Brands invest more in content creation and workflow optimization in 2023

Eighty-nine percent of executives surveyed in the Adobe study say the demand for content has grown significantly. But despite this growing customer demand for dynamic digital experiences across an increasing number of channels, only a minority of brands feel they are truly well positioned to create and deliver content.

In response, leading brands are rethinking, optimizing and accelerating the way they work across the content supply chain, including planning, data analysis, campaign creation and delivery. The focus is primarily on efficiency and cost reduction. More than one in two executives surveyed (62 percent) report that they have already made their content processes more efficient.

"Delivering rich, personalized experiences has never been more important. After all, it's great content that creates a deeper connection with consumers. Content is the key to both short-term sales and long-term loyalty," said Alvaro Del Pozo, vice president of international marketing at Adobe. "At a time when brands need to reach more people through more channels, the abundance of content needed is huge. As a result, the content supply chain has become the linchpin of their entire marketing organization. Executives are therefore quite rightly investing in new ways to breathe new life into their content concepts."

Workflow becomes the top priority

Past efforts to speed up content creation have come at the expense of employees' time and creative freedom. However, nearly half (44 percent) of marketers in the Adobe study say a lack of time for creativity is a key barrier to delivering great customer experiences. What's more:

• Only one-third (33 percent) of marketers rate their company as "good" or "very good" at planning, categorizing, prioritizing and allocating content specifically for measurable results.
• 43 percent of respondents see the content workflow in particular as a key challenge.

To solve this problem and strengthen their content production in 2023, leading brands have put workflow management and digital collaboration at the top of their content teams' agendas:

• Two in five (41 percent) of executives have identified workflow management as a top technology priority in 2023.
• Almost as many (39 percent) focused in particular on streamlining or automating collaboration processes so that their teams can work faster and better.
• 38 percent plan to further improve their use of workflow automation to increase the efficiency of their marketing and customer experience processes.

Improvement of current technologies

As investments in content and creative workflows clearly show, leading companies are making process and technology optimization a top priority to succeed in the current economic climate. Nearly half (48 percent) said in the latest Adobe study that they plan to maximize the value of their existing marketing and data technologies this year.

Some brands' future plans may be compromised due to the economic situation, with 76 percent of agency executives emphasizing that their client:s are focused on short-term metrics and revenue goals. At the same time, 73 percent of senior brand managers report that the focus on immediate needs comes at the expense of longer-term planning and strategy. However, some respondents are already looking further into the future and are already looking at new digital platforms and forms of engagement. Twenty-two percent say their companies are thinking about marketing measures in the metaverse, for example.

The Adobe Digital Trends Report 2023 examines how leading companies are using cutting-edge technologies to help their employees transform their business and connect with their customers. Now in its 13th year, the Digital Trends Report compares industry leaders and laggards to identify the key strategies, technologies and issues brands must focus on to succeed and stand out.

The study is based on an online survey conducted from September to November 2022. The results are based on the responses of 9,247 qualified respondents.