Digital asset management spotlight
Video content reigns supreme in the digital age, offering unprecedented opportunities for media companies. However, managing and monetizing video assets can be a complex endeavor. This guide explores the challenges in managing video content, the features of digital asset management (DAM) systems for video management, strategies for monetizing video assets and other helpful real-world insights about leveraging DAM for video content success.
Digital asset management (DAM) systems in workflows for editorial teams, where efficiency and creativity are paramount, are more important now than ever before. This guide explores how DAM supports and enhances content creation, the tools within DAM systems for creators and designers and the art of streamlining workflows in content production.
Learn how to integrate DAM seamlessly into your tech stack for streamlined workflows and maximum asset value, plus how to overcome DAM challenges with strategic planning and best practices.
Brightspot handles images a little differently than other CMSs, specifically in a way that gives businesses more freedom and flexibility with how they want to work with images. In this way, forget your notions of a CMS and a digital asset manager. With its robust capabilities and integration-ready flexibility, Brightspot is the only digital-asset management platform you'll ever need.
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Brightspot’s Media Desk, built on top of a powerful and flexible search engine, makes it possible to find, edit and publish content faster and more efficiently than ever before.
DAM software—now taking a front seat in the martech stack—will end the days of digging through complex, disorganized and disconnected digital filing systems.
How Brightspot approaches digital asset management
Brightspot’s digital asset management solution—Media Desk—helps organizations and publishers manage and access all of their digital assets easily through a powerful and modern platform with integrated search, workflows, permissions and editing tools all in one place.
Brightspot’s DAM solution makes finding assets easy and intuitive. Advanced capabilities like word proximity, diacritical-marks search and exact-phrase search make locating assets seamless for the user, while AI also drives intelligent image and video analysis to identify objects, people, text and activities.
Federated search is an especially powerful tool that comes with the Brightspot platform, and allows you to query a third-party database, like Getty Images, directly from our solution, saving time and making finding assets easier. Assets can be imported as a Brightspot content type, then edited, all without having to leave the CMS or rely heavily on IT support. One of the other possibilities through federated search via Brightspot is the ability to connect to another—often homegrown—DAM or storage location for assets.
Integration-ready approach to asset management
Integrated search capabilities across internal and external libraries
Roles and permissions settings ensure appropriate use and access
AI- and ML-powered image and asset management
In-CMS editing tools and powerful version control
Working with Brightspot, the Los Angeles Times consolidated six legacy content stores into Brightspot's DAM, Media Desk. This gave the newsroom instant access to all photos, videos, graphics and articles ever created in the Los Angeles Times’ 100-plus-year history.
This single digital asset management system, with 80 terabytes of high-quality materials and a real-time connection to the company’s authoring suite, has powered the company’s coverage and allowed it to flow more seamlessly.
This single digital asset management system, with 80 terabytes of high-quality materials and a real-time connection to the company’s authoring suite, has powered the company’s coverage and allowed it to flow more seamlessly.
4 ways digital asset management matters for your business
Now that we’ve identified the key challenges a DAM solution aims to solve, the bigger picture as to why digital asset management matters is becoming clearer. To deliver on a strong brand experience, and create and promote a positive image, a DAM solution matters to organizations and publishers for four core reasons.
It brings order to the creative process
At the center of delivering on the experience customers want is first increasing efficiency between digital and editorial teams throughout the entire content lifecycle. Without this, content creation and distribution becomes chaotic. A DAM with the right search capabilities, image and asset management and editing tools in one place saves time and money in the long run for organizations and publishers.
It allows easy access to assets that matter
Today, digital assets like photos and videos are key to driving engagement and making content pop. It’s no longer just the words on a page that will drive people to react and respond to your content—visually, businesses need to stand out. A DAM solution ensures you have the right assets at your fingertips to bring your stories to life beyond the text.
It makes consistency key
Brand consistency has never been more important than it is today. For digital and editorial teams, reinforcing brand narratives through meaningful content is key, and at the center of this is ensuring your organization delivers a consistent output/ experience with these ideas reinforced. According to Oberlo, consistent presentation of a brand has been seen to increase revenue by 33%. For publishers, specifically, where advertising plays a huge role in revenue generation, delivering on a consistent content output—both aesthetically and emotionally—is what will keep advertisers confident in their partnerships. A DAM solution helps establish a consistent, seamless digital experience for the consumer by making it easy to access a bank of assets for every piece of content.
