you wish you got involved? Well it’s not too late!” -- Brett Napoli, College Cures
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
@AdobeStudents Twitter Growth
4093
4490
3800
4000
4200
4400
4600
31-Aug 30-Sep 31-Oct 30-Nov
@AdobeStudents Twitter Followers (Sept-Nov)
• 10% increase in
Twitter followers from Sept – Nov
• 237 tweets using #AdobeImagination
• 832 tweets discussing the Imagination Challenge
• 50 Twitter posts from @AdobeStudents
• 50K+ aggregate influencers’ twitter followers
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Adobe Students Facebook – User Growth
• 5,300+ new Adobe Students page likes from Sept – Nov
• 50 posts supporting Imagination Challenge
• Drove > 4400 visitors to BTS microsite
82919
84672
86840
88228
80000
81000
82000
83000
84000
85000
86000
87000
88000
89000
31-Aug 30-Sep 31-Oct 30-Nov
Adobe Students FB - Total Likes (Sept- Nov)
35439
49889
58765
41262
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
70000
31-Aug 30-Sep 31-Oct 30-Nov
Monthly Active Users (Sept –Nov)
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Facebook Posts Supporting Imagination Challenge
• 50 posts on challenge
from Adobe Students 19 belonged to Real
or Fake Challenge
• 386 comments on Imagination Challenge posts
• 1188 likes on Imagination Challenge posts
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Real or Fake Contest
0
40
80
120
160
200
June July Aug Sept OctTotal Tweets RTs
0
200
400
600
FacebookEngagedUsers
On both Facebook and Twitter, user engagement was at an all-time high during the Real or Fake Challenge in September & October
@Adobe Students Tweets and Retweets
Adobe Students Facebook page Engaged users
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
College Humor Photoshop Rap Video + Imagination Challenge Site wrap
• 640k+ Total Video Views
• 215K Views on YouTube
• 75,000+ Social Embeds of video
• 8k Facebook Likes • 408 Tweets • 111 Google+ plus
ones • 2,000+ Comments
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Blogger Verbatims
“I'm a huge fan of Adobe (they're the guys that brought us
Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Flash, and tons of other design software essentials), and they just got even cooler in my eyes.”
“…you can win $10,000 for just expressing yourself in the Adobe Imagination Challenge. Adobe has different, versatile programs that make it possible for you to express yourself in any way imaginable,
or even to communicate something important to you.”
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
“Even if you do not want to enter the challenge, I highly suggest checking out the Creative Suite 5.5. Adobe has always had great products, and this
suite is no different. Between Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and everything else the opportunities to create are endless.”
“We’re really big into Adobe’s Student Imagination Challenge. We’re up for anything that involves offering students money (we’re talking $10,000) just
for being creative.”
More Blogger Verbatims
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Please indicate how you first became aware of the website
• KTA: Nearly 40% of survey respondents indicated that they learned of the IC through word-of-mouth recommendations (Social networking, Faculty, or ‘a friend told me.’) indicating the IC was successful in creating awareness and a viral buzz about Adobe and the CS5.5.
17
22%
18%
16% 14%
13%
8% 6%
4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Adobe.com Socialnetworking
Onlineadvertising
A friend toldme
Other(pleasespecify)
Onlinesearchengine
Faculty Print media
IC Site Awareness
Word-of-Mouth Referral
According to a survey of all Imagination Challenge participants, 18% learned of the Imagination Challenge through social networking
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
How likely are you to tell friends and colleagues about Adobe as a result of visiting the Adobe Imagination Challenge Website?
KTA: 87% of survey respondents said they would be ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to recommend Adobe and its products after spending time on the Imagination Challenge website
18
41%
46%
7%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Very Likely Likely Unlikely
Likelihood to visit Adobe.com after visiting IC
Influencing Intent to Purchase
Confidential | Ivy Worldwide 2012
Broaden the Audience
Which of the following best describes your major area of study?
KTA: In North America, the IC was responsible for broadening the audience to those outside of the typical Adobe BTS consumers – design students – as greater than three quarters of respondents indicated they had a non-design major in college.
19
22%
78%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Design Students All Other Majors
Area of Study