What goes into a SaaS procurement journey for marketing, branding or communications teams?
Papirfly
7minutes read
Implementing new ‘Software as a service’ (SaaS) solutions and processes into a business is an exciting prospect – particularly at a time with ever-evolving developments in innovative AI software. And although the time from enquiry to go-live can sometimes be lengthy, the outcome is, more often than not, worth it.
Many SaaS products can add incredible value to your business and marketing functions. Whilst most companies you interact with will work hard to get the process moving as quickly as possible, it’s important to understand what lies ahead so you can manage your team’s expectations – as well as your own.
It’s important you understand each stage of onboarding, the benefits these offer and the support you will receive. This plays a vital role in establishing your own timelines and internally organising when you can hit that green button.
Here we explore some of the documentation you may come up against and break it down so you know what’s needed of you. Many of the following processes may happen concurrently, others may be dependent on another part of the process.
Identifying your brand champion and stakeholder team
Successfully implementing a new SaaS solution requires strong internal advocate to spearhead the project. In addition, a broader team of individuals from across the business that perform the crucial role of ensuring the smoothest possible process to implementing the technology that can make a significant business impact. This set of people are known as your brand champion and stakeholder team.
Your brand champions
Typically the person who is driving the project will be your brand champion. They will have the strongest understanding of the software, its purpose and how it’s set to drive change within your business.
Your brand champion will act as a guide on your SaaS journey, and be the main point of contact for both parties, your company and the vendor. While they may not directly be responsible for signing paperwork – as that’s someone in the wider stakeholder team – they will coordinate what they need from various departments.
If capacity allows, we recommend assigning two brand champions, just to ensure there is more than one person completely up-to-speed – and to cover any holidays or absences should the process take several months, which can sometimes be the case.
Your stakeholder team
The stakeholders are the wider team of people who will also be involved in all of the following steps – usually across various departments including procurement, finance and IT. You may not yet know who these people of which your champion or teams will comprise.
Next steps in the procurement journey
What follows are key steps and anticipated timeframes for you to be able to set expectations for yourself, the key roles mentioned above, and the teams that will eventually be benefiting from the investment of your new SaaS solution.
Signing of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
This is an optional but highly recommended step for your brand and, if required, will happen early on in the process. It’s at this stage a vendor can give you peace of mind that all discussions between you are confidential. This can range from ensuring any documents, visuals or other intellectual property shared are protected, to keeping new launches and information under wraps.
Many vendors will have a standard NDA already drawn up, but will usually be more than open to using your company’s template should this make you more comfortable.
Signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI)
This can happen anytime from a verbal commitment taking place. While this document isn’t legally binding, it can give both you and the vendor written confirmation of plans to kick-off the project, and begin your onboarding journey together. It will also help the vendor put in place provisional timelines.
Again, the vendor will likely have their own template ready for you to sign, but should be open to using your company’s own if preferable.
IT and Security Assessment
An IT and Security Assessment may sometimes be referred to as a Third Party Assessment or TPA. This will likely be the most challenging stage for your brand champion and vendor.
The vendor will supply you with information about their security, resilient technology, risk and mitigation strategies to demonstrate that their processes are all legal, compliant and ethical. Your team will be responsible for providing the questions they need to answer.
It may take some time for your internal team to gather questions, and be completely satisfied with the answers. Depending on the level of detail needed, it could take longer than expected. That said, it is a crucial step for your team to understand that the vendor has your best interests before making such a big commitment.
Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
Your DPA could fall under your main contract/agreement, but not always. In isolation, this document essentially helps to ensure that your company’s data is handled properly, securely and legally. While companies will have their own template for this, and could be open to using yours, it is more than likely they will want to provide their own document for total peace of mind.
Vendor onboarding
This is a common process for any vendor or supplier, but will be an important step in your SaaS onboarding journey. Without payment, there’s no service supplied. Ensuring the vendor is accurately set up as a supplier on your purchasing and finance systems will mean you’re ready to go once the rest of the stages are complete.
Your finance and procurement departments will be able to advise you of which information they need, but it is likely to include:
Company registration number
VAT number
Banking details
Registered addresses (which may need various proofs such as a letter from our bank)
Other countries may have additional procurement forms that need submitting such as a W9 form in the USA
Main Agreement or Contract
This is the core document that governs your agreement with the vendor and outlines the nature of your professional relationship moving forward. It may include SLA information, product and pricing information or any of the documentation we have discussed, but it is likely that they will be handled separately in more detail.
As your contract is the cornerstone of the SaaS implementation, it is likely to need many rounds of review. There will be questions from both sides and answers that need establishing before the final Ts are crossed and Is are dotted.
This is the lengthiest part of your SaaS journey simply because it includes the most detail, and it is a legally binding document, which means there is more at stake for each party. This will be what sets all expectations and delivery outcomes. While vendor or client template is likely to be acceptable, it will be a close collaborative process which will see a unique document formed.
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Although this information is often embedded into the core agreement, you are within your right to ask for a more comprehensive and specific SLA document (sometimes requested as an Annex or Schedule to the Agreement).
