Where will DAM go in 2015?

Where is DAM (Digital Asset Management) going in 2015? Will it become every marketer’s tool in communication or will tools like Box and Dropbox block the entry? Are those tools efficient enough for the enterprise? I will try to sort out the differences and hopefully give you some advice on important factors for a successful DAM implementation in 2015.

Box and Dropbox will open the window

As a major vendor of DAM software in the Nordic region it is quite clear when we meet our clients that cloud services are here to stay. It’s impressive how fast Box and Dropbox is growing but will their clients hit the roof in functionality and needs for vaster adaptation and customization? The answer is most likely yes since they lack essential support for what actually needs to be managed when producing marketing communication for the larger international enterprises. They offer poor support for; multi-languages, metadata translations, advertisement and banner creation and adaptation, product launch management, conversions to different formats, lifecycle and rights management, just to name a few. A proper DAM should give you support for this and the goal is much more than just collaboration and storage.

So I believe that DAM, MAM, MRM and other sectors will win some ground in 2015, when the enterprises realize they need more features. But thanks to Dropbox, Box and alike, the window will open.

Is integration with a CMS good enough?

Many of our competitors offer integration with different web-platforms. We also do that for the most common ones but also for some less famous. That is of course good, but what we are experiencing is that the marketing department needs to address more channels than just the web. They are often talking about omni-channel communication and if you believe that it’s a good strategy for your business, then you need to look for a DAM platform with multiple deployment channels. And if you don’t, you will probably end-up with digital assets in a variety of different solutions. And that is not good for your business.

So I believe that a proper DAM should offer a two-way integration with all your important communication channels.

Is digital everything?

A lot of the market communication today circulates around online advertising and other digital channels. It is the fastest growing segment compared to print, television, etc. and it has changed the way our clients produce their communication fundamentally. And they want more images and videos of their products than ever. And they need them in so many formats and resolutions that I would say it would be impossible without a solution to support their work. But most of our clients still produce printed material. The large print volumes are gone but the number of digitally printed short series is actually increasing.

Some products are best displayed online but some fit better in an exclusive coffee-table-book, with branding images, close-up details and perhaps specifications at the end. You will never get that exclusive feeling from a YouTube clip or a banner.

So what I’m trying to say is, please don’t forget the printed channel when evaluating a DAM system. And when evaluating young vendors, make sure that they know the essentials about print.

More to come

There are of course more things on the map in 2015. I have created a shortlist below and I will write more about them in this blog later on.

- Brand portals

- Creative tools

- Metadata archiving

- Asset analytics

- Video management

Have a nice day!