The names of people, places, and things help us understand and navigate the world. The same holds true in digital environments, where descriptive names allow files to be easily understood, located, and retrieved.

Once you’ve decided on a new marketing campaign, you’ll be tempted to jump right in. Slow down! You’re missing an important first step: the creative brief. A creative brief is essential for getting all internal stakeholders on the same page before executing a project. All new creative endeavors should start with a brief, so use the tips in this guide to help you draft one that is clear, concise, and informative.

Peer-driven awards program recognizes Widen for its impressive growth, thriving culture, and dedication to community

We’re proud to announce Widen received the 2019 SIIA CODiE Award for Company of the Year. According to SIIA, the award goes to a company that “has realized significant growth in revenue, proven to have a strong company culture, and demonstrated a commitment to the community.”

The Widen Summit brings over 200 Widen Collective® digital asset management (DAM) practitioners together for three days packed full of learning, professional development, and fun.

Whether 2019 will be your first Summit or your eighth, here are 19 reasons why you should attend!

Simpson Strong-Tie is one of the world's largest suppliers of structural building products. Their products include everything from fastening systems and structural connectors to software, and their Marketing department creates promotional material for all of them — both in print and online.

Producing and managing all of this imagery is an enormous job! Just ask Mark Hausler, who is one of their senior graphic designers. However, the recent addition of a digital asset management (DAM) platform with two powerful integrations — Adobe Creative Cloud and Hybris — has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of their creative workflows.

We’re always proud to share the good news about our customers, especially when they’re doing great things with our technology!

Sargento recently won a 2019 MarTech Stackie Award for best marketing technology stack design. While MarTech Today spotlighted the story of how Sargento cooked up their stack, I had the chance to meet with Cami Schenck, the senior marketing manager of media and digital at Sargento Foods to learn more about the secret ingredients.

The Marketing Communications unit at the University of Georgia is responsible for capturing photographs that highlight what’s going on across campus. Their team of four photographers produce a lot of images, from student features to campus scenes. These photos are used in various channels and repurposed by many of the schools and colleges.

Photographers shoot and deliver images for a specific job. For example, an environmental portrait of a professor for a specific story. And as part of this job, they might capture other scenes — like the professor doing research or interacting with a graduate student. While some of these additional shots get used, Rick O’Quinn, Operations Manager at the University of Georgia, says “a lot of good images were kind of falling through the cracks.”

Compelling images move people. Marketers and creatives have known this for a long time and rely on strong visuals as a foundational element of brand storytelling. They also rely on dependable, easy-to-access tools, so they can spend more time crafting the story itself and less on a cumbersome process.

If you’ve ever managed digital photos you already know many of the challenges. Like how organizing hundreds or thousands of photos can quickly get out of control. How time-consuming it is to search endlessly for the right photo. Or how risky it can be to use a photo that you may or may not still have permission to use. The bottom line is ⏤ if you want to make your brand story more effective, you can’t afford to compromise on managing your assets. You need a robust photo management software solution.

We’re delighted to announce Widen has been named a WorldBlu Freedom-Centered Culture™ for the fifth consecutive year. WorldBlu, a global community of organizations devoted to freedom at work, awards this honor to organizations that have built workplace cultures on principles of organizational democracy.

“Our main goal with implementing the DAM was distribution. How is this going to surface on the web? On our mobile apps? That was really our goal.” – David Anthony, Technology Consultant