Observed Signal · Jul 2, 2018 · Technical Release · Source: OnlineMarketing.de · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Adobe Digital Trends 2018: Design-Led Firms Twice as Successful
Adobe's Creative & Design Report, part of the 2018 Digital Trends study, finds that firms with strong design capabilities outperform peers where design is less central, achieving 32% success versus 17%. The worldwide survey of about 2,700 creative decision-makers from client and agency sides was conducted by Econsultancy for Adobe. Forrester and Adobe report that companies with creatively designed customer experiences see 36% faster revenue growth than less creative rivals. Design-oriented Experience Businesses also project about 60% revenue growth in the current fiscal year. Katrin Baumann of Adobe notes that success increasingly depends on design quality, technology, talented people, and collaborative workflows. The study shows AI is a foundation for tailored designs and campaigns, with 54% of client-side leaders and 45% of agency-side leaders using AI for data analysis; about 30% use AI in creative processes, and 36% vs 22% translate content into AI-driven campaigns. The emphasis on personalized real-time experiences remains key, while internal workflows and talent retention pose challenges. In 2018, 79% plan greater investment in digital skills.
Industry-shifting insights into design-led performance and AI adoption in marketing; non-policy, non-earnings.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Adobe Digital Trends 2018 study surveyed about 2,700 creative decision-makers worldwide.
- Design-oriented firms achieve 32% success vs 17% for design-light peers.
- 67% of respondents describe their company as design-oriented.
- Forrester and Adobe report 36% faster revenue growth for creatively designed customer experiences.
- Design-oriented Experience Businesses expect 60% revenue growth in the current fiscal year.
Connected Companies & Entities
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Adobe: AI Redefines Where Creative Value Lies
Adobe marketing leaders Rachel Thornton and Simon Morris told The Drum at Cannes Lions 2026 that AI is not killing creativity but shifting where value is created across marketing. They said AI is reshaping discovery, production, personalization and measurement — for example, marketers must think about brand visibility on new LLM-driven search surfaces. AI is automating repetitive production work and scaling creative variants, enabling creatives to focus on storytelling, strategy and taste. Adobe is using its own marketing organisation as 'customer zero' to test features such as Brand Visibility. Thornton and Morris advised agencies to treat AI as a catalyst for organisational change and skills investment rather than a standalone tool. They cited examples including WPP, Code and Theory, Publicis and Dentsu embedding AI into workflows.
Adobe Becomes Its Own Toughest AI Customer
Adobe's international marketing team, led by Simon Morris, used generative AI (notably Adobe Firefly) internally as a 'customer zero' testbed and found that technology worked but existing processes did not. Internal rollout exposed siloed workflows, skill gaps and a studio bottleneck; the team built Gem Studio to let marketers self-produce content and embedded artwork libraries to prevent brand drift. Diagnosing declining organic traffic tied to LLM-driven search also led Adobe to create a brand-visibility product now offered to customers. Morris emphasizes AI automates repetitive production tasks (variants, resizing, measurement aggregation) but does not replace taste, creativity or strategic storytelling — successful adoption required rethinking processes and sustained training.
US Government Excludes Microsoft from Visa Program
The US government has barred Microsoft from participating in the permanent residency process for foreign workers with H-1B visas, accusing the company of abusing the program. Vice President JD Vance stated that Microsoft laid off 6,000 American employees last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B visa holders. The Department of Labor, led by Keith Sonderling, will not accept new permanent residency applications from Microsoft, as well as several consulting firms and Adobe. This action comes weeks before the midterm elections and reflects the Trump administration's broader criticism of the H-1B program, which it claims disadvantages American workers. Microsoft has not yet responded. The move could impact the tech industry's ability to retain skilled foreign talent.
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