Product and Pricing Information
You may also request more detail on product, onboarding and pricing outside of the core agreement. This usually includes a Sales Order Form and/or a Statement of Work. It is worth noting that no matter how far you are down the road, vendors are unlikely to budge on changing budgets and deliverables if details have already been agreed upon.
Purchase Order
A straightforward document that follows the core agreement being signed. This will need to be issued by your finance team once your internal teams are all happy to proceed.
The right SaaS software can change everything — so prepare for anything
The stages outlined in this article can all be straightforward, with the right support from your vendor. You may get assigned a dedicated Customer Success Manager or Account Manager who will make each action clear for you.
For brand management platform excellence, we pride ourselves on delivering a thorough, straightforward onboarding process for our clients as part of the product and service Papirfly provides. As a global leader in all-in-one brand management solutions, our SaaS platform empowers teams to activate every element of a brand’s identity across the globe – so you can expect to experience first-hand the stages above, with each person and stage involved treated as equally important as the next.
Apple. Google. Starbucks. The world’s most famous brands don’t achieve this status by accident – they are masters of brand consistency.
Brand consistency is the foundation from which customers recognise, understand and trust your brand. From your visual identity and colour palette, to your tone of voice – keeping every aspect of your identity unified is critical for long-term success.
As developers of solutions that empower hundreds of global organisations to stay consistent, we’re experts in true brand consistency and how to achieve it.
In this ultimate guide, you’ll discover exactly why consistency is so important, and what you can do to maintain it across every marketing touchpoint:
See statistics that demonstrate the value of consistency
Learn what tools and techniques are crucial to brand consistency
Discover brands that have their identities locked down
Find out how to overcome common brand consistency challenges
Want to build a brand that resonates with customers wherever they see it? Then let’s get started…
What is brand consistency?
Brand consistency is when you present a unified, harmonious brand voice across all marketing materials. Websites, emails, social media platforms, brochures, posters – everything your potential customers see carries your unique identity.
Think of it as the glue that holds your brand messaging together, from a huge billboard in a busy city, all the way down to a single TikTok. Maintaining a consistent style across all your marketing campaigns and channels helps familiarise your target audience with who you are, what you stand for, and how you can help them.
4 essential elements of brand consistency
The most successful brands ensure that every strand of their marketing is woven with their distinct personality. That means every key element must be aligned…
Visual identity
McDonalds’ golden arches. The Starbucks Siren. The four fundamental colours on every Google product. Consistent visual elements are crucial if you want people to recognise your brand, as it’s often the first thing prospective customers will connect with.
From your logo and colour scheme, to the brand images, typography and design elements you utilise. These all communicate your brand’s identity, and should never deviate across any of your assets.
Tone of voice
How you communicate with your potential customers plays a huge role in how they perceive your organisation. Do you keep things simple and jargon-free like Apple? Are you motivational and aspirational like Nike?
No matter how you talk to your target audience, your distinct tone of voice and language must be reflected in every message, from a simple Instagram caption to a multi-page brochure.
Brand messaging
The core values at the heart of your organisation should influence every brand element you create. Your brand’s promise, vision and goals transform occasional customers into full-blown advocates, so these messages must be reflected in your marketing materials.
Social media
A go-to destination for billions, brand consistency on social media is essential to establish your identity to a worldwide audience.
Over 75% of consumers use social media to decide what brands to engage with, so you want to ensure everything you share on these platforms reflects your personality – from a YouTube video to a pithy Facebook post.
Remaining consistent across these elements gradually propels brands into people’s hearts and minds – ensuring that everyone understands who your company is, wherever they encounter your messaging.
Why is brand consistency so important?
Brand consistency is a long-game strategy, and vital to ongoing success in any market.
You want customers to think of you first and foremost for whatever product you sell, service you offer, or cause you represent. And in our experience, consistency in your messaging is the path to fulfilling that ambition.
But the benefits don’t stop there……
Brand consistency differentiates your company
Your brand is your most valuable asset in setting yourself apart from your competitors. By consistently presenting this across your marketing channels, you help people understand what makes you different and why they should choose you over anyone else.
In an increasingly competitive landscape, a clear, consistent brand presence can ensure your target market sees your unique proposition no matter what platform they engage with.
Brand consistency helps audiences recognise you
Did you know that it takes up to 7 interactions with a brand for the average customer to remember it? That’s a lot of touchpoints! So, if every one of these interactions is inconsistent, your audience might not attribute that credibility to your company.
Maintaining brand consistency across all channels ensures that, as your prospects take the gradual journey of ‘learning’ your brand, they get the same impression each time. This familiarity leads to recognition, boosting your odds of repeat business.
Brand consistency builds trust with your customers
As well as recognition, brand consistency is a hallmark of trust. Modern customers expect a seamless, coherent experience with the brands they engage with. This is the crux of a strong, lasting relationship – if each customer interaction with your brand is slightly different, it makes it much harder for them to understand what you stand for.
Consistent brands create loyal customers, where both sides always know where they stand. By staying aligned on all media channels, you help your audience truly understand you.
Brand consistency supports your bottom line
Loyal customers lead to repeat purchases, which in turn raises your profitability. Research suggests that consistent brands enjoy over 20% more revenue growth when compared to brands that don’t take this as seriously.
