Digital asset management systems remain essential for marketers, providing a strong foundation for creative operations and seamless content delivery.
I recently attended the Henry Stewart Digital Asset Management (DAM) conference in New York City, where I moderated some sessions and workshops. I was also able to interact with my fellow colleagues, catching up on all the pertinent issues affecting marketing and creative management.
It’s my pleasure to report that martech is so alive and that we still need digital asset management (DAM) platforms to be the core of all we do in those efforts.
DAM’s place in modern martech
DAM is still at the core of the martech stack, as digital content should be viewed as a constant connection between people, process and technology. DAM is the right thing to do for your content and your brand, because when everything is connected, everything changes.
Building an optimized martech stack is your opportunity to amplify your team’s efficiency in distributing your assets to your consumers. Selecting the proper tools to give your stack a competitive advantage is key to an efficient marketing department. These digital tools (products and systems) help you automate and streamline processes, aggregate and manage data and ultimately reach your customers more effectively and efficiently.
The martech stack is the integrated collection and categorization of those tools and it won’t work unless the various products and systems are able to “talk” to one another or have some level of automation and process design enablement (thank you, metadata!). An integrated martech stack allows marketing, operations, IT and more to manage your assets, from the beginning to the end of the consumer engagement lifecycle (thank you, DAM!)
In the 1990s, DAM began as a bulky, on-premises solution with limited features. Over time, it has evolved significantly, embracing cloud technology and integrating with various collaborative systems, including CMS, PIM, CRM and AI. Today, DAM is an essential foundation for consumer engagement in the content and marketing technology ecosystem.
Implementing data standards in your DAM
Improving data quality, design and processes leads to a better customer experience. Integrated martech systems enable holistic data understanding for the entire customer journey. But to achieve true integration, you need a strong data foundation provided by DAM. This foundation helps identify improvement opportunities and enhances reliability and efficiency.
Each component of the martech stack must be seen as a key marketing enabler and an opportunity for orchestrated movement of content across channels. Establishing data standards in the DAM streamlines processes and unifies communication. Once data and taxonomy are set, seamless connectivity transforms operations across departments, enabling efficient asset discovery and collaboration with consumers.
Strong DAM procedures are vital for martech stack implementation, serving as the central hub for marketing assets. Efficient asset tracking and distribution are key for daily creative tasks, as the DAM links all tools.
DAM remains essential in modern martech stacks
Marketing and creative professionals need easily accessible content to stay competitive. Content is only valuable if it can be found, consumed and shared by your users.
A DAM is the starting point, serving as the backbone for your creative operations. It’s where all your creative content and data reside.
Understanding how assets drive digital operations from creation to distribution is key. We still need DAM at the core of martech, as much as we need our data setting the foundation of our efforts as supported by our technologies, processes and people.
The post Why we still need DAMs in our martech stack appeared first on MarTech.
MarTechAbout the author
John Horodyski is an Executive Director with Salt Flats with executive management strategy experience in Information Management including Digital Asset Management (DAM), Metadata and Taxonomy design, Content strategy, Analytics, Governance, MarTech, and Marketing Operations. John is a world leading expert and has provided strategic direction and consulting for a variety of Fortune 10, 50, 100, and 500 clients from Consumer Packaging Goods, to Media & Entertainment, the Pharmaceutical industry, and Insurance. John is also an Adjunct Faculty member at San Jose State University where he teaches a graduate course in Digital Asset Management (DAM) for 17 years.
(1)
