What’s Holding DAM Back? – Three Part Special Feature

Today, we have published a multi-contributor, three-part feature article series on the theme: What’s Holding DAM Back?  The subject is tackled from three perspectives: customers, vendors and the media, with each author addressing one of the aspects.  The writers are: Jeff Lawrence of consulting group, Celerity (and a regular CMSWire contributor), David Diamond, Marketing Director of vendor, Picturepark and myself.  The articles were written ‘blind’ (i.e. we did not compare notes before generating them and agree a single perspective) but there are a surprising number of common themes.

Our expectation is that while this might make uncomfortable reading for some (and no one involved in DAM at any level is excluded from consideration in that respect) it should resonate with many and offer some directions towards changes that need to be made to allow the DAM industry  to survive and prosper in the future.

Jeff Lawrence of consulting group, Celerity (and a regular CMSWire contributor) handles the ‘customer’ article:

“Regardless of the client group, we must ask ourselves what we have done or are currently doing, to help guide the DAM vendors to create and develop the products we need and want? Do we work closely with the DAM vendors and effectively communicate our expectations for what we need and want from our DAM? How can we better influence the future of DAM? This comment may not sit well with some readers, but if you are not willing to form a partnership with your vendors and share your needs, then how can you expect the industry to create the products you want and need. Without good input from the clients, the vendors are just guessing and will not be create the products to solve your needs.” [Read More]

David Diamond, Marketing Director of Picturepark and author of the DAM Survival Guide book covers the vendors:

“It’s getting to the point where too many DAM vendors are treating the phrase “digital asset management” like some embarrassing tattoo they attribute to adolescent indiscretion. It’s all about Brand Management now. Wait, that’s old now too. It’s now about Marketing Resource … nope, that one’s dead too. Wait, I know! It’s Customer Experience Management now. Yeah, that’s it…In scrambling to hop aboard every trend train that comes chugging through Software Station, DAM vendors have all but murdered the one moniker that ever stuck for what we do. Granted, the term is horrible. It’s long and its meaning isn’t clear. But how many initially understand “customer relationship management” to mean digital rolodex?” [Read  More]

I address the ‘media’ aspect of what is holding DAM back:

“There are a number of marketing managers who work for DAM vendors and consultancies who have a lot of expertise in Digital Asset Management (both my co-contributors being not least among this group) but they are the exception rather than the rule.  Many of the senior managers, who are still quite often the people who founded the business originally (at least the DAM element of it) and their service delivery staff who implement DAM for their customers have copious knowledge that they have acquired on real work for clients.  I do not fully understand why they do not have a more active role in production of freely available learning resources about DAM on their websites.  Most prospective users would prefer to read their thoughts and experiences rather than some generic content marketing articles that have clearly been written by an author who has been paid to author web copy rather than because they have an interest in the subject and care about it.” [Read More]

The articles are not short, they are opinionated and you might disagree with a number of the points made by each of the contributors, however, our intention is to provoke some debate and discussion of the topics raised.

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