It supports stronger collaboration
Stronger collaboration via the right technology and tools is especially important for businesses in the era of remote working. For organizations and publishers, a DAM solution offers robust admin capabilities to set clear roles and permissions, as well as to establish workflows to better track reviews, edits and rejections.
Digital asset management FAQs
What is digital asset management?
A digital asset management (DAM) system is a solution that helps organizations and publishers manage and access all of their digital assets through tools like search, workflows and editing features—all in one place.
Why is digital asset management important?
These days, every business is a content business. Whether you’re a media company, Fortune 500 organization or eCommerce brand, a successful business strategy starts with ensuring you have the right solutions and foundational systems in place to create consistency in your content output.
Why do I need a digital asset management solution?
Today’s publishers and brands are focused on strengthening their business core. They understand that in order to succeed, a strong foundation is required to save both time and money. In fact, a recent McKinsey & Company survey of hundreds of executives across industries found 72% say their organizations are considering implementing changes to “core processes and how the company is run” following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When it comes to building any successful content business—one that supports the brand in delivering on successful customer experiences at scale—an important facet of ensuring you have a strong foundation is implementing a digital asset management (DAM) solution. By acting as a central repository to all of your most important digital assets, a DAM solution helps bring order to the creative process, create a consistent brand narrative and support stronger collaboration.
When it comes to building any successful content business—one that supports the brand in delivering on successful customer experiences at scale—an important facet of ensuring you have a strong foundation is implementing a digital asset management (DAM) solution. By acting as a central repository to all of your most important digital assets, a DAM solution helps bring order to the creative process, create a consistent brand narrative and support stronger collaboration.
What problems does a digital asset management solution solve?
For digital leaders—anyone from the chief digital officer and chief product officer to social-media specialists and project managers—the brand is their product. In setting out to establish a content business, these leaders need a system that effectively and proactively allows them to manage their brand narrative in a digital ecosystem. There are three key roadblocks to supporting that digital ecosystem that a DAM aims to help organizations and publishers overcome.
- Chaotic creative processes: Organizations and publishers today work with a variety of content types for everything they produce—including text, photos, audio and video—and these shifts are only expanding that list. A DAM solution aims to bring order to the creative process by increasing functionality for the digital and editorial teams working with these assets to produce content.
- Inconsistent output: With the heightened number of channels to which content is being delivered, and disparate teams working on different projects behind the scenes, organizations and publishers can get lost in trying to achieve a seamless, consistent experience for every user. A DAM solution aims to act as a business’s central repository of assets, making it easier to ensure a uniform approach to content is being produced across channels.
- Lack of collaboration: Unclear and undefined roles and permissions create bottlenecks in the content process. Digital asset management works to solve this by supporting organizations and publishers in strengthening information sharing and collaboration amongst digital and editorial teams at every stage of content creation—from planning and creation, to review, version control, approval and license management.
What are the key features of a DAM system?
The key features of a digital asset management (DAM) system include robust metadata management for efficient categorization and search, seamless integration with other software, version control for tracking changes, centralized storage and organization, permission management for security and tools for asset transformation and distribution. These features streamline asset management processes, enhance collaboration and boost productivity within organizations.
How does DAM improve workflow and efficiency?
DAM improves workflow and efficiency by centralizing asset storage, facilitating easy access and retrieval, reducing time spent searching for assets and enabling seamless collaboration among team members. Implementing a DAM system yields benefits such as improved organization, enhanced security, reduced duplication of efforts, streamlined workflows and increased productivity.
What types of digital assets can be managed in a DAM?
DAM systems can manage various types of digital assets, including but not limited to images, videos, audio files, documents, presentations, graphics, logos, design files, marketing materials, social media assets and creative content. These systems are versatile and adaptable to the diverse content needs of organizations across different industries.
How secure is a DAM system?
The security of a DAM system depends on several factors, including the implementation of robust access controls, encryption of data, compliance with industry standards and regulations, regular security audits and proactive measures to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches. Additionally, features like permission management and user authentication contribute to enhancing the overall security posture of a DAM system. By prioritizing data protection and adhering to stringent security protocols, DAM systems strive to provide a secure environment for managing and storing digital assets.
Can DAM systems support remote and distributed teams?
Yes, DAM systems can support remote and distributed teams by providing seamless access to digital assets from anywhere with an internet connection. These systems offer centralized storage, allowing team members to securely access, collaborate on and share assets regardless of their location. With features like cloud-based storage, version control and collaboration tools, DAM systems facilitate efficient communication and workflow management for remote and distributed teams, ultimately enhancing productivity and collaboration.