When you think of digital publishing, Sotheby’s might not be the first company that comes to mind. But the auction house has been leveraging digital technology since 2000, when it produced its first PDF-based catalog. And in the past year, it has developed a digital publishing app using Adobe’s Digital Publishing Suite technology to enhance its marketing capabilities and strengthen its brand among its clients.
Sotheby’s holds more than 300 auctions annually and produces a printed catalog for each one that includes photos and descriptions of the items up for sale. Potential bidders can also view the items in person before each auction at an exhibition event.
Sotheby’s designers are now also producing the digital versions of the catalogs by adding interactive features to the existing print editions. Last summer, the company released the Sotheby’s Catalogues app for the iPad so that potential bidders can obtain information about the objects up for auction through features such as videos, 360-degree views, and pinch-and-zoom image capabilities.
The goal is to provide a more immersive experience than that of print, better serve an increasingly mobile audience, and enable people who can’t attend an exhibition in person to examine items of interest in depth. The app has retained valued print-edition features such as the ability bookmark pages and to take notes in the catalog while browsing, without the client having to lug around a weighty physical edition.
Sotheby’s has designed their app so that each item on display is set up as its own article in DPS, thus enabling users to swipe horizontally through the catalog from one item to the next. This format also allows each item to be listed in the app’s table of contents.
Users can also take advantage of DPS’s Favorites capabilities. For example, if a client is a fan of Alexander Calder, they can add related items to their list of favorites and search on that content within the app. The app also delivers auction results in real time.
Learn more about how Sotheby’s use of Adobe’s Digital Publishing Suite in an Adobe case study.
Posted by: Gina Barrett