Nearly 600 people showed up to attend the Henry Stewart conference on Digital Asset Management in Midtown Manhattan earlier this month. So what were they all buzzing about at the show?
The common themes coming out of the conversations seemed to circle back to a few consistent ideas. Here, we've boiled it down to the main topics that were on everyone’s minds, and the questions attendees were asking most.
1. More Controlled Search.
With the conference centered on managing digital asset systems, naturally a contender for attendees’ focus was achieving the “how” of this, as well as how to make the process better. One specific topic that seemed to be in the air was how to blend better control with free text search and measure it by the quality of the search experience in the DAM.
So just how are DAM providers handling this demand? We saw many examples of improved meta-tagging systems and a frequent discussion around how to leverage text search of rich media.
Look out for some statistics on this score from us later this year as we wrap up conducting an internal study.
2. When is Mobile Going to get Moving?
Mobile has been talked about as “the next big thing” in the technology industry for the last few years and has been appearing on the scene as social media’s little brother who now wants his fifteen minutes. But have we really seen this prediction come to fruition and are we ready to handle it?
Many were asking these very questions and looking for answers with software providers that could offer solutions to these inquiries at DAM NY.
More info on mobile here
3. How Rich Media is changing DAM- and the entire Digital Marketplace
The use of rich media types is becoming increasingly popular across social media and other widespread marketing channels. Ikea, Hasbro, and many others discussed at DAM NY how they are experiencing a rise in use of rich media specifically in their DAM- and therefore in their marketing and production efforts.
So what are the implications of this for DAM and marketing automation as a whole?
We could expect to see an increase in the way software providers- not just DAM providers- are tailoring their services and coming out with new features more friendly to handling rich-media as is already the case with many.
4. Workflows
Another hot topic of discussion at the conference was the creative workflow of assets - how they’re managed, protected, labeled, shared, found - and anything else you can do with an asset. What this means? Users of these systems are becoming more concerned with the nitty-gritty functional details and a smart provider will put more focus on the workflow of their system along with the product itself.
5. Protecting Brand Identity with DAM
Protecting brand image isn’t a new concern- but how to do this effectively with an expanding local field marketing community, a growing brand reach on social channels, and new marketing production options is a constantly changing game.
One conference panelist- Steven Brier of Marriott International and a long time client of Pica9- gave a refreshing perspective on how to protect and extend brand identity today by focusing on centralization and consistency, a challenge most brands both big and small face.