Need more convincing? Brands that consistently tell their story also often see their brand value grow up to 20% as well. Plus, inspiring loyal, repeat customers is a more fruitful source of revenue than having to constantly reach out to new audiences.
Beyond your ROI, strong branding also breeds authority, which in turn builds brand equity. Excellent brand equity is the objective for any commercial organisation and is a good indicator of how much your target audience loves, trusts and acknowledges your brand.
This is only achievable through sustained interactions and customer experiences, and a key step on the path to brand salience. In fact, becoming a thought leader is how brands like Google, Hoover, Velcro and more entered our everyday vocabulary.
Brand consistency brings your employees together
Brand consistency benefits more than your customer experiences – it also means a lot for your employer brand. In the competition to secure the best candidates, it’s a huge advantage that potential recruits are clear about who your company is and what sets you apart from others in your industry.
Staying consistent across all your employer branding – from your online recruitment page to your onboarding materials – reassures recruits and helps build a united identity among your existing team members.
What happens if a brand lacks consistency?
Inconsistency is a silent brand killer. If you fail to maintain a uniform presence across your various channels, it can:
Erode the trust between your brand and your audience
Limit your ability to turn occasional consumers into loyal customers
Negatively impact the stature and perception of your brand
Confuse and irritate buyers, leading to poor customer experiences
Reduce your long-term profitability
Affect your ability to consistently recruit top prospects
We’ve seen first-hand how inconsistency can severely hurt people’s marketing efforts, making it much harder to grow a core of repeat customers. Learn from mistakes like Coca-Cola’s “New Coke” campaign – make sure your brand message stays aligned.
Is brand consistency only important for large corporations?
Absolutely not. While many of the world’s most renowned brands have achieved this through unwavering consistency, they all started somewhere.
No matter the size or scale of your business, or whether you appeal to a local or global audience, consistent branding helps customers understand, recognise and trust you. It’s critical to building a loyal customer base – something every startup or small business should aspire to in a world of constant change.
Creating and maintaining brand consistency
Now you understand how valuable brand consistency is to the present and future of your organisation, how do you create and maintain it? Let’s break it down piece by piece…
Brand strategy
It all starts with your brand and marketing strategy. This establishes the identity, mission and personality you will project across all your marketing channels, so it must be carefully considered. So from the outset, ask yourself:
Who are our target audiences? What are their motivations and values?
What values do we stand for?
What colour schemes, language and more will resonate with our audiences?
What marketing channels and types of content will we utilise?
As well as these fundamental questions, your strategy can establish if your company’s branding adapts to different areas of your business. Consider Tesco – it’s a well-known multinational retailer, but also branches out into banking, mobile phones, photo printing and more.
Therefore, Tesco slightly adapts its brand messaging to suit each particular audience, while retaining enough of its core identity to flow its equity across all areas. If your company has distinct services for different audiences – say a service aimed at consumers and another at businesses – you may consider a similar approach.
Brand guidelines
If strategy is the base of brand consistency, brand guidelines are the blueprint to maintain that consistency. This iscrucial for ensuring consistency across all brand elements, setting the rules for how your brand must be presented.
What colour palette do we base our designs on? What is our tone of voice? Where do we place our logo on social assets? The answers to these questions and many, many more should be found in your brand guidelines.
So, what should you include in this essential user manual?
Brand identity
Logo, including variations, spacing and sizes
Colour palette, with specific hex codes or Pantone values
Typography, with font styles, sizes and weights
Visual identity
Imagery, listing approved photos, illustrations, icons, etc.
Graphic elements, including specific patterns, textures and design elements
Layouts, breaking down parameters for different content styles
Tone of voice
Brand language, describing what terminology your brand employs
Messaging, covering communications for different channels and audiences
Brand usage
Applications, explaining variations of your brand identity on different channels or materials
Misuses, clearly showing what not to do with your brand elements
But, it isn’t enough to have brand guidelines – you need to know people are following them. Over 85% of companies have brand guidelines; only around 30% actually use them.
So, it’s important that you make your brand guidelines accessible to anyone who produces branded assets, and train your team in how to use them, whether this is part of your induction process or ongoing rediscovery sessions.
Evolving beyond guidelines, truly consistent brands create dedicated brand hubs that contain every aspect of their unique identity into one centralised, digital resource.
This is effective as it offers an interactive, comprehensive breakdown of the components, templates and more that will keep your brand aligned on every platform. With FAQs for your users and examples of pre-approved assets, brand hubs are becoming increasingly vital for end-to-end consistency.
Brand templates
Smart design templates take the essence of your guidelines and put them into action in an automatic, second-nature way.
Harnessing templates removes the pressure on designers and marketers to constantly interpret or recall your guidelines. Instead, these fixed components, colour schemes and more are laid out as required, without any risk of deviation.
This unlocks numerous benefits beyond just a more consistent brand presentation…
Brand templates make producing assets quicker and more efficient
Brand templates allow designers to be creative and consistent
Brand templates reduce decision-making time and streamline workflows
Brand templates minimise the time spent proofing and amending assets before they are published
Brand templates help create a more professional, quality brand image
Brand templates help local outlets adapt company assets for their specific audiences
Simply put, digital design templates are a must-have for unwavering consistency and agile communications – two things modern customers expect.
