``Adobe'' as an option for social DX issues--Ask new president Kamiya

Adobe has been a leader in creative tools for many years, with a focus on Photoshop and Illustrator, but in recent years it has also made a name for itself in the marketing field, and the marketing solution "Adobe Experience Cloud" has been adopted by major companies in Japan and overseas. move on. In addition, the document solution field is also doing well, with the electronic signature service “Adobe Sign” attracting attention in response to the trend of removing the hanko due to the corona sickness.

The market environment can be said to be a "tailwind" for Adobe. After joining Adobe in 2014, Mr. Kamiya led Adobe's own digital transformation by leading the development of the media business in Japan, which had shifted to a subscription model, such as "Adobe Creative Cloud" and "Adobe Document Cloud." A person.

Mr. Kamiya upholds "mind, dance, digital" as the vision of the new Adobe Japan corporation. This is the four elements of "Digitalize" that advances the paperless revolution, "Delight" that creates experiences from data, "Amaze" that harnesses the power of creativity, and "Foster" that raises the resolution to the next digital, Creative Cloud, Document Cloud. , Experience Cloud 3 products will be multiplied to provide Adobe's unique DX conversion. We asked Mr. Kamiya how the new president will lead Adobe.

“If there were no Japanese customers, there would be no Adobe today.”

--Please tell us why you became president at this time.

Actually, I have been preparing for my appointment as president for three years. The management of Adobe in the United States also said that they needed a Japanese leader in order to do business in Japan. Considering the personal circumstances of the former President and Representative Director, Mr. Jim MacRidy, he was appointed at this timing.

I think the reason I was selected was because I was highly evaluated for successfully transforming into a subscription model in Japan, including Creative Cloud. Adobe in Japan is one of the regions that can report directly to the Adobe headquarters, and I believe that we have also communicated directly with the US headquarters.

-Is the Japanese market unique from Adobe's point of view?

Japan is the exact opposite of the US market, including language. Many foreign companies believe that success in Japan will lead to success in other Asian markets. It is also an important indicator for expanding the market in regions such as the EU. In addition, Japan is the second largest market after the United States, and Adobe's executives are also very attached to it. In fact, Adobe's first customer was Canon, and Morisawa was Adobe's first "PostScript" distributor. One of the founders, Charles Geschke, always said, "Without Japanese customers, there would be no Adobe today." Japan is also an important position for management.

――The subscription model that Mr. Kamiya has been leading, please tell us about the latest situation in the Japanese market.

In the professional world, issues have arisen in production, such as photographers being unable to shoot due to the corona crisis, and studios being unable to be used. Creative Cloud's "Adobe Stock" has a mechanism to monetize the work you have shot so far by posting your work as a contributor. I think some people took on challenges and expanded their skills.

In addition, the way of working as a side job has increased due to the corona wreck. There are many people who used to be designers and left their jobs due to family reasons, but now that they have a good network, they want to try again, or they want to try it for the first time. The number of users is increasing rather than decreasing. Furthermore, I feel that the in-house production of videos has greatly accelerated as more companies communicate with stakeholders through video content such as SNS, YouTube, and their own websites. Even at Adobe, we hold seminars on in-house production on a regular basis, but every time it's overcrowded. 2021 will be the 7th year, but I've never seen so many people come before.

Document Cloud has seen a tremendous increase in inquiries about Adobe Sign over the past year. Mr. Taro Kono, Minister of State for Administrative Reform, made a statement about removing stamps, but behind the scenes, the deregulation of contracts has progressed considerably, and the market has expanded significantly as digital instead of paper has become better. We believe that the market has grown due to the inevitable need that remote work cannot be done without digital approval of paper documents. E-signatures are common, especially for large companies, when dealing with domestic as well as international customers and vendors. In a good sense, I think I was able to get used to it.

――In the midst of such market changes, what areas will Adobe focus on in the future?

There are three. One is paperless. Every company has to face how to reduce paper from now on. Second, there is too much content. In a world where users will leave unless you create attractive content, it is important to manage a large amount of content and deliver content that is properly tailored to each customer more quickly. This is where Adobe has the strength as they have the tools to create and distribute content.

The third point is EC. Adobe has an e-commerce transaction solution called Adobe Commerce, but the same applies to subscriptions, and the e-commerce world is accelerating. We are receiving more and more inquiries that want to increase the proportion of EC or globalize EC. Japan is one of the countries where distribution and retail accounted for a large proportion, but the EC market will grow further. The other day, I had a meeting with a small and medium-sized company in Osaka that makes screws and DIY tools. Regardless of industry, this trend is coming.

――Are there any points to focus on in relation to Creative Cloud?

