Challenges
The marketing team at this international publishing company produces content to support every stage of their sales cycle.
Before they had a digital asset management (DAM) platform, they lacked a central repository for these assets. Their DAM administrator recounted, “We would have different ways of storing. So some would use maybe Sharepoint, others the network drive. So basically there was not one workflow to get your design, print, or online files.”
Locating specific assets was time consuming, and sometimes even impossible. Lost assets often resulted in rework or brand inconsistencies. After searching for a DAM solution that fit their business needs, they implemented Widen in 2018.
Objectives
A central repository
Store all marketing assets in a single location that’s accessible worldwide.
Consistent indexing
Develop a metadata scheme that allows assets to be organized and searchable.
Ease of use
Rely on an intuitive user experience to support system adoption across teams.
Solution
Empowered access through permissions
With Widen’s guidance, the marketing team created a governance structure that controls how different user groups can interact with assets in their DAM system, and ensures every DAM user can only access the assets they are authorized to use. For example, only the global branding team is able to upload brand assets to the DAM system.
This permissions structure is mirrored in their user training. Their DAM admin shared, “We set up trainings based on their access level. So, we have a download-only training, which is for people who can only download and share our materials. And we have a contributor training, which is about everything because then you have the ability to upload and edit metadata.”
Multilingual content creation
With customers across the world, this organization translates their marketing materials into several languages. The Collective’s instant access to content has completely streamlined their multilingual workflow. “Our marketing team creates everything in English,” their DAM admin explained, “and then the regional teams can download the files themselves, easily translate them, and then I upload them back into the DAM for them.” This process satisfies their need for localized copy, while ensuring materials stay on-brand and globally consistent.
Insights to understand system use
Analytics tools in the Collective’s Insight’s app helps the DAM admin make informed decisions about system optimization. “I’m especially interested as a marketing person in how it's being downloaded, how it's being viewed, and who is viewing it,” she said. “We can see logins, we can see how many users we have, what teams they are in. It helps me identify where I may need to contact people to see why they aren't using it, or if there are people that have access but don't actually need it.”
A trusted partner
The DAM admin shared that in their software selection process, Widen’s support services was a key differentiator. “When we chose Widen one of the reasons was also because they have a very good support system after you go live, and we were not disappointed at all.”
“There are a lot of systems that do similar things,” she said, “but the way your support team has been setup and how fast you respond — and how easily you are able to provide a solution or at least give context to the issue or the challenge — I really think that's what makes it such a fun company to work with.”
“They are very happy that they have a place where they can upload all of their materials. There's only one place where it is located, and from there they can go wherever with it.”
– DAM admin
Benefits
Workflow efficiencies
Because the Collective provides immediate, self-serve access to approved assets, it has improved their content workflows in significant and meaningful ways. Their DAM admin shared, “I have a completely new role. I used to just get all the files and disseminate them to everyone else. And now, I train people how to use the system and upload the materials themselves — and they can share it with whomever they want.” She went from being the content gatekeeper to a content enabler. All stakeholders now have access to the right content, whenever they need it.
Cost savings
Upon implementing the Collective, the marketing team was able to eliminate other content storage and sharing tools that they were using, allowing them to realize an immediate —and ongoing—return on investment (ROI).
Brand integrity
Widen has given employees throughout this organization a central source of truth for their marketing assets. “They are very happy that they have a place where they can upload all of their materials. And from there they can use the share link. They can embed it somewhere, they can use it in their email campaigns. There's only one place where it is located, and from there they can go wherever with it,” said their DAM admin.
Further, they know that the assets in the Collective are up-to-date and ready to use — allowing them to build a cohesive, unified brand story, across the world.
Assets
Insights
Portals
Workflow
