Adobe’s annual MAX conference is a global celebration of creativity comprising 350+ sessions, hundreds of inspiring speakers and updates on the latest Adobe software releases. So one of the creative community’s biggest events going 100% digital for the first time was a big deal. While that might normally have been a drag, it meant the event – typically a cost-prohibitive $1,500+ ticket – was free, fitting given the brand’s positioning: “Creativity for All.”

At a time when the world was facing major challenges from the pandemic, the global creative community was suffering as many faced varying degrees of isolation and economic uncertainty.

Adobe wanted to drive attendance, and set a goal of 400K registrations and 1M event site visitors during the conference. The secondary goal was to engage and inspire creatives, measured by engagement on social platforms.

Adobe created a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the creative community based on a simple idea: if we want creativity FOR all, we need creativity FROM all.

Creativity is essential to human existence, especially during crisis, and we saw the opportunity for Adobe to unite creators during a tumultuous time — turning their mission of “Creativity for All” into a promise to the creative community.

This wasn’t just about attending a digital conference; Adobe would use its platform to enact positive change in the creative community. It was about removing barriers, giving back and making a difference in the lives of creators – because the greatest thing we can offer ?the creativity community is opportunity.

We saw the isolation and economic uncertainty creators were facing, and used Adobe MAX to give creators paying jobs, recognition and, most importantly, an opportunity to be creative again.

As we dug into who our audience segments are, we realized they struggle in different ways. We considered...

- Freelancers, many of whom were ?struggling to find ?the next gig.

- Students who were worried about the future.

- Small business owners who were struggling to get back on track.

They didn’t need engaging content or product updates. They needed help.

To engage the creative community and invite them to the first-ever digital MAX event, we had to demonstrate how Adobe was using the event to make a difference in the community.

Our strategy was to create opportunity for all.

MAX became more than just an event, but our brand promise to the community to bring creativity to all.

CoCreate offered dozens of paid jobs to creators who built the first fully digital iteration of the MAX conference. Recruiting, selecting, hiring, and working with 57 artists from around the world was a complex process.

First, we found the creators. We kicked off by posting the positions to Adobe’s careers page and inviting people to apply via Adobe’s social channels. 1,900+ creators applied.

Second, we reviewed all applications and ensured the talent lived up to our standards for diverse creative thinkers.

Next, creators were offered a role and compensation, plus a creative brief. Once creators accepted, they began the creative process, designing elements to bring the conference to life, including promotional assets, t-shirts, digital event coloring books, downloadable art and website assets.

Adobe used the assets to invite the larger creative community to Adobe MAX, crediting the artists. The final output included 150+ unique pieces of creative.

Adobe lived up to its commitment to cultivate creativity for all: We received 1,944 applications from 90 countries, and ultimately selected 57 creatives from around the world. 150+ pieces of art for Adobe generated the result creators wanted most: collective compensation of $220K for their work.

Beyond lifting up the community, the all-digital Adobe MAX drew more attendees than ever before, far exceeding the campaign goals: 630K+ people registered and more than 2.5M people visited the site during the event.

In summary:

1,944 creatives applied

57 artists selected

$220K invested in the creative community

150 pieces of art

630K attendees registered (57% over goal)

2.5M visits during the virtual event (150% over goal)

106M+ social interactions, exceeding engagement KPI by 265%

Following this innovation, Adobe is evolving the program to support small businesses impacted by the pandemic, with a focus on Black- and female-owned businesses.