Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Linkedin, Youtube, email marketing, campaign management, digital advertising…If Digital Asset Management (DAM) isn’t already considered a critical strategy within your organization, the case for it is becoming more and more urgent. DAM solutions have been around for decades but the need for them were primarily dictated by organizations that merely needed a place to house, organize and have a simple method of retrieving multiple digital assets.

How things have changed. 

Yes, we’ve heard it before – the digital landscape is evolving – and doing so at a pace that many are finding difficult to keep up with. As more social networks are created every day, the way people consume and interact with information are also changing daily. DAM solutions can no longer be looked as merely software that allows users to manage their digital assets from a single repository.  No longer is it only the digital librarian who needs a solution to the ever-growing number of assets to tag and store. Today, the near-simultaneous creation and consumption of visual assets is changing the role of DAM, as well as the people who need the solution.

As DAM continues to evolve, what are the 5 trends in DAM that content creators, advertising agencies, marketers and brand stewards need to be aware of in 2014? Read on:

1. More content, within the right context = more management:  It’s a multi-channel, multi-media world. If content is king, then context must be the queen. Technology and digital media distribution are now more valued than the creation of content. Yes, marketers need to get their content out there, but it has to be the right content, at the right place, at the right time, to the right audience. Digital asset management solutions will play a bigger role than ever before in enabling real-time marketing through asset organization and distribution.
2. Video killed the radio star and its presence is making itself known: How do people consume information these days? The growth of video usage within marketing departments today cannot be ignored. The use of video to show products and services, provide online training, leverage user generated content, build brand awareness and loyalty is increasing. DAM solutions that can help provide the ability to maximize video conversion, streamline video production costs and optimize the viewing experience for customers, and provide a means for monetization for organizations will be a big consideration for companies in 2014.
3. Digital marketing never sleeps: Today’s consumer has grown up in a time where information is available 24/7. From tablets to cell phones – information always needs to be available at the speed of now. How was the now-famous marketing team behind Oreo’s “You Can Always Dunk in the Dark” slogan able to tweet almost instantaneously but also be brand compliant and have the right image available? DAM systems that enable companies to push the envelop in real-time digital marketing will do well in the upcoming months.
4. Mobile marketing is on the move: The ever-evolving cell phones and tablets are now a one-stop shop for information.  According to Morgan Stanley, mobile marketing will surpass traditional marketing and overtake desktop usage by 2015. What does this mean for the DAM industry? DAM solutions need to be able to provide a means of helping companies to maintain their brand consistency, as consumers are able to engage with various brands “on the go.” This means enabling customers to have access to the right images and assets that are mobile friendly.
5. Say so long to the silos: Because marketing has become multi-channel, organizations need to connect their disparate departmental silos in order to provide real-time marketing and effectively engage with their consumer. Media is converging. As we’ve covered in the points above, there is so much importance on content, real-time marketing, and having everything available at the right place and the right time, that collaboration is much more important than ever before.  Collaboration, resource sharing and asset portability are a necessity to be successful. DAM solutions can help break down these silos to create effective and efficient marketing.

We can all see how quickly the digital landscape is changing; this is not earthshattering information. However, the key is in how we adapt to the change and the tools we use to keep us relevant in this new age. Digital Asset Management solutions are quickly becoming the bridge between various teams, tools and processes, allowing a brand and its customers to be connected visually. 

Kirsten Foon is the Director, Corporate Marketing at North Plains. With more than 15 years  of strategic marketing experience in IT and telecommunications, Kirsten is responsible for overseeing North Plains' brand and corporate marketing efforts to further expand North Plains' presence globally.