Relating to the artwork and magic of branding, few do it higher than Disney.
Former CEO Michael Eisner famously mentioned, “A model is a residing entity, enriched or undermined over time by numerous small gestures.” For entrepreneurs, meaning each marketing campaign, visible, and message — irrespective of how small — shapes how folks understand a model. The problem isn’t simply making daring gestures, however making certain all of them reinforce a unified id.
That problem is rising more durable each day. At this time’s manufacturers function throughout dozens of channels — from social media and e mail to occasion cubicles, gross sales collateral, and show adverts. Every platform has its personal codecs, groups, and timelines. As asset volumes skyrocket, making certain model consistency turns into much less about creativity and extra about coordination. With out the best programs in place, model integrity rapidly turns into collateral harm.
That is the place digital asset administration (DAM) is available in. A DAM resolution acts as a single supply of fact for all model supplies — logos, photographs, movies, templates, tips — enabling groups to entry, replace, and deploy property persistently, irrespective of the channel or location. It’s not nearly storage; it’s about management, visibility, and defending the model at scale.
As a result of with out that management, entrepreneurs discover themselves buried within the “asset avalanche.”
What’s the asset avalanche?
Making a model was less complicated. Twenty years in the past, you wanted a superb emblem, letterhead, and some designs for billboards or print supplies. It was simple in comparison with at this time.
Now, manufacturers sometimes handle 3-5 social media platforms, which suggests creating new content material nearly every day. Add to that the assorted measurement necessities for digital adverts, e mail signatures, PowerPoint templates, and print supplies for commerce reveals. In 2025, manufacturers are cranking out extra content material than ever earlier than — and it is lots to maintain observe of.
There is a title for this drawback: the asset avalanche.
The asset avalanche describes how manufacturers at this time are drowning in their very own advertising and marketing supplies. As corporations promote themselves throughout extra platforms, they want extra property to assist these efforts.
What begins as a manageable assortment of information can rapidly develop into an awesome pile that is onerous to prepare and navigate. Similar to an actual avalanche begins with a bit of snow earlier than changing into an unstoppable drive, your model information can multiply till your crew struggles to seek out and use what they want once they want it.
In accordance with Frontify’s knowledge, over simply three years, the variety of model property saved on the Frontify platform has surged by 458%. Month-to-month asset additions have risen too, with a 165% improve within the common variety of property added from Q1 2022 to Q1 2024. Much more telling, distinctive asset downloads have jumped by 357% throughout the identical interval.
Supply: Frontify
These numbers affirm what entrepreneurs already really feel: manufacturers are producing property at an astonishing charge, with hundreds extra information being created yearly.
The snowball impact of the asset avalanche in the end leaves entrepreneurs in the dead of night, unable to find important information when wanted, which ends up in rushed work and redundant asset creation. As groups scramble to maintain tempo with content material calls for, they spend a lot time creating and distributing property that they’ll barely give attention to the strategic pondering that really strikes the enterprise ahead.
The hidden prices of the asset avalanche
Let’s speak about what’s actually at stake with the asset avalanche — and it’s not nearly a cluttered desktop.
Behind the scenes, it’s hours of wasted time, burned-out inventive groups, and missed alternatives as entrepreneurs scramble to supply completely sized graphics for each platform. The issue isn’t simply having too many information — it’s the strain to churn out recent, on-brand content material at pace, with out the programs to assist it.
Creativity will get stretched skinny. Time that might gasoline huge concepts vanishes into repetitive duties. And within the rush, nice ideas get misplaced within the chaos.
When groups are racing to maintain up, visible id typically begins to splinter. You’ve seemingly seen it: an organization’s web site appears smooth and cohesive, however its social feeds really feel like they belong to a very completely different model, with low-resolution variations of the identical photographs and inconsistent design decisions. These discrepancies could seem small, however they erode model belief and dilute advertising and marketing impression.
And whereas model consistency may look like a nice-to-have, the enterprise impression tells a special story. Manufacturers that get it proper don’t simply look higher — they carry out higher.
McCain’s win on the IPA Effectiveness Awards actually drives this level residence. After the 2008 financial crash, folks began pondering “chips are simply chips” and stopped paying extra for title manufacturers.
McCain’s response? They doubled down on constant branding throughout all their advertising and marketing. The outcomes converse for themselves — they diminished worth sensitivity by 47%, boosted base gross sales by 44%, and generated £26 million in revenue. Over 9 years, they’ve constructed a model folks genuinely join with, not only a product folks purchase. That is the facility of consistency.
In distinction, manufacturers that ship combined indicators — mismatched logos, clashing colour palettes, conflicting messages — don’t construct recognition. They construct confusion. And in at this time’s crowded digital world, inconsistency is the quickest path to irrelevance.
