The Adobe/Omniture Merger: What It All Means

It's not often that the geeky world of web analytics gets some sexy news, but that was the case on Sept. 15, when content creation tool provider Adobe Systems announced its intent to acquire Omniture, the web analytics vendor, for $1.8 billion. The goal of the merger, according to Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, is to create a holistic way to develop creative content and measure the value of that content — be it video, web pages, mobile or social media — to “close the loop” in the content creation and content measurement worlds. With optimization capabilities embedded in Adobe's creation tools, designers, developers and online marketers will have an integrated workflow that'll streamline the creation and delivery of content and applications, according to an Adobe press release. The optimization capabilities also will enable advertisers and advertising agencies, publishers, and e-tailers to realize greater ROI from their digital media investments, and improve their end users’ experiences. While mergers happen every day, this one appears to be game-changing, at least according to the myriad of comments from vendors in the space that appeared in my inbox right after the announcement was made. Russ Mann, CEO of Covario, said the merger is "a brilliant strategic move for Adobe, one that could change the rules of the game for digital media — from creation to measurement to monetization." He also offered specific examples about what the Adobe media world would be like. They include the following scenarios: • Video developers and agencies will be able to build Adobe Flash creative with Omniture tracking codes implanted from the beginning, enabling them to track the views of creative across the web. • Web design firms and e-commerce companies can create dynamic landing pages and rich internet ads via Adobe that have tracking and multivariate testing codes via Omniture. These codes will allow marketers to create pages and new forms of user-customized content. • PDFs could be tracked, providing valuable metrics for the creators of such content. Blaine Mathieu, chief marketing officer of Lyris — and former executive at Adobe Systems — said the acquisition demonstrates that the online marketing space is heating up. "While the large enterprises that Adobe and Omniture serve will have the money and experience to understand the ROI of an integrated suite," he said, "we believe this deal will also trigger marketers in midsized businesses to better understand the value of an integrated online marketing tool set.” What do you think it all means? How will it affect your interactive marketing programs and strategy? Let us know by posting a comment here.

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The Adobe/Omniture Merger: What It All Means

Melissa Campanelli

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Melissa Campanelli