Creative Cloud has a mission of "Creativity for All: Creating a society where everyone can be creative". I would like Japanese creators to go abroad more, but by using the social platform "Behance" operated by Adobe, where creators from all over the world publish their works, Japanese designers will be able to work overseas. You will be able to get Also, it is important for young people to be more and more creative and interested in creativity. We are receiving more and more inquiries from schools wanting to use Creative Cloud in their classes, such as those who want to use it for club activities such as poster making and photography clubs, and for research. I think that PCs will be distributed to more elementary, middle and high school students at GIGA schools, etc., but I would like to create an environment where they can properly access our tools.

On the other hand, it is also true that there are not enough teachers to teach. We have an online community site called "Adobe Education Exchange," which is registered by one million educators around the world. We are also doing popularization activities so that more and more people can participate and improve their skills.

Aiming to be a presence that people think of when they think of DX

--- DX is in demand, and I think it's a tailwind for Adobe, but Mr. Kamiya Where would you like Adobe to change?

At the time of his appointment, he announced a new vision, "Mind, Dance, Digital." Adobe has two large business units, Digital Media and Digital Experience, but this will become a single team to provide the best solutions for our customers. This has been the challenge up until now, and I started working on it immediately after I took office. It's quite difficult to put the organization together, but I'm the only one who can put it between the two businesses, so I'm creating an environment where we can properly accelerate communication with each other.

Actually, the vision of "mind, dance, digital" is not what I thought of. Through various in-house surveys and workshops, we spent a considerable amount of time figuring out what kind of company we wanted Adobe to be in Japan. This kind of effort has never been done before.

There are many DX issues in the world, such as wanting to eliminate paper and wanting to go EC. Therefore, we wonder if customers will associate Adobe with us when they think they have a problem with DX. Now, honestly, most people think of us as a PDF company. This shows that Adobe has a very strong brand and has targeted such users, but Adobe is still not associated with major social issues. This is a very important element of this initiative, and it can be delivered to customers by combining the four elements (Digitalize, Delight, Amaze, Foster) that are most sought after in DX and the three cloud powers of Adobe. I think it's an area.

――What do you need to make people think of Adobe when they think of DX?

One is the ecosystem. Adobe has grown together with many different customers. We ask our customers to tell us how they use Adobe. Another is partner business. Each major partner is investing heavily in content velocity, how to effectively reach customers using content data. It has already started in the United States, but there is a need to bring best practices to Japan. The more partners choose Adobe as a key component of their DX solution, the better the client's image will be.

"Avoiding Adobe" is not happening

――To change the topic a little, I think Japan is a country with a large number of enthusiastic users of Creative Cloud. On the other hand, I personally feel that the number of users who are trying to realize their own creativity without using Adobe products such as the Affinity series and DaVinci Resolve is increasing. I think it's proof that the number of creative-related users is increasing, but what do you think, Mr. Kamiya?

I don't think there will be a "moving away from Adobe". I don't think there are many cases where existing users go to other products, such as buying additional apps, and stop using Adobe. Rather the challenge is new users. For students who have never used Premiere Pro before, I think it would be difficult because the UI is like an airplane cockpit. It is the best tool for professionals, but we also recognize that it is a high hurdle for beginners.

I am aware that there are free versions of software such as DaVinci Resolve. As a business policy of our company, we will continue to properly expand mobile applications and make them easier to use. We have online tutorials for those who want to try Premiere Pro, etc., but we would like to increase the content and make it easier.

--Adobe releases big updates every year, incorporating a variety of new features. On the other hand, we hear from creators that they want an update that improves stability rather than developing new features, and there are also users around us who say, "I reverted to the old version because the new version is unstable." I think it's important to increase the number of new users, but are you considering measures to provide better support for existing users?

One solution is the Adobe forums. Customers vote on the issues they have, and engineers fix the ones with the most votes. In fact, outside the United States, only Japan has an engineering team responsible for quality assurance. Although it cannot be said that we can respond to all bugs caused by the hardware environment, we have a system in place to quickly fix bugs that are unique to Japan as much as possible in Japan.

So, I would like Japanese users to enter (to the forum) more and more and post more and more. Of course, we also receive inquiries on social media and directly, so we analyze each one and deliver it to the head office.

-So, taking advantage of the Adobe community is the key to a solution.

Premiere Pro also has a user group on Facebook to share various information. One way is to get involved.

There are hundreds of thousands or millions of users, so it would be nice if we could hear everything, but that is not possible. As much as possible, we would like users to interact with each other, and we will also properly respond to the community and solve problems. This is Adobe's strength.

――Finally, what is your long-term goal as CEO?

It is to realize "mind, dance, digital" in society. The purpose of this strategy is to integrate Adobe's technology, ecosystem, and human resources to promote DX in the Japanese market.