Recycling assets
A great tip for maintaining brand consistency and streamlining production costs is recycling assets. This is not simply posting the same asset over and over again – it means taking an asset and repurposing it for another audience, channel or time of year.
For example, say you’ve produced a two-minute explainer video on a product for your YouTube channel. How many 10-second TikToks or Reels can you make from that video? Could you take visuals and parts of the script to create pamphlets or digestible social assets?
By regularly recycling brand assets, you stretch the value of each resource and help ensure a consistent, unbroken presentation across your platforms.
Digital Asset Management
A high-quality Digital Asset Management (DAM) system is another vital tool in your bid to stay consistent. At its core, a DAM is a central repository of all approved, compliant assets, providing a single source of truth in your organisation.
How does this support brand consistency?
It gives your marketers a clear guide of what brand images and assets are suitable for use
It lets you see the latest versions of assets, so any old or outdated branding is never shared
It allows you to tag assets for specific locations, channels and applications, so these are reserved for specific uses
It lets you review and see all assets in one place, and identify any issues before they are presented to the public
A solid DAM system is a powerful ally in the battle for better brand consistency. It’s why we dedicate significant time and energy to making our Place product one of the leading DAMs globally, as detailed in the latest Forrester Wave™ Report.
How do you measure brand consistency?
While there is no set metric you can use to measure brand consistency, there are some steps you can take to track this:
Run a brand audit, reviewing the assets you created across your channels in a set timeframe. This will highlight any brand assets that have deviated from your guidelines, so you can identify what went wrong and introduce measures to fix this.
Track the usage of your approved assets and templates, as this will illustrate how regularly your marketers are using your brand consistency software and services
Monitor the views of your brand hub, which again offers a window into how often your team is reflecting on the guidelines at the heart of your branding
6 brilliant brand consistency examples to learn from
So, you now know the value of brand consistency and what can help you maintain it. Now it’s time to learn from organisations that make consistency a cornerstone of their approach…
1. Google’s clever colour palette
Today, whenever we see the careful combination of red, blue, yellow and green together, our minds immediately go to Google. This ingenious colour scheme has spread from the heading of their search engine into their wide variety of apps to bring them all under one umbrella.
This consistent branding immediately adds authority to any new product Google brings out, and remains at the heart of their near-universal recognition.
2. Nike’s seamless simplicity
Just do it. Swoosh. Four simple words, all instantly attributable to Nike. One of the world’s premier clothing and footwear companies, Nike’s consistent application of their iconic logo on their products, brand materials, packaging and more was vital to achieving this status.
This is coupled with a familiar flow of language and imagery centred on achievement, motivation and empowerment – messages that permeate every piece of content they produce.
3. Starbucks’s standout identity
Starbucks’s globally recognisable brand centres on its consistent use of its iconic Siren logo, personalised customer experiences and cosy ambience. This stability has made Starbucks the go-to name in the highly competitive coffee industry.
This is the power of consistent branding. In terms of products, Starbucks isn’t much different from any other coffee cafe. However, their immediately identifiable visuals – and the meaning they hold to customers worldwide – place them head and shoulders above the competition.
4. Apple’s universal presentation
It’s arguable Apple is the standard bearer for the benefits of brand consistency. From its sleek product design to its minimalist advertising campaigns, every aspect of Apple’s brand communications promotes simplicity, innovation and premium quality.
This universal application extends from its websites and stores through to its social media platforms and, coupled with the intuitiveness of Apple’s products, has helped the company develop its cult-like following.
5. Patagonia’s powerful messaging (H3)
The best brands are founded on beliefs and values that connect with customers on a deep, emotional level. That is the secret to Patagonia’s growth over the decades, continuously pushing its commitment to the environment and ethical behaviours.
Placing this at the core of their brand guidelines, marketing campaigns and initiatives has enabled Patagonia to build a devoted fan base and a strong reputation.
6. BMW’s roadworthy branding (H3)
As the maker of “Ultimate Driving Machines”, BMW has long held a powerful, reliable reputation for quality, dependable vehicles. This is echoed in their brand identity and visuals, blending their superior engineering with their motto of delivering sheer driving pleasure.
But, with hundreds of dealerships scattered over Europe and beyond, BMW know the need to maintain consistency from location to location. Through Papirfly’s brand management platform, BMW NE has closed the distance between HQ and their individual dealerships, keeping communications coordinated and on-brand at all times.
3 common brand consistency challenges… and how to overcome them
Total brand consistency should be the aim of any organisation. But achieving it is easier said than done. Here are three of the biggest pain points to reaching this goal, and our specialist advice on navigating them.
1. Maintaining brand consistency across different marketing channels
Social media. Emails. Digital ads. Posters. Billboards. The nuances of each marketing channel can make it easy for inconsistencies to creep into your branding.
We know from experience that establishing design templates for every channel your organisation appears on is critical to fixing this problem. Rather than put all the responsibility on your team members, this approach ensures that certain brand elements, from your logo positioning to colour choices, are as they should be – from your display ads to in-store banners.
Using intelligent, high-quality templates, you can achieve a consistent presentation at every touchpoint – and make producing these assets significantly faster and cost-effective!
