Adobe has launched its 13th annual Digital Trends report that found leading ANZ brands have prioritised investments in the automation, scale and efficiency of their content creation capabilities to reduce workflow issues and build stronger customer relationships in 2023.
The global survey of more than 9,000 executives, practitioners, and agency employees found almost half (44%) of ANZ marketers feel that workflow issues are holding back their organisations and the ability to create great content, while 45% state a lack of time as a barrier to delivering excellent customer experiences.
Enhancing current and emerging technologies
Nearly two thirds (65%) of ANZ leaders plan to invest in new marketing and data technologies in 2023, while another quarter (15%) plan to maximise the value of existing technologies.
63% of senior brand executives in ANZ report that emphasising immediate needs has come at the cost of longer-term planning and strategy. Globally, brands are looking towards new digital platforms and forms of engagement, where 88% of ANZ senior brand executives are looking into chatbots and AI-driven customer interactions to improve the customer experience.
Investment in the Metaverse is also lagging, as 90% of ANZ executives say they don’t believe it will apply to their organisation compared to 36% globally.
Katrina Troughton, vice president and managing director, Adobe Australia and New Zealand said, “Customer expectations for content-rich, personalised experiences have reached new heights, meaning ANZ businesses need to be more creative to deliver meaningful customer experiences.
“Adobe’s Digital Trends Report shows lack of time is the most significant barrier for ANZ businesses to deliver exceptional content. To address this, business leaders need to prioritise a content supply chain and explore new technologies to automate workflows for a streamlined content lifecycle.”
Content creation
According to the research, 88% of senior ANZ executives say demand for content has significantly increased. Yet despite this seemingly insatiable appetite from customers – who now crave dynamic digital experiences across a growing range of channels – less than a quarter (19%) of brands rate themselves as “good” at creating and delivering content.
Industry leaders are therefore rethinking and streamlining their content supply chains, which cover content campaign planning, creation, delivery, and data analysis.
Efficiency and cost-reduction have become the focus, with 25% of senior ANZ executives say they have already made their content processes more efficient. While 40% of senior executives aim to streamline or automate processes to work more efficiently in 2023.
Workflow as a top priority
Workflow emerges as a top priority with almost half (46%) of ANZ marketing practitioners citing a lack of time to be creative as a barrier to delivering excellent customer experiences.
In addition, less than a quarter (23%) of ANZ practitioners rate their organisations as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ at planning, scoping, prioritising, and assigning content to achieve measurable outcomes, compared to 25% in APAC and 33% globally.
To address this issue, more than one-third (40%) have prioritised streamlining and leveraging AI or automating collaboration processes so their teams can work more efficiently, and 27% of ANZ brands have prioritised building their team’s digital and customer experience skills.
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