It’s no surprise advertising and marketing groups are overwhelmed. Many nonetheless construct content material templates manually, a course of that doesn’t scale and eats into inventive time. As content material calls for develop, this outdated strategy drains effectivity and makes it almost not possible to take care of a cohesive model presence.
The every day workflow displays this frustration. Image your crew trying to find model tips or that excellent picture, clicking by means of complicated folder programs or clunky platforms. In accordance with IDC, workers spend 16% of their time simply trying to find info. Now, if they can not discover the most recent emblem or permitted picture, they typically simply recreate it, duplicating work that is already been achieved whereas introducing much more inconsistencies.
That is particularly draining for designers. As a substitute of pushing boundaries and creating recent, inventive concepts, they’re caught recreating what already exists again and again. With out the best instruments to handle digital property, creativity and productiveness each undergo.
The underside line? Manufacturers buried below the asset avalanche battle to function effectively, fall behind rivals who’ve streamlined their programs, and miss out on development alternatives.
That’s why merely working more durable or including extra instruments isn’t sufficient. To actually get forward, manufacturers must rethink how they handle their rising library of content material. That is the place investing in a correct DAM system is important to driving significant development.
Digital asset administration: The serving to hand
When model consistency is the key sauce to constructing belief and loyalty, how can entrepreneurs tame the ever-growing sea of digital information?
The reply is easy: digital asset administration (DAM). A DAM system centralizes, organizes, and distributes digital information — logos, advertising and marketing supplies, product photographs, and extra — so each worker can simply discover what they should stay and breathe the model.
A sturdy DAM system stops the asset avalanche in its tracks by providing a single, accessible supply of fact. Briefly, DAMs do the heavy lifting of managing digital property, liberating up entrepreneurs and creatives to give attention to what they do greatest.
Advantages of a DAM system
Implementing a DAM system isn’t only a tech improve — it’s a strategic transfer that impacts how groups work, create, and collaborate. From bettering effectivity to reinforcing model integrity, the advantages of a DAM system ripple throughout departments and instantly affect enterprise outcomes.
Right here’s how a DAM device can reshape your workflows and unlock long-term worth:
Streamlined entry and productiveness
Implementing a DAM system streamlines entry to model supplies, making a centralized hub that fosters collaboration and boosts productiveness. With out an environment friendly methodology for sharing and managing model property, groups waste hours trying to find information or recreating misplaced work. The time price is important: it is estimated {that a} DAM can save designers as much as 16 hours per week by eliminating repetitive requests for property.
With all property, templates, and model tips housed in a single place, departments — from accounting to communications — can entry what they want rapidly and independently. Even exterior collaborators like businesses and design companions profit from this centralization. Briefly, higher entry equals higher effectivity.
Fewer questions, extra solutions
Artistic groups typically face the identical, time-sapping questions: “The place’s the most recent model?” “Is that this the best emblem?” “Can I crop this picture for social media?” These seemingly easy queries add as much as hours of misplaced productiveness. A well-implemented DAM eliminates that uncertainty by serving as the one supply of fact to your group.
No extra checking Slack threads, Groups chats, or inboxes for file updates — DAM programs be certain that solely essentially the most present, permitted property can be found. This promotes constant utilization throughout the board and creates a self-sustaining system the place model consistency turns into computerized.
Improved model cohesion
And not using a centralized system, sustaining model consistency turns into an uphill battle. Advertising groups produce a number of emblem variations, product photographs seem inconsistently throughout platforms, and outdated visuals linger on web sites or collateral. DAM programs resolve this by storing all permitted property in a single organized, searchable repository.
This ease of entry encourages right utilization, which compounds over time — every touchpoint reinforces your model id as a substitute of diluting it. The outcomes are tangible: stronger model recognition, elevated buyer belief, and a coherent model story that builds lasting viewers connections.
Self-service entry empowers designers
And not using a DAM device, designers are sometimes pulled into asset administration roles — fielding requests, clarifying file variations, or recreating present property. A DAM empowers workers to self-serve their asset wants, drastically decreasing dependency on designers for day-to-day duties.
This shift permits inventive professionals to give attention to what they do greatest: designing. With fewer interruptions and administrative burdens, designers can channel their vitality into creating impactful visible tales that elevate the model. The consequence? Larger effectivity, improved inventive output, and a crew that may innovate moderately than simply sustain.
Not all DAM programs are created equal
Google Drive is a DAM system. So is SharePoint. Even your organization’s outdated intranet technically qualifies. However in relation to digital asset administration, not all programs are created equal.
Selecting the best DAM to your group isn’t only a matter of desire — it will possibly basically have an effect on how properly your groups entry, handle, and use model property.