2. Remaining consistent on a local and global level
For organisations that operate in multiple regions worldwide, one of their greatest brand challenges is maintaining consistency on a global scale. It’s understandable – HQ can’t be everywhere at once, so what prevents individual stores and offices from going off-piste to appeal to their audiences?
The key is to find the right balance – a foundation of brand compliance, with room to personalise assets for specific target markets. Global branding with a local touch. Brand templates can play a crucial role here, setting parameters your local teams cannot stray too far from.
A centralised DAM system is also useful. This allows you to tag images and assets for particular audiences, so they can only be employed where relevant. Consequently, you maintain a consistent presence in each location AND achieve the personal touch today’s customers demand.
3. Rebranding your organisation
After a rebrand or a significant update of your branding, there’s always a risk that old brand elements are accidentally published at a later date, confusing customers who are adjusting to the switch-up.
To prevent this, your first step is to ensure your brand guidelines and/or brand hub reflect this new identity. As the home of your branding, this must immediately be aligned with the rebrand to keep your marketers on message.
Then, harness your DAM solution to file away any assets that no longer have the correct branding, or update these under your new guidelines. This will ensure your central repository is free of any old designs, so your teams can pick from these with complete confidence.
As AI continues to evolve, its benefits to the marketing industry aren’t going unnoticed. One area it can definitely play a part is nailing down consistency – making this a more effortless, intuitive process for marketers worldwide.
Here are some of the ways it can achieve this:
Chatbots that speak your language
As chatbots and AI prompts become more sophisticated, companies will eventually be able to program these to understand and mimic their brand’s language and tone of voice when responding to customers. Eventually, this will mean users receive personalised responses, which still align with your overall brand messaging.
Faster, more accurate asset location
In your DAM systems, AI allows for faster and more accurate tagging of assets, so you can identify the right one to use in any campaign or location. Plus, as contextual searches become stronger, users can find on-brand, relevant assets for their specific needs in seconds, streamlining your production processes.
AI-generated brand assets
Taking templates to the next level, AI technology is gradually gaining the ability to produce high-quality images, videos, designs and more, while working within set brand guidelines. With this greater degree of accuracy, marketers will one day have the tools to create branded assets with total confidence and outstanding efficiency.
At Papirfly, we’re constantly experimenting with the potential of AI to improve all areas of brand management. If you want to learn more about the latest developments to our platform, check out our regularly updated release notes.
Papirfly: A platform made for consistent brands
We hope our ultimate guide to brand consistency has helped you understand its value and showed you how it can be achieved.
At Papirfly, brand consistency is one of the fundamental driving forces behind our end-to-end brand management platform. Our solutions are helping over 600 brands worldwide stay on top of their assets, so they never stray from the guidelines at the heart of their brand identity…
POINT: Empowering every person who uses your brand with one online brand portal
PLACE: Establishing a single source of truth for your on-brand assets with our globally renowned DAM
PRODUCE: Intelligent templates that allow you to create an infinite number of assets quickly and consistently
Mastering global brand consistency while empowering local markets – key insights from Rabobank’s strategy
Papirfly
2minutes read
Papirfly’s Brand Management Specialist Justin Diver was recently joined by Roel Smit Rabobank’s ‘Product Owner of Brand Portal’ for an insightful webinar “Elevating brand reputation globally while empowering local markets’.
During the discussion Rabobank shared effective strategies and experiences, offering invaluable insights for brands looking to balance global consistency with local relevance.
Webinar highlights and key insights
1. Strategic brand management across borders
Rabobank has successfully managed to maintain its brand identity across a global workforce of 43,000 by integrating strategic brand management tools that accommodate both global oversight and local flexibility. The discussion highlighted how technology can facilitate the decentralised execution of brand strategies, ensuring that local teams have the tools and autonomy needed to adapt brand messages to their specific markets.
2. Efficient asset production and campaign execution
The webinar delved into how streamlined processes for asset production and campaign execution can significantly enhance operational efficiency. By adopting a centralised platform for brand management, Rabobank has managed to reduce time-to-market for campaigns while ensuring that all marketing efforts are consistent with the brand’s core values.
3. Measuring success through brand metrics and ROI
Tracking brand metrics and understanding the return on investment (ROI) from brand management activities are critical for justifying marketing spend and guiding strategy adjustments. Rabobank’s approach to quantifying the effectiveness of their brand management strategies offers a blueprint for other organisations aiming to measure and enhance the impact of their branding efforts.
4. Navigating challenges in brand consistency
Maintaining a unified brand identity across diverse markets presents significant challenges. Rabobank explained how they address these issues and highlighted the importance of having robust systems in place that support both global brand consistency and local market adaptation.
Linking brand management to brand equity
For organisations aiming to mirror Rabobank’s success, understanding foundational steps to building brand equity is pivotal.
To discover more about how Rabobank utilised Papirfly’s brand management platform to achieve global consistency and local relevance in brand management, watch the webinar in full below.
