Fast & Furious Web site Powered by Adobe Solutions Helps Universal Pictures Lead Weekend Box Office

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that the online campaign for Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious, created with Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 software, helped drive ticket sales. According to Universal Pictures, record breaking traffic on the Fast & Furious Web site contributed to the movie reaching the top position at the box office in its opening weekend at $70.9 million. Fans who bought tickets online from the movie’s Web site received a free song download from iTunes.

Universal Pictures hired The Visionaire Group to design and execute the powerful campaign that gives fans an emotional connection to the movie, promotes ticket sales, and enables fans to purchase limited edition DVDs. Using Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium software and the Adobe Flash® Platform, The Visionaire Group created the online campaign in half the expected development time.

Rich-media engagement

The agency created a multi-faceted campaign that capitalized on the return of the star-studded cast from the original film The Fast and the Furious. The campaign used video, motion graphics and 3-D to deliver an online experience that appealed to hard-core fans, as well as those new to the franchise.

To spark the enthusiasm of the early awareness audience of young car enthusiasts, the campaign incorporated a fun and engaging Web site, rich-media advertisements, a downloadable desktop widget, a custom iPhone Web site and more.

Time Saving Features

• Saved 25% of the Web site development time using the 3-D transformation capabilities in Adobe Flash CS4 Professional
  • Enabled developers to more easily control 3-D objects from within the user interface
  • Instead of coding, developers used the transform and rotation tools to animate 3-D objects on the timeline, which helped speed the understanding of how the navigation was being structured
  • Instant z-depth and rotation also simplified the positioning of objects

• Saved around five minutes for each video encoded on the Web site using the Adobe Media Encoder in Adobe Flash CS4 Professional
  • Helped automate the process of creating multiple encoded versions of content
  • Improved video quality
  • Offered site visitors multiple videos, including trailers, TV spots, featurettes and transitional video between the various parts of the Web site, to get them excited for the movie release

• Completed the iPhone Web site in just two weeks using Adobe Dreamweaver® CS4
  • Took advantage of the Code Navigator, which automatically directed developers to the corresponding line number, enabling them to quickly correct it
  • Used the Related Files function to open the index.html page and have all of the pages it was linked to, such as the JavaScript files and CSS pages, automatically open

• Leveraged development across multiple touch points using the Adobe Flash Platform
  • Brought the Web site’s 3-D features to life using Adobe Flash Player 10
  • Delivered interactive content and high-quality video to users across multiple browsers and all major operating systems with Adobe Flash Player 10
  • Let fans access the latest information from their desktop or social network profile using a GPS desktop widget powered by Adobe AIR®

About Creative Suite 4

Launched in September 2008, Creative Suite 4 is a milestone release of industry-leading design and development software for virtually every creative workflow. Delivering radical workflow breakthroughs and packed with hundreds of feature innovations — the new Creative Suite 4 product line advances the creative process across print, Web, mobile, interactive, film and video production.

Adobe’s biggest software release to date includes Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design editions, Creative Suite 4 Web editions, Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, Creative Suite 4 Master Collection, as well as 13 point products, 14 integrated technologies and seven services.

Benchmarking results from an independent research study conducted by Pfeiffer Consulting and commissioned by Adobe shows that features in Adobe Creative Suite 4 software, including the Web Premium edition, can dramatically increase productivity, efficiency and return on investment. The report includes several ways Creative Suite 4 Web Premium software saves times and money.

Quotes

JP Richards, vice president digital marketing, Universal Pictures

• “Our goal on Fast & Furious was to develop the most compelling creative content and Adobe Creative Suite 4 delivered way beyond my expectations, while doing it in half the development time.”
• “It is important that we reach many people quickly and effectively through multiple touch points and the Adobe Flash Platform and Adobe Creative Suite 4 ensure that our engagement goals are accomplished, while giving them the best creative!”

Jeff Lin, founder and president, The Visionaire Group

• “The 3-D transformation features in Adobe Flash CS4 Professional cut the Web site development time by 25%, effectively shaving days off our tight development timeline.”
• “Video is a crucial part of the Fast & Furious Web site and the Adobe Media Encoder in Adobe Flash CS4 Professional saved around five minutes for each video we encoded.”
• “Developing the iPhone Web site using Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 saved our developers at least a day of work, which on this project was a huge advantage.”

Pricing and Availability

Adobe Creative Suite 4 is available through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store. For more information on affordable volume licensing options, please visit http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/openoptions/.

Estimated street price for:

• Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium is US$1799
• Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium is US$1699
• Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium is US$1699
• Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection is US$2499
• Until April 30, 2009, Adobe is offering upgrades on Creative Suite 4 Design, Web, and Production Premium versions for the CS3 upgrade price. Limitations apply. Learn more about the CS4 introductory offer.

Helpful links

Fast & Furious Web site

Fast & Furious success story on Adobe.com

Universal Pictures Web site

The Visionaire Group Web site

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium Product Page

Adobe Creative Suite 4: Market Perspectives, Productivity and Return on Investment study

Creative Suite 4 Press kit

Adobe TV Everyday Timesavers: Design

Adobe TV Everyday Timesavers: Web

Adobe TV Everyday Timesavers: Video

Adobe TV Everyday Timesavers: Photography

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

© 2009 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Adobe, the Adobe logo, AIR, Creative Suite, Dreamweaver, and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners in the United States and/or other countries. Prices listed are the Adobe direct store prices; reseller prices may vary. Prices do not include tax or shipping and handling.