A generic storage system may maintain your information, however a purpose-built DAM empowers your groups. It transforms chaotic content material libraries into streamlined ecosystems. To unlock these advantages, you could select properly.
Listed here are just a few key concerns that can assist you consider and implement the best DAM for your corporation.
Person expertise
One of many greatest differentiators between common and best-in-class DAM programs is search performance. Check real-world situations like: “Present me all out of doors way of life images that includes numerous fashions used prior to now six months.” A powerful DAM ought to return exact outcomes, even with out actual filenames or folder data.
Tagging capabilities
Efficient tagging is important for findability. Can customers bulk-tag tons of of property directly? After a 200-image photoshoot, can your crew simply add metadata like location, topic, photographer, and utilization rights? The perfect programs provide AI-assisted tagging that identifies objects and scenes to hurry up this course of considerably.
Safety and permissions
Versatile entry management is non-negotiable. Are you able to prohibit company companions to a single marketing campaign folder whereas retaining different supplies personal? Are you able to create time-bound entry for freelancers that auto-expires? These options guarantee model security with out sacrificing collaboration.
Measurement and analytics
Primary obtain stats aren’t sufficient. Search for DAM platforms that present actionable insights: Which property are most utilized by gross sales? Which photographs result in larger conversion charges? Sturdy analytics tie asset utilization to enterprise impression.
Vendor assist
Implementation doesn’t cease at buy. Consider the seller’s onboarding course of, assist sources, responsiveness to characteristic requests, and buyer opinions. Nice assist makes a long-term distinction.
Scalability and customization
Trendy advertising and marketing calls for flexibility. Select a DAM that may develop along with your wants — whether or not that’s launching multi-brand portals, creating branded templates, or organising partner-facing libraries. A no-code customization interface is good, permitting you to tailor the DAM with out counting on vendor back-end adjustments.
The necessities of a profitable DAM rollout
A DAM system isn’t simply one other piece of software program — it’s the spine of an organized, environment friendly, and brand-consistent group. However even essentially the most highly effective device is ineffective if it sits idle.
Profitable implementation takes greater than flipping a change. To unlock its full potential, you want company-wide adoption, clearly outlined success metrics, and a considerate migration technique.
Right here’s how to verify your DAM device doesn’t find yourself as simply one other forgotten system.
Cultural adoption
The best danger to any DAM system rollout isn’t technical — it is cultural. Even essentially the most superior platform gained’t ship worth if groups don’t use it. Resistance to alter, clunky interfaces, or lack of coaching can quietly sabotage adoption. To beat this, assume out of your customers’ perspective: Can they rapidly discover what they want? Is the interface intuitive?
Begin by figuring out inner champions throughout departments who can advocate for the system and assist drive utilization. Pair this with complete coaching, equivalent to onboarding classes, how-to movies, inner FAQs, and workshops, to shut data gaps and construct confidence. Making the DAM device really feel accessible and related will increase the chances that it turns into a every day behavior, not a burden.
Setting objectives and measuring impression
Rolling out a DAM system with out outlined objectives is like navigating and not using a map. Begin by pinpointing ache factors: Are groups losing time trying to find information? Are outdated property slipping into public campaigns? Is cash being misplaced on redundant content material creation or inventory purchases?
Translate these ache factors into tangible aims, like decreasing search time, growing asset reuse, or bettering model consistency. Observe each operational and strategic outcomes. For instance, reductions in compliance violations or will increase in model alignment throughout channels sign deeper ROI. These metrics assist exhibit the DAM’s worth to management and justify ongoing funding.
Asset migration
Transitioning from scattered folders to a centralized DAM isn’t only a technical train — it’s a important basis for fulfillment. Keep away from the temptation to bulk switch every thing into the brand new system. As a substitute, start with a complete audit of your present property. What’s outdated? What’s nonetheless beneficial?
Use this audit to tell your metadata technique. Develop a tagging and group framework that aligns with how your crew really searches and works. This upfront effort dramatically improves usability from day one and prevents pricey re-tagging or restructuring down the road. A clear, searchable, well-organized DAM system units the tone for long-term adoption and worth.
Ending the asset avalanche with DAM programs
The asset avalanche is not only a storage drawback — it is a strategic problem that impacts model notion, crew productiveness, and market efficiency.
By implementing a thoughtfully designed DAM system, you rework scattered model property into a robust, cohesive library that empowers groups, enhances consistency, and builds lasting model fairness.
In a multi-channel world, the manufacturers that thrive aren’t simply these with compelling tales, however these with the programs to inform these tales persistently throughout each touchpoint.
Understanding the pitfalls of asset overload is step one. Now, discover which digital asset administration instruments might help you regain management and streamline your inventive workflows.
Edited by Shanti S Nair
