Brand assets getting lost among the clutter. No version control to speak of. Time wasted sharing large files via apps. The wrong logo used in a critical campaign. These issues have plagued marketers and creative teams for far too long.
Your assets are the face of your brand; your unique signature that has the power to connect intimately with your audience. So how do you achieve ultimate brand consistency to ensure your brand thrives?
The short answer is DAM
Today brands and ad agencies are moving towards a more advanced way of managing their assets with digital asset management (DAM). DAM enables users to securely store all their logos, brand guidelines, artwork, images, and other media files in a central online platform. The real beauty of DAM is that you can centralise and organise your assets with complete ease. With an intuitive search function, files can be located in no time at all and shared without the hassle of using a file sharing platform. You can also decide who gets to access your most precious assets. With remote login, approved global teams always have access to all current files.
DAM features that make your digital assets look good
One of the challenges of managing digital assets from a server is that old assets often get confused with current files. If this this type of error is missed in the approval process, you might end up with a marketing compliance issue.
Here are some DAM features that ensure your brand is always consistent and compelling in the public eye.
On Brand
Marketing asset management (MAM)
Secure storage for your brand assets and guidelines in one central repository. Users can have complete version control by storing only the most current assets to avoid marketing compliance issues. Share marketing assets with stakeholders in any time zone in just a few clicks.
Usage Rights
Safeguard assets such as images with a Usage Rights feature. Users can create perimeters around usage restrictions to ensure that copyright restrictions aren’t breached. The system sends out an automated reminder when an image is about to expire.
Create Access Levels
Your digital assets are important, so you need to manage who can access and use them. DAM allows you to set permission and access levels to act as a gatekeeper to your assets.
Audit Trail of Digital Assets
To ensure your assets are being accessed by the right users for the right campaigns, you can access a download history which provides an audit trail of who is downloading your assets.
Campaign Consistency
Store approved ad files
Once your design team has finalised approved artwork, it can be saved in your DAM. Files can be accessed remotely if required because the software is cloud-based. They can also be shared with other approved users quickly and easily. Unlimited storage means you don’t have to worry about running out of space.
Re-run or localise a campaign
Locate an artwork file, make a few changes and send it for approval to re-run a campaign. Remote access means that branches in different countries can access and update files to suit their local market.
User-friendly Tools
Locate files quickly & easily
Simply add keywords and tags to your digital assets so that the intuitive search function can locate them in just seconds.
Convert files to any format
A transcoding functionality enables anyone – which means you don’t need to be a designer – to easily convert images or files to any size or format that is required.
Top DAM benefits
- All digital assets stored in the one central platform. No more having to trawl through the server, hard drives or email inboxes to locate current assets.
- Only the most current versions are stored in DAM. Once logos, guidelines or media files are updated, they’re uploaded to the software and the old ones can be deleted immediately.
- Approve who you want to access your brand files. You can create different levels of access, from ready only to fully approved access.
- A powerful search function enables you to locate the exact asset you’re looking for in just seconds. Saves time and reduces stress!
- File sharing is simple and easy. Simply load your assets into the cart and send to your design team – anywhere in the world if required. Do away with having to send a string of emails to send large files or using a file sharing platform.
- The system is backed up 24/7 and hosted offsite. DAM is keeping your assets safe and secure even while you’re sleeping.
- Failsafe storage. Eliminates the issue of accidentally deleting or altering your digital assets which can occur when saving them on a server.
- DAM is cloud-based software. Enables approved users to login remotely to access the digital asset library.
- Preserve your brand’s reputation with consistency across the board. Eliminates style creep and the wrong assets being used in your marketing campaigns.
No DAM should ever standalone. Why integration is critical
Today, some marketing teams are juggling up to eight different tools or more in order to manage and track their campaigns. And while automated solutions have the capacity to increase productivity and maximise your resources, constantly switching between tools will eventually take time away from priority work. And prove incredibly frustrating.
This is why software buyers are turning to integrated software to produce marketing work. For example, project management software with inbuilt DAM enables you to manage and track the whole production process eliminating the need for a standalone DAM. It also has other powerful modules integrated into the system which streamline project management, the briefing process, approval workflow and resourcing.
Other modules of project management software
1. Project Management
- Manage all files from a shared workspace
- View projects in realtime on one screen
- Create accurate briefs with customised templates
- Track & monitor marketing work with an automatic audit trail
2. Approval Workflow
- View a summary of all approvals on the go
- Create approval pathways to suit any unique approval process
- Check off important items with Approval Checklists for failsafe approvals
- Markup a range of files & compare versions with online proofing tools
3. Resource Management
- Customise templates to allocate the right tasks to the right resources
- Assign and re-assign tasks with a simple drag n’ drop function
- View a Dashboard of your department’s current workload
- Track resource time with an inbuilt task timer
Unbeatable benefits of project management software with inbuilt DAM
- A whole solution for managing your marketing projects
- No more interchanging between tools which saves time and energy – and ultimately money!
- Project files and digital assets are stored in the same software centralising your marketing work for greater ease
- Using only the most current brand assets simplifies the review process
- Keeps Legal and Compliance happy!
- Remote access to project artwork and assets for global teams and marketers on the go
- Improves marketing compliance
- Increases productivity and speed to market
- Tracks all of your projects and assets with an audit trail of work
- Cheaper to purchase a comprehensive solution rather than 4 standalone tools
RECOMMENDED READING
Why standalone DAM software is outdated and integration is the future