Marketing asset management is a system that helps organizations classify, store, and retrieve digital assets. These systems may be used to assist with the company’s brand management initiatives. Marketing asset management systems are a subcategory of digital asset management systems.
Logos, product photos and descriptions, and marketing materials such as direct mail pieces, are generally available in digital form, and are often stored on an organization’s computer servers. These marketing assets may be presented in a variety of formats such as print pieces, websites, social media, video, and audio. Some assets, such as logos, may need to be available in different sizes and resolutions to support print and digital usage. Historical versions of assets may need to be maintained, which can lead to multiple versions of similar assets.
Organizations without marketing asset management systems may face a number of challenges in effectively using company owned marketing assets. These challenges can include difficulty in finding the correct asset to use and allowing appropriate access to users, who may be geographically dispersed or who may be employees of other companies, if marketing work is outsourced. For example, decentralized marketing departments may have responsibility for creating some marketing materials, and these materials must conform to the main marketing departments’ brand standards. In the case of outsourcing, an outside design firm may be contracted to create a new logo for the organization, and then the business owned marketing department must approve the new logo. The organization’s outside website development firm will need access to the new logo after it is approved to update the company’s website.
A well-designed and well-implemented marketing asset management system can alleviate some of these problems. These systems allow internal and external users to easily retrieve the digital files, regardless of geography. Appropriate access levels can be established, so users work with only the materials pertaining to their specific job functions.
The system can yield other benefits which can also improve marketing productivity. Along with improving access efficiency, workflow functions might be included in the system, allowing marketing pieces to be easily routed for review and approval. Content creation software and content management systems can be integrated into the marketing asset marketing system, further streamlining processes.
Marketing productivity is further increased when digital assets are reused, rather than recreated. The system can also help reduce errors and rework will be reduced because the correct version of a digital asset will be easily available. A marketing asset management system can assist in brand management because brand standards and compliance can be better enforced when users have access to the correct information and assets needed. Some systems may also be used in copyright management.