Adobe AudienceResearch Delivers Accurate Audience Data for Digital Media Selling

Delivers certified Adobe SiteCatalyst metrics measuring digital audience size and engagement for websites, mobile apps and digital magazines; Sixty digital properties are already using AudienceResearch

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) announced the immediate availability of Adobe® AudienceResearch, a new audience measurement tool that provides publishers and digital marketers with certified metrics on the size and engagement of digital audiences for websites, mobile applications and digital magazine editions. These key metrics are captured by Adobe SiteCatalyst®, an industry leading online analytics application, and provide publishers with the information most critical to attract advertising dollars. AudienceResearch is available at no additional cost to SiteCatalyst customers. In conjunction with AudienceResearch, the company also announced the general availability of the Adobe Audience Certification Program. Under this program, publishers become Adobe Certified Publishers, meaning Adobe has certified that their digital audience data meets certain criteria regarding the accuracy of data collection and reporting. Adobe Certified Publishers can contribute their data to the AudienceResearch tool.

AudienceResearch provides census-based measurement of metrics, meaning that the metrics are generated by counting all relevant traffic, a method considered more accurate and representative of actual traffic and behavior than panel-based methods. Panel-based methods monitor the behavior of a small group of volunteer consumers (i.e. the panel) and then use statistics to generate estimate metrics. The statistically generated results from panel-based estimates often differ significantly from census-based results and have been a point of controversy in the advertising industry. Adobe Certified Publishers can arm their direct sales teams with these certified, census-based metrics, including metrics that have been accredited by the Media Ratings Council, and advertisers can rely on these metrics as they make media planning decisions.

“We count many of the world’s largest publishers as our customers. With this strong customer base and pent-up demand for census-based metrics, we anticipate strong adoption of AudienceResearch,” said Brad Rencher, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Marketing Business Unit, Adobe. “AudienceResearch has the potential to provide the industry with a reliable, cross-channel currency for measuring digital audience size and engagement, bringing greater confidence into the digital advertising planning, buying and selling process.”

Today’s announcement builds on Adobe achieving MRC accreditation for key SiteCatalyst metrics. To achieve accreditation, Adobe has put in place innovative methods of auditing site implementations of SiteCatalyst as well as cleansing and certifying raw site traffic, giving advertisers and publishers the most accurate view of digital audience metrics. Additionally, publishers using the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to create digital magazine editions for tablet devices may elect to have their metrics automatically certified as analytics is natively built into the Digital Publishing Suite. This native integration ensures the integrity of data collection.

Become an Adobe Certified Publisher

Publishers currently using Adobe SiteCatalyst can become an Adobe Certified Publisher, which assures advertisers that the certified digital audience size and engagement metrics provided by the Adobe Certified Publisher have met certain requirements for data collection integrity and reporting accuracy. Adobe Certified Publishers can contribute these key metrics to AudienceResearch. Participation in the Adobe Audience Certification Program is complimentary for existing SiteCatalyst customers. To participate, contact an Adobe account manager.

Publisher Support for Census-based Measurement via AudienceResearch

Chris Reynolds, executive director of analytics, Condé Nast

“Condé Nast is leading the market by taking our world-class brands into the new digital age using the insights garnered from our long-standing relationship with Adobe SiteCatalyst and the technology from Adobe Digital Publishing Suite. We’re excited to see Adobe bringing together the content creation and delivery workflows with measurement and monetization solutions that will help us highlight the value of our brands to our advertising partners.”

Kim Vignola, vice president, research & analytics, E! & G4, NBC Universal

“Many online publishers feel that their traffic is underrepresented in panel-based services. The Adobe AudienceResearch tool is enabling advertisers to have confidence in the internal data that we know to be stable and accurate. The set-up is quick, and minimal traffic was filtered out through the accreditation process.”

Heather Idema, corporate research director, Bonnier Corporation

“As the digital landscape continues to rapidly advance, consumer’s expectations are revolutionizing the way publishers supply the demand for quality content. Publishers and media buyers are constantly seeking measurement solutions that provide our digital mediums with an ‘apples to apples’ comparison that is credible and simplifies audience measurement. The certification of Adobe’s syndicated platform offers us a stage to help better represent our digital venues, ultimately opening the flood gates to more business.”

Ryan Whittington, senior vice president, digital revenue at The Business Journals

“With the rapid increase in the consumption of digital content across mediums and on many devices, publishers face the difficult challenges of providing a unified view of the audience. We need content and measurement solutions that meet the needs of the audience however they choose to consume, which is why we’re excited to see Adobe stepping up to the challenge of simplifying digital audience measurement..”

About the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite

The Adobe Digital Marketing Suite, powered by Omniture®, offers an integrated and open platform for online business optimization, a strategy for using customer insight to drive innovation throughout the business and enhance marketing efficiency. The Suite consists of integrated applications to collect and unleash the power of customer insight to optimize customer acquisition, conversion and retention efforts as well as the creation and distribution of content. For example, using the Suite, marketers can identify the most effective marketing strategies and ad placements as well as create relevant, personalized and consistent customer experiences across digital marketing channels, such as onsite, display, e-mail, social, video and mobile. The Suite enables marketers to make quick adjustments, automate certain customer interactions and better maximize marketing ROI, which, ultimately, can positively impact the bottom line.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.