Navigating the future of brand management with integrated DAM solutions
Papirfly
3minutes read
Papirly’s recent webinar “Beyond DAM: Shaping the Future of Brand Management Strategies,” brought together a distinguished panel of industry experts to delve into the evolving landscape of Digital Asset Management (DAM) and its pivotal role in brand management and compliance. The session featured insights from Chuck Gahun, Principal Analyst at Forrester; Jane Robinson, Global Employer Branding Director at Boston Consulting Group (BCG); Priya Patel, Senior Market Research Analyst at G2; Thomas Larzilliere, CEO of Keepeek; and Papirfly’s own Max Sihvonen, CoSo.
The webinar explored three main areas:
the latest technological trends in DAM,
the increasing demand for personalised and localised content across diverse channels,
the significance of efficient asset management in creating on-brand assets
A consistent theme throughout the discussion was the synergy between DAM and brand management. This highlighted the need for solutions that not only manage digital assets but also ensure brand consistency across all platforms.
Emerging trends and consumer expectations
The panel unanimously agreed that consumer expectations are driving the need for more sophisticated DAM solutions. Chuck Gahun emphasised the societal shift towards interactive engagement, necessitating brands to centralise assets to deliver immersive experiences across multiple touchpoints. This is pushing DAM solutions to evolve, incorporating features like 3D models for virtual reality and API-driven content delivery to meet the demand for personalised experiences.
Priya Patel shared insights from G2’s user reviews, noting an increased demand for DAM features that support integration with marketing and creative software, digital rights management, analytics, and workflow management. These features are crucial for brands to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace by delivering high-quality, relevant, and on-brand content swiftly.
The integral role of DAM in brand management
Jane Robinson shared BCG’s journey of implementing Papirfly to drive global brand consistency. The DAM platform has become a “one-stop shop” for BCG’s employer branding needs, allowing for the creation of personalised and customised assets that adhere to global brand guidelines while enabling local teams to add a personal touch. This balance of global consistency and local relevance has been key to BCG’s employer branding strategy.
Thomas Larzilliere discussed the evolving role of DAM in content production and brand compliance. With the proliferation of content across various platforms, maintaining brand governance has become more complex. DAM solutions are central to managing this complexity, ensuring that assets are produced correctly, efficiently, and in compliance with brand guidelines.
Key insights and future directions
The webinar showcased not only the current state and evolution of DAM but also revealed key insights pivotal for the future of brand management:
The imperative for agile content strategies: One critical takeaway was the growing need for brands to adopt agile content strategies that can quickly adapt to market changes and consumer behaviours. This agility is facilitated by platforms that go beyond traditional DAM, offering robust analytics and insights that allow brands to pivot and personalise content in real-time.
Enhanced collaboration across teams: Another revelation was the increasing importance of fostering collaboration across creative, marketing, and IT teams. Integrated DAM and brand management solutions are breaking down silos, enabling cross-functional teams to work cohesively towards common branding goals, thus accelerating content lifecycle processes from creation to distribution.
Security and compliance in Digital Asset Management: With the rise in digital content, ensuring the security and compliance of digital assets has become a forefront concern for brands. The discussion highlighted how modern DAM systems are incorporating advanced security features and compliance tools to protect brand assets and adhere to global regulatory standards.
These insights highlight the journey beyond traditional DAM, emphasising the critical need for brands to adopt holistic, secure, and adaptable brand management platforms. This will be essential for staying competitive and thriving in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
For further exploration on how these trends impact your brand strategy and how Papirfly’s brand management platform can support your brand’s growth, catch the webinar below, or learn more about our platform.
Staying on-brand is no small feat – especially for global enterprises.
As well as managing digital assets, you’re handling an intricate brand ecosystem of audiences, regions, identities, distribution channels, campaigns, creative teams, and external partners. The pace is relentless. Expectations are rising. And brand visibility has never mattered more.
This is where Digital Asset Management (DAM) becomes a powerful advantage. For busy brand and marketing teams, DAM isn’t just a storage solution – it’s a central engine for efficiency, consistency, and compliance.
Here are seven ways a Digital Asset Management system can help you stay on-brand in 2025, whether you’re focused on scaling content creation, improving asset distribution, or reducing the manual processes that slow teams down.
1. Centralize your digital assets in one secure library
DAM helps you stay on-brand by… giving all team members access to pre-approved assets, ensuring consistency and accelerating speed to market.
A DAM provides a single, secure platform for all your digital assets, whether that’s campaign photography, product videos, approved artwork, or final marketing collateral. Without it, assets are often lost in silos: hidden on local drives, buried in inboxes, or split across tools and agencies.
Without a Digital Asset Management system, brands often struggle to find and use their digital assets. They can be scattered across the organization and external agencies, hiding on desktops, departmental drives, and intranet sites. This creates major risks: from accidental use of outdated or restricted assets, to costly delays and rework.
By centralizing everything in one global library, you eliminate those risks. A powerful DAM enables you to bring thousands, even millions, of assets together in one brand portal. Now creators can easily access the assets they need – with smart search, version control, and metadata built in. Usage rights and consent tracking also ensure compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR.
And by making it easy to find, reuse and repurpose assets, you reduce duplication, save time, and cut creative costs.
2. Establish a one-stop destination for brand guidelines and assets
DAM helps you stay on-brand by… giving everyone access to up-to-date brand guidelines and approved assets
A Digital Asset Management system is more than storage – it’s a distribution platform. Through branded portals and shareable links, you can securely share assets with anyone who needs them, inside or outside your organization.
