According to Adobe, that's not true. A company spokesperson says that the company's "marketing team is fully intact and is actually hiring at this time."

So much for that rumor--but something's definitely going on: Two years ago, then-Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen delivered a keynote address at the On Demand Conference and Exposition. Last year, the company showed up in force at the show, both exhibiting and presenting. But last month, Adobe was neither a sponsor nor an exhibitor for the 2008 version.

For the last several years Adobe has also unfurled its sponsorship banners at the Aquent Cre8 Summit/Adobe Acrobat & PDF Conference and sent respected Acrobat and PDF heavyweights such as principal scientist Dov Isaacs, Acrobat group product manager Rick Brown, and evangelist Leonard Rosenthol to speak. This year, however, Adobe declined direct involvement.

In fact, when our friends at PlanetPDF inadvertently announced that Adobe would be involved in the 2008 show, Lori DeFurio of Adobe's Knowledge Worker Solutions Group slapped them on the wrist. Microsoft, when it realized Adobe had given up its influential foothold on this show, quickly swooped in and purchased "gold sponsorship," taking the opportunity to showcase technologies competing directly with Adobe's.

While Adobe remains listed as a gold sponsor on the BFMA (Business Forms Management Association) International Symposium slated for Las Vegas in a little more than a week, sources on the program for the show say that Adobe has not yet paid its fees and has informed the association that it will not do so.

Adobe's relationship with the business-process-oriented BFMA over the years was likely an important component of Acrobat and PDF's widespread adoption in government and enterprise. Among other benefits, analysts point to publicity and support from BFMA as a significant contributor to the success of Adobe's LiveCycle PDF forms servers.

The BFMA will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year; insiders say that Adobe will not be offered its traditional seat on the "E-Forms Panel," a popular event among attendees where audience members pelt vendors with tough questions about their products. At this event, vendors can earn credibility among high-rolling decision-makers in the government, corporate, and educational worlds.

For its part, Adobe says it's shifting some of its marketing efforts to online outlets instead of trade shows.

"As part of our overall marketing mix, we're constantly evaluating a wide range of opportunities--from traditional events to online forums," the spokesperson says. "Of late, our own research has revealed that focusing more of our marketing efforts online presents a unique opportunity to better achieve our marketing objectives. We will continue to selectively support industry conferences, as they provide a valuable opportunity to participate in meaningful dialogue with partners and customers."

That last part might explain Adobe showing up at Aquent's upstart competitor Mogo Media's Conference for Acrobat two months ago in Miami Beach, not only sponsoring but dispatching Isaacs and Rosenthol to give presentations.

Whatever the business reasons, the abrupt change in philosophy has left Microsoft in a good position to exploit mindshare out there in the conference-sphere, where purchasing decisions are made. At least for the first half of 2008, until the rush of publicity that invariably will come with a new Acrobat, whenever that arrives.