The answer to averting brand confusion or not being able to find an image of an event you hosted, for use in an annual report, or an image for the corporate ad or a host of other vital applications, is found in a centralised cloud-based repository called digital asset management or DAM.
DAM, sometimes referred to as brand or marketing asset management, describes the process, policies and software an organisation uses to manage it digital assets such as images and brand material.
The concept has been around since the early nineties. The primary use at the time was to scan and store documents and images. However, as the digital era grew, so did the need to find a simple yet secure system to store, retrieve and share the right information. Swiss-based Picturepark was launched in 1997 and was the first cloud-based DAM solution. One of its first clients was a well-known Swiss based watchmaker (who incidentally remains a client) that required a place to store thousands of watch images.
Since then, the company has expanded its operations to cover most corners of the globe and in South Africa, has partnered with Brandpark, under the guidance of CEO Mnive Nhlabathi to assist the African continent in better managing its digital assets.
While South Africa already has a number of large corporations that have reaped the benefits of integrated DAM systems, DAM has been particularly effective for a number of companies that are spreading their corporate wings into Africa.
“South Africa and Africa as a whole continue to be an attractive proposition for multinationals looking for new and emerging markets. With successful merger or acquisition of the asset, comes the need for corporates and their marketing agencies to converge and centralise their marketing collateral so it can be deployed in various markets and adapted for local use,” explained Nhlabathi.
“A DAM system that allows for uploading files into a central repository and tagging them with descriptive metadata, is no longer a luxury but a necessity.”
However, DAM is not reserved solely for the multinationals and advertising agencies. Other organisations that could well benefit from the implementation of a DAM system are libraries, tertiary institutions, banks, estate agency groups and more.
It is not all about safe storage, ease and safety of distribution; there are also time and cost savings, that allow users to reap full ROI on their investment in brand and marketing assets. These include:
• Increased productivity
• Data storage cost savings
• Bandwidth cost savings
• Managed copyright risks
• Analytics on usage
Brands, agencies, corporations and institutions with multiple departments etc, should indeed care who, what and how their brand is being handled.
