Adobe Partners with NORAD to Help Track Santa Claus and Spread Holiday Cheer
Adobe and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) have teamed up this holiday season to make it a little easier for children around the world to track Santa’s whereabouts on Christmas Eve. NORAD is using Adobe’s mobile application and analytics software to deliver and update the “NORAD Tracks Santa” app — spreading holiday cheer around the world.
The app is one of the latest expansions of technology being implemented to carry on a tradition that has delighted generations of families. For more than six decades, NORAD and its predecessor have provided real-time updates of Santa’s location to children. The tradition started in 1955 when a Sears advertisement in a local Colorado Springs newspaper encouraged children to call Santa. However, the number in the ad incorrectly directed children to the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. Colonel Harry Shoup supposedly instructed his staff to give the current location of Santa Claus to all children who called in that night. Thus began the tradition, which NORAD has continued, ever since its creation in 1958.
In just two and a half weeks since launching the Adobe mobile, NORAD Tracks Santa app, more than 70,000 people have downloaded the app from the Apple and Google Play stores. On Christmas Eve, that number is expected to spike as children around the world watch Santa make preparations for his flight. Insights like these are critical as more and more people turn to their mobile devices and apps for everything from shopping to tracking Santa Claus.
For the first time in history last month, more users around the world accessed the internet from mobile devices than from desktop computers, according to data released by StatCounter. This rise of mobile technology has also changed the way the public interacts with government. For government organizations like NORAD, it is becoming more and more important to improve digital experiences for citizens – especially when it comes to mobile applications. Adobe’s Mobile tools and solutions are increasingly sought by both public and commercial organizations to deliver compelling, personal, and useful experiences that are available everywhere or anytime.
Citizens expect real-time online and mobile encounters with agencies and they want apps to understand and even anticipate their needs. Directly linked to this pace of advancement in technology, Adobe believes consumer’s expectations for digital experiences will double every year. Mobile users are becoming less tolerant of simple, static apps and lackluster mobile versions of websites. As a result, Adobe was honored to have the opportunity to join forces with NORAD to use a little technology magic, some goodwill, and a helping of holiday cheer, to provide mobile technology for a fun and festive cause.
With the power of Adobe, agencies can learn to communicate more effectively with citizens, provide improved digital experiences, or even help track Jolly Old Santa Claus.
Related Links:
Official NORAD Santa Tracker Site