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Adobe updates Experience Manager with smart video features

Video channels are emerging as a key way to reach younger generations, Adobe's annual consumer content survey shows.
Written by Stephanie Condon, Senior Writer
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As consumers collect more devices and interact with brands in different ways, having a multi-channel presence is a must, new survey data from Adobe shows. Video channels are especially important for reaching younger generations. With that in mind, Adobe is rolling out the latest version of Experience Manager, its content management system, with new AI-powered video features.

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In version 6.5, Experience Manager's Smart Tags extend to video. The feature uses Adobe Sensei, Adobe's AI and machine learning engine, to label videos with tags that correspond to actions, attributes or objects.

The updated version also offers Smart Cropping for video, so that content creators can ensure their content is optimized for different screens. For instance, as the image above shows, a video of a boat on the water could be cropped more closely for a mobile phone.

Loni Stark, senior director of strategy & product marketing for Adobe Experience Manager, told ZDNet that Adobe offers the only content management system with smart video tagging and smart video cropping.

The updates were informed, she said, by Adobe's annual consumer content survey of 1,000 US consumers. More than half of consumers surveyed said they're willing to stay on a brand's channel if it includes video content. That number climbed to 65 percent among millennials and 76 percent among Generation Z.

"Consumers' expectations for video, and being able to watch them quickly and have a great experience, has increased," Stark said.

Moreover, consumers are likely to watch videos on a range of different devices. Compared to just a year ago, the number of millennials with four or more devices has increased by 130 percent. About half of consumers -- including 66 percent of Gen Z and 73 percent of millennials -- say they use two devices at the same time constantly or frequently. When it comes to making purchases, the younger generations say video channels and social media very important for researching products and post-purchase interactions.


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The updated version of Experience Manager also includes new features that make it easier to share different pieces of content across channels and with different teams. For instance, with the new brand portal, a company -- let's say a beauty brand -- could quickly share approved images of its latest product with all of the retailers that sell it. Adobe is also bringing the Asset Link feature into general availability -- this lets creatives find, edit and reuse digital assets that reside in Experience Manager Assets directly within Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC and InDesign CC.

Digital signage is another growing channel, so the latest version of Experience Manager lets marketers integrate their signage with Adobe Analytics. This can help marketers tailor in-store campaigns with relevant information.

There are also updates to Experience Manager for IT teams. For instance, the system now offers autoscaling to automatically add capacity during high user traffic. 

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