DAMs are often used to create a brand hub. This becomes a one-stop destination for guidelines, templates, imagery, logos, and tone of voice resources. It also provides a powerful tool for brand education, enabling teams to understand and apply your brand vision the right way, whether they’re internal designers or third-party vendors.
Because it’s structured, searchable, and user-friendly, it’s far more accessible than static PDFs or outdated SharePoint folders.
A sales enablement hub for dealers and distributors
A media portal with press-ready assets
An employer brand space for HR and internal communications
3. Empower local teams with Templated Content Creation
DAM helps you stay on brand by… giving teams the ability to create localized content without straying from global brand standards
Local marketing teams need flexibility. They often face market-specific demands – from retail promotions to localized brochure – that require rapid turnaround. Without the right tools, these teams are likely to go rogue. The result? Off-brand materials that weaken overall brand equity.
The best Digital Asset Management systems integrate with Templated Content Creation tools. This gives local teams access to editable templates—pre-approved, pre-designed, and fully on-brand. They can customize them using approved imagery, copy, and layouts, without needing design expertise. Advanced, AI-powered DAMs will even offer automatic translation into different languages.
This unlocks true efficiency. Local markets get the autonomy they need. The central team maintains quality control. And your brand remains consistent across every region and channel.
Does everyone create content that’s on‑brand, every time?
Find peace of mind with better brand governance.
Does everyone create content that’s on‑brand, every time?
DAM helps you stay on-brand by… automating compliance and consent processes to ensure every asset that goes out of your organization is safe to use
Navigating the ever-changing landscape of GDPR and compliance is complicated, time-consuming and fraught with risk. But a modern Digital Asset Management (DAM) solution can make it much quicker and easier, ensuring every asset released is compliant and ready for use, whether it’s an image, video, voice clip or quote.
Some DAMs have built-in consent management features that do everything from capturing permissions via QR codes, emails or printed forms, to instantly flagging assets based on consent status. Assets without proper clearance remain restricted to admin-only access, reducing the risk of accidental misuse. And if someone revokes their consent? The DAM automatically withdraws every related asset across your ecosystem, including timed expirations for short-term approvals.
By providing automated tools for managing privacy and consent requirements at scale, the best Digital Asset Management solutions enable teams to focus less on complex legal checklists and more on the quality of their creative output.
5. Automatically archive out-of-date assets
DAM helps you stay on brand by… flagging outdated assets that need retiring or replacing
The use of out-of-date assets is one of the biggest risks to your brand identity. Old logos. discontinued product images. Visuals from the last campaign but one. They all do immediate damage to your brand.
DAM software helps you eliminate this risk through lifecycle management and automatic archiving. Set expiry dates, flag outdated content, or trigger reviews based on usage.
You can also use built-in analytics to inform decisions. If an asset is underused – or looks out of step with your current identity – you’ll know it’s time to retire or replace it.
In this way, a DAM makes managing digital assets simpler and safer than ever.
6. Protect embargoed assets
DAM helps you stay on-brand by… streamlining digital asset management workflows and safeguarding assets against premature use
Speed matters. But so does control. If you’re launching a new product or campaign, you want creators and partners ready to go – without risk of letting unreleased brand assets fall into the wrong hands.
A Digital Asset Management system gives you advanced permission controls and usage rights, so you can restrict asset access by team, role, region, or project. For example, you can allow a graphic designer download rights but a marketing manager view-only access.
You can even set timed releases, so assets automatically become available at launch. This keeps your brand protected and your workflows streamlined.
7. Apply brand treatments at scale with AI
DAM helps you stay on-brand by… automatically editing digital assets to match your brand visual identity
Automation has always been one of the key benefits of Digital Asset Management systems. As DAM software grows ever more sophisticated, that automation is taking ever more forms – including AI marketing automation.
Many Digital Asset Management solutions now include AI marketing tools in one form or another. The best AI tools for marketing enable organizations to automate and scale a wide range of what were once manual tasks. For example:
Photography treatment – the AI marketing tools in your DAM can automatically apply brand treatments to images, so all photography is in the brand style.
Resizing – modern DAMs use AI marketing automation to resize assets on demand for different web, print, and email templates.
Tagging – the AI in your DAM can automatically identify the content of uploaded assets and tag them with meaningful metadata, saving you hours of mindless effort.
How DAM software helps you build and maintain brand consistency
The all-in-one Papirfly Suite combines Digital Asset Management and templated content creation to help teams showcase, manage, and create on-brand content – consistently and at scale.
Learn more about how our suite of solutions can help you protect and strengthen your brand, now and in the future.
FAQs
What is Digital Asset Management (DAM), and how does it support brand consistency?
Digital Asset Management (DAM) is a central platform that stores, organizes, and distributes digital assets. DAM solutions like Papirfly help brands stay consistent by providing controlled access to approved content, reducing duplication, ensuring compliance, and enabling faster, on-brand content creation across teams and regions.
How does DAM software help global teams create on-brand localized content?
DAM systems with integrated templated content creation allow local teams to adapt pre-approved assets while preserving brand integrity. This makes localization faster and more cost-effective, and creates regional flexibility.
How does DAM software simplify compliance with GDPR and other regulations?
