Hopefully, as a marketer or digital media specialist you know all about Digital Asset Management (#DAM). But why do they still bury their heads in the sand and pretend that the digital files and folder chaos does not exist? Recent studies show that the top 3 issues marketers face each day are:

1. SPENDING A LOT OF TIME SEARCHING FOR A SPECIFIC FILE
   The old-fashioned folder structure doesn't suit the needs of a modern marketing department.

2. FILE AND FOLDER DUPLICATES TAKING UP VALUABLE SPACE
   When teams and external agencies work on the same project, duplicates and different file versions are hard to avoid.

3. HAVING TO MANUALLY CONVERT AND RESIZE IMAGES
   "Do you have this in low-res?" You probably recognize this question - or a similar one.

One thing is for sure, if these are still your issues today, you and your organization are falling behind. And more important, you are decreasing your market value as a future-proof marketer.

So, once again, what is DAM actually? Think of it as a digital filing cabinet - but an exceptional one! A Digital Asset Management (DAM) application is a space in the cloud where you can safely store, organize and share your files. But DAM takes it several steps further by adding innovative functionalities that take a load of work off your hands. Whether you're briefing an agency, working in a big team or about to launch a new campaign.

"Okay, but why is this so important to me?" I will tell you why. Do you actually know where all your digital files are? 71% of companies still send files via email. 68% of companies use hard drives and usb sticks to distribute company files. 55% use unsecured consumer tools to share company files. And 96% of employees don't take any security measures before sharing assets with externals. Bottom-line: 90% of companies have lost (confidential) files over the past 12 months!

I know this may sound like a scare-tactic, but you and your organization might really be in trouble. We all know a picture is worth a thousand words. But when it comes to copyright infringement, a picture can also be worth a thousand Euros - or even more. Last year alone, a large Dutch bank already spent over €300k on copyright lawsuits.

Over the past years we all just moved the chaos from one place to another. A shoebox full of slides, became a cabinet full of DVDs, which turned into network drives full of unclear (sub)folder structures. Should I continue?

So why should you start acting today? "This is not the mess I created and it will last my time." Back where we began and keep burying your head. Yes, it will last your time, but consider this: you are already on borrowed time! If you will not act, others will and more important, robots are lining up to take over these repetitive activities which now still account for your full-time job. Imagine only 5 employees waste 1 hour per week searching for files. Your company annually wastes 6.5 weeks. It's a matter of time and just like a better environment, it starts with you! Do not become the digital chaos victim, but become a Digital Asset Management hero.

But before you jump out of those phone booth doors as SuperDAM, consider this. The photographer Michal Heron once shared a dirty little DAM secret: "Digital asset management is hard to master and keep up with. Nevertheless, the frustrations associated with implementing, mastering and keeping up with good DAM practices are a very small price to pay for the potentially high returns!"

Interested in your first SuperDAM flight? Just drop me a line or respond to my post.