Digital Asset Management

Transcription

1 Five good reasons to implement Digital Asset Management The benefits of a digital asset management system are many and certainly more than the five areas mentioned in this white paper. A DAM system can make an organization streamlined and standardized, and if digital asset management is reasonably well implemented in the organization, people can effectively store, archive, search, find, use and reuse assets as needed. Anyone with access to the DAM system simply needs an Internet connection to get a quick overview of approved and available material irrespective of where and when.

2 1 Large amounts of digital assets With a DAM system you can manage large amounts of files, including image and video files, but also flash animations, technical drawings, presentations, Adobe projects such as InDesign, Illustrator artwork, Photoshop files and PDFs. It is therefore possible to organize all digital assets in a central hub, regardless of the types of files and since the DAM system is scalable, it s only a matter of sizing the overall setup, so that workflows are supported optimally. The benefits of having all the material together, is - digital material can be easily shared between divisions and departments - several versions of the same file, located in different data silos, is reduced considerably - storage use is reduced by having only one place for files - employees know where they can find relevant material for projects and tasks The DAM system thus gives advantages in terms of being able to gather large quantities of various types of digital assets, but one thing is knowing where to find approved material, something else is using material automatically and actively in projects in the organization.

3 Automatic transcoding 2 and rendering Imagine that around 5000 images and 100 videos are produced in the organization annually. Let us assume that at least half of these will be used in 3 different usage scenarios. That is a minimum of 2550 processes per year multiplied by the number of usage scenarios. If we assume that each process requires 10 minutes of manual work, it is 1275 hours annually. This corresponds to approx. 106 hours per month, or well over half of one employee s monthly working hours. If you also have to get resources for these processes from outside of the company, via an advertising or media agency, it increases the economic cost considerably. In addition to payment for the dissemination of information regarding desired transcoding s and renderings, you typically pay an amount per process. The DAM system reduces the manual processes related to the actual processes, and as it happens automated via own software, you avoid having to pay large sums to advertising and media agencies. Another advantage of letting the DAM system take care of the processes concerning transcoding and rendering is that it ensures a uniform and high quality result. This naturally helps to ensure that your brand looks uniform regardless of whether it is presented on TV, the web and billboards or in smaller publications. The DAM system can potentially make the idea of separate files for on and offline marketing obsolete, as the master with the automated processes creates digital files for both purposes - in a single process.

4 3 Let video be a part of websites and mobile platforms These years video productions are exploding in the organizations. Video production has become much easier. Video communication can be used in virtually everything from product videos, to documentation and instructional videos, to reports and information from management and senior management, general branding videos for external use, and video blogs for internal knowledge sharing. The DAM system reduces the effort of managing video considerably, and it becomes very easy to quickly get messages on websites and mobile platforms. That way you improve the general level of communication and achieve far more interesting websites that generate more traffic, which in turn have a much better potential of generating increased sales. Actually, it s easy with relatively few workflows to put messages directly on YouTube, because you simultaneously push content to multiple media platforms, and in this way, with video, which for the younger segment of the population in particular, is the favoured medium of communication, you reach the fast growing media platform that these days consists of social media. A study by KPCB (Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers) shows that social networks accelerate mobile growth and that mobile page views far exceed regular PC page views, so there is great potential for direct and indirect marketing on mobile platforms via video, and with a DAM system it becomes easier to reach the consumer. Brand video, among other things, is still relatively expensive to produce because of the high creative level, and therefore it becomes an important parameter that video material can be used multiple times in multiple contexts.

5 4 Enhance the recycling of files for different purposes The goal of any produced digital asset is to get as much value out of this asset as possible. Maximizing the value of a digital asset is achieved by using it as much as possible and thereby achieving as good results from the use as possible. One way to recycle a digital asset is to use the asset for the purpose for which it was created, more than once, which in itself creates additional value for the asset. Consider, for instance, the production of an illustration. The illustration was created for a PowerPoint presentation, and each time the same illustration is used in this or another presentation, the illustration is recycled. Another way to recycle a digital asset is to reuse a digital asset in its original form or modified for a new and different purpose than what it was originally produced for. Imagine that the same image is saved in a high resolution format. From the DAM system, different versions are created for use in, for example, a printed financial statement, a presentation as well as illustration for the intranet, where it is used as support for the article. If you, when you produce digital assets, are thinking that material must be recycled, not just in one form, but in different contexts, then through structured use of the DAM system, you will be able to maximize the value of the digital asset. This of course also applies to images, video and animations, and other types of digitally produced material with a lifetime of more than 2-3 years.

6 5 Improved ability to execute full brand control and cross-platform branding with few workflows It is humanly impossible to be everywhere at once, impossible to control how an ad is placed in a distant corner of the world, or how your brand looks in an advertising block outside your immediate reach. That is why all large organizations have a number of policies and procedures in place to ensure that no images, logos, etc. are used, that at any given time, are inconsistent with what the organization wants to convey, but it is time consuming to communicate these guidelines, and the probability that errors occur, will always be present. In connection with launching or relaunching a brand, it is important that ALL the parties involved with branding and communications quickly acquire knowledge and have full access to marketing materials. Major logistics work must be performed if all stakeholders (sales offices, printing companies and media agencies) are to have shipments with presentations, product sheets, technical specifications, promotional spots, posters, etc., at the same time, so here, a reasonably well implemented DAM system is a good tool. cross-platform marketing becomes a reality. If EVERYONE knows where APPROVED material can be found, there is no excuse for using an image which you just found on your desktop or online, and branding work becomes easier to perform and control in the entire organization. As mentioned at the beginning of this section on five good reasons to implement DAM, there are several other advantages to implementing DAM for centralized management of all digital assets within the organization. Among other things, it becomes possible to create self-service portals, it is possible to automate workflows in relation to the creative processes, the organization saves resources on everything from shipments to internal IT, and new revenue sources are opened up with these new opportunities for distribution of information in sound and picture. The DAM system has the distinct advantage that it is possible to quickly and promptly distribute information about a launch through, for example, webcasts and guidelines in PDFs as well as previews and video of the product, but also material for use in the launch itself. At headquarters, the branding unit can ensure that the brand is consistent with the guidelines AND the planning and execution of For more information, please contact: House & Co Ryttergade 12, Odense C Tel: