Shopping for a digital asset management (DAM) or product information management (PIM) system is tough. There are a lot of vendors and a lot of solutions to sort through. However, with an organized and thoughtful request for proposal (RFP) process in place, you can set yourself on the right path to finding the best solution for your needs. 

So, where do you start? The first step is to understand the ins and outs of the RFP — what it is, how the process works, and what goes into writing an RFP that’s actually effective. Today we’ll cover all of this and more. 

As employees and companies see the benefits of remote work (fewer distractions, flexible schedule, higher employee retention, just to name a few), it’s no surprise that working from home (WFH) — or working from anywhere (WFA) — is becoming more widely accepted and expected.  Tasks that could once only be done only from the office are now being completed in homes, coffee shops, and coworking spaces around the world. With this increase in remote teams, the need for reliable, flexible technology is at an all-time high. 

Quality content is a powerful market differentiator. It can help organizations resonate with consumers, strengthen their brand perception, and ultimately drive revenue.  It’s no wonder that demand for outstanding creative work — from photography and graphics to copy and video — is at an all-time high. Organizations seeking to bring velocity to their creative workflows are increasingly turning to digital asset management (DAM) solutions, to store, organize, and manage their content.

Try before you buy with a test run of Widen’s digital asset management software

Your organization should feel confident about the investments it makes. After all, you wouldn’t buy a new car without taking it for a test drive, right? So you shouldn’t buy a new software solution without testing it either. A trial site (also referred to as a sandbox or guest pass) helps build that confidence by allowing buyers to experience software usability, features, and potential before making a purchase decision. 

There’s a new way to notify anyone about the latest assets – it’s called Paths. Paths is a new feature in the Widen Collective^Ⓡ that allows you to create custom, automated notifications when assets meet a specified state – no coding required.

The use of marketing collateral is not a new strategy. Yet, the concept itself is worth revisiting every now and again. Like most things, it’s not static. Business environments, new technologies, and consumer trends all play a role in how customers respond to marketing collateral and how businesses use it. So what better time than the present to rewrite definitions, reassess best practices, and re-evaluate if you’re really getting the most out of your efforts? 

The first thing users see when they log in into the Widen Collective^® is the dashboard. As the homepage for your digital asset management (DAM) site, the dashboard is the gateway to your digital content and sets the tone for your user experience. 

Dashboards are comprised of three main features, in any combination: dashboard messages, spotlight searches, and saved searches. Admins are able to control the placement of these tools and customize the overall design to help users find what they need with minimal effort.

In this article we’ve rounded up some noteworthy examples of Collective dashboards to showcase best practices, creative thinking, and what’s possible for your own dashboard design.

The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) implemented their first digital asset management (DAM) platform, the Widen Collective^®, to store and organize all of their marketing assets — from creative files to employee photos. 

When they were ready to start, they created a metadata structure and assembled a team of interns to upload assets. However, many of these uploaders lacked the institutional knowledge needed to create meaningful metadata, and as a result the values entered were incomplete or inconsistent. Further, SFO didn’t have a governance policy, archival strategy, or a designated site administrator. Their DAM system became so ineffective it was barely used. 

Six years later, SFO decided to overhaul the entire DAM site; and Robin Brown, their Brand Manager, was asked to lead the effort. At the 2019 Widen Summit she shared how she turned this underutilized platform into an essential tool across their organization, and beyond. 

Digital rights management (DRM) is the use of technology and systems to restrict the use of copyrighted digital materials. DRM tools are designed to protect the rights of the copyright holder and prevent unauthorized modification or distribution.

Stealing or copying other people’s ideas or work is an age-old phenomenon. But modern technology has made piracy exponentially easier. With a few clicks of a mouse, many copyrighted images, videos, and audio files can be shared or downloaded from the Internet — often without proper permission. From Napster to bootlegging and “borrowing” art, this activity is widespread and costly. A recent report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that online piracy costs the US economy almost $30 billion a year. 

In Widen’s third annual Connectivity Report, we explore how using quality visual design in marketing content can bring a human touch to the digital experiences we engage in everyday. 

Through surveys and interviews with over 300 global creative and marketing professionals, we’ve gleaned insights into how visual design can captivate audiences and power marketing connectivity — leading to a positive perception of products/services, team pride, and more traffic on core marketing channels like your website.

While words are critical to communication, visuals are the common ground that all humans understand, despite language differences. When visuals are designed in a way that beauty abounds, a problem is solved, or interpretations are made at lightning speed, then communication is accelerated.