Content is king, if you can track it.
Up until… this week, a large disconnect has existed between web-based content creation and content measurement. That chasm may have narrowed significantly since Adobe announced its purchase of Omniture – the online marketing, web analytics (and data collection) company.
Adobe has taken a significant step in moving beyond it’s digital content creation roots into what may turn out to be a much, much larger business. Network and cable television are closed systems. The Internet is an open system. The first company to establish smart, economical and trusted methods of tracking and monetizing any and all types of content on the Internet could become the new platform for web content delivery - that’s a very big deal.
Flash comes as close to ubiquity as it gets on the web (however, Google and Apple continue to shut Adobe out on their own respective ’mobile web’ platforms). Imagine if every flash player also tracked and reported usage, supported trusted digital watermarking processes, facilitated micro payments and helped to connect the social media and viral distribution dots. Adobe is trusted – especially by the creative and development community so it would be comparatively easier for them to set the standards and to ultimately evolve into becoming ’the platform.’
This acquisition could also be seen as a defensive move as Adobe will be under some pressure to add more value to flash because the implementation of the new HTML5 standard (whenever that happens) will include video tags which don’t require a video player plug-in.
The holy grail of marketing has been to find a way to track the results of your marketing program. Adobe has made a very strategic move in purchasing Omniture. Content developers and their customers should look forward to implementing new ‘commerce modules’ with future Adobe product releases.
