Adobe is synonymous with creative professionals, dominating the market for decades with tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator. But as the demand for simpler, more accessible solutions surges, the company finds itself in unfamiliar territory: taking on the likes of Canva. At Web Summit, The Drum gets the inside track on its strategic shift.
“It’s not what people expect from Adobe,” says SVP Claire Darley, acknowledging the brand’s historic position as a premium, pro-level solution. But Adobe Express marks a deliberate pivot, aiming to win over a new audience: solopreneurs, small businesses, and non-design professionals. “We’ve taken the best of Adobe – Photoshop, Firefly, PDFs – and reimagined it for a broader audience,” she explained. The goal? To create an on-ramp into Adobe’s ecosystem for users who may have never considered the brand before.
Repositioning Adobe: from specialist to accessible
This pivot is a bold departure from Adobe’s traditional positioning. For years, Adobe tools have been …