Businesses are creating more content to meet the demands of new channels, products, and markets. More content means more challenges. Marketing and creative teams are dealing with questions like: What content do we have? Where is it stored? Can I reuse it? Do we have it translated in German? Is this graphic available in PNG format? Is this the most recent version? While file storage tools can work as a temporary fix, more and more businesses are using a digital asset management (DAM) system to centralize, organize, govern, and distribute content.

We’re all faced with a challenge, how can we do more with the resources available? The reliance on content to communicate, build an audience, and sell has turned up the pressure on marketing and creative teams. Fortunately, there are many tools available to help do more with the same. Workflow management software not only seeks to improve productivity but to do so while removing friction to managing and reviewing work before it’s published.

Editor's note: This post was originally posted on March 29, 2011. We updated this article and the corresponding whitepaper to reflect the current state of the DAM industry.

The decision to implement a digital asset management (DAM) system is a step towards gaining operational and intellectual control of your digital assets and is not one to be taken lightly. It brings with it great responsibility as to how the organization’s assets will be efficiently and effectively managed in its daily operations. Yet, the decision itself to go with a DAM system enacts a chain of questions to be carefully considered before proceeding down the path to DAM.

What is a brand? Let me illustrate with a brand I'm partial to: New Balance. I used to think of New Balance as the maker of all white, extra wide “Dad” shoes. Now, as the proud owner of a dozen different pairs, I think of New Balance as a hipster modern shoe that goes with my jeans and shorts. I can wear them to church or to walk five miles. I can wear them anywhere!

Integration enables marketing teams to ingest user-generated content from TINT into the Widen Collective® with metadata and image rights

We’re thrilled to announce our integration with the social display platform TINT. Mutual customers can now ingest user-generated content (UGC) from social media via TINT directly into the Widen Collective with all the metadata, including image rights. The integration enables brands to easily repurpose UGC for marketing initiatives at scale without the risk of misusing images.

Widen was among the select companies that Forrester invited to participate in The Forrester Wave™: Digital Asset Management For Customer Experience, Q2 2018. In this evaluation, Widen was cited as a Strong Performer among the top thirteen DAM solution providers.

Forrester’s analysts noted Widen’s “attractive UI” that “reference customers praised.” Moreover, Forrester says, “Partners we surveyed ranked Widen as one of the top DAM solutions they implement.” The analysts also note that “…Widen has made significant improvements to its capabilities since our last evaluation, especially in the areas of metadata, search, and work-in-progress functionality.”

Founded in Madison, Wisconsin, Widen recently opened its European headquarters in London to expand the company’s global presence and better support customers in different time zones. Recently, the company launched a string of innovations including:

Are you using DAM to its greatest potential? Our survey says there’s more you can do.

Marketing technology is moving at dizzying speeds. From one day to the next, new platforms, trends, and digital asset management demands bubble and rise to the surface. With such speed, it’s tough to know how to harness the power of it all. That’s where our 2018 Marketing Technology Survey comes in. Now in its fifth year, our survey gets to the heart of the matter, exposing the greatest DAM opportunities for content-driven organizations like yours. Here’s how to apply our findings!

Founded in 1948, Widen is an anomaly in the software space: a family-owned plate engraving business that reinvented itself into a global technology company. Widen’s history demonstrates how companies can adapt and thrive through technological disruptions.

In 1948, Emily and Arthur Widen founded Widen Engraving, a company that engraved plates for newspaper presses. Under their son, Mark Widen, the company expanded into additional prepress services, evolving from plates to film negatives and color printing. In 1985, Widen invested $3 million in color scanners and Scitex equipment not realizing how soon they’d have to divest.

All good things come in threes, or at least that is what history tells us. After all, genies give three wishes; there are three little pigs not four, and of course who would go to a two-ring circus? But superstitions aside, at Widen, we found our MarTech sweet spot in this number.

While we’re actively supporting Widen Collective customers and users around the world, we’re thrilled to be enhancing that support by opening our European Headquarters in London, England. This new location will expand support hours and professional services for customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.