DAM software automates consent tracking and compliance management. It restricts access to assets without the correct permissions and can revoke or archive content if consent changes. This minimizes legal risk and helps brands protect their reputation.
What risks does Digital Asset Management prevent in brand marketing workflows?
DAM helps eliminate the use of off-brand content, outdated visuals, and unauthorized assets. With features like lifecycle management, permission controls, and embargo settings, it safeguards brand identity while streamlining asset usage across teams and campaigns.
How is AI used in modern DAM software to maintain brand consistency?
AI in DAM automates tasks like tagging, image treatment, and asset resizing. It applies brand styles to visuals, categorizes content with metadata, and ensures assets are formatted for each channel.
7 reasons Digital Asset Management is essential for employer branding teams
Papirfly
5minutes read
Employer branding is under pressure. Hybrid work models, shifting employee expectations, and a global talent market mean organizations must work harder than ever to attract and retain top talent.
But building a consistent, engaging employer brand across multiple channels and teams is easier said than done. With content demands soaring and resources stretched thin, it’s no surprise many employer branding teams are feeling overwhelmed.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone – and you’re not out of options.
Why is employer branding getting more complex?
Today’s candidates expect more from employers – not just great benefits and work-life balance but meaningful work, authenticity, and societal impact as well. For this reason, a compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a prerequisite for attracting people who align with your company culture and mission.
Yet delivering that EVP consistently across platforms, teams, and markets is a challenge. From careers sites to social media, employer branding has gone digital – and the assets that power it have multiplied. Managing them with spreadsheets and shared drives simply doesn’t work.
Managing digital assets: key risks and challenges
Photography, campaign videos, brand templates, social content, regional adaptations, internal communications… the list of assets produced and managed by employer brand teams grows daily. And when those assets are scattered, hard to find, or inconsistently used, it’s not just frustrating. It’s risky.
Key challenges of managing digital assets include:
Wasted time –Searching for assets that are in the wrong place or hidden behind obscure file names.
Wasted money – Recreating assets from scratch because the right ones can’t be found in time.
More risk – Using outdated assets or restricted assets because it’s unclear which are correct.
Inconsistency –Because people are frustrated with the current system and just start doing their own thing.
Missed opportunities to localize – Because there isn’t time to optimize materials for different markets.
A Digital Asset Management system provides a centralized, searchable home for all your brand assets – one that’s accessible to everyone who needs it, but secure and governed by clear permissions.
Employer branding teams use DAM software to:
Store and organize campaign materials, brand guidelines, and multimedia assets
Share files with internal and external partners instantly
Protect against misuse with version control and access rights
Digital Asset Management brings structure to asset chaos. Teams no longer lose hours searching for files or recreating content. With a single source of truth, materials are always where they should be, and always up to date.
2. Free up space for strategy
Using DAM software dramatically reduces time spent on ineffective processes, so you can focus on what really matters – like strategically shaping your Employee Value Proposition and getting creative about how you communicate it.
3. Make localization easier – and smarter
From messaging written in local languages to photography that reflects regional demographics and cultural norms, localized content performs better. But without the right tools, changing assets takes too much time. A Digital Asset Management system makes adapting materials much quicker and easier. Distribute them via your brand portal, and you can also ensure each region only accesses the assets meant for them.
4. Guarantee employer brand consistency
Consistency is key to successful employer branding. A strong and recognizable visual identity increases brand recognition and supports objectives around global talent acquisition, recruitment, and engagement. With a DAM, you ensure every asset stays on-brand by providing everyone with access to pre-approved templates, imagery, and messaging – from HR to marketing to regional leads.
5. Respond faster to new opportunities
Whether it’s a viral hiring campaign or a last-minute event, a DAM gives your team the agility to act – without compromising brand standards. Users can locate, modify, and repurpose digital assets at speed. Your business can respond promptly to emerging opportunities, building even stronger connections with candidates and employees.
6. Reduce risk and improve compliance
Outdated logos. Withdrawn imagery. Unauthorized use. These risks disappear when assets are clearly tagged, permission-controlled, and automatically versioned in a DAM.
7. Empower employees to become brand ambassadors
Your people are your most authentic storytellers. A Digital Asset Management system helps them take their stories out into the world, by giving them easy access to on-brand content they can share – from job ads to ‘new position’ celebrations to personal success stories.
How DAM software empowers your employer branding team
The future of employer branding demands scale, speed, and control. DAM delivers all three. With Papirfly’s Digital Asset Management and Templated Content Creation suite, you can transform how teams create, manage, and distribute the content that shapes your employer brand. Result: consistency, compliance, and maximum impact at every candidate and employee touchpoint.
Discover what’s possible with DAM
See how leading teams create and control their employer brand at scale.
Discover what’s possible with DAM
See how leading teams create and control their employer brand at scale.
Why is Digital Asset Management important for employer branding teams?
Digital Asset Management (DAM) gives employer branding teams a centralized platform to store, organize, and distribute brand content. It ensures brand consistency, saves time, reduces risk, and supports localized content creation across regions and departments.
What challenges do employer branding teams face without a DAM system?
Without DAM software, teams struggle to manage employer branding assets and waste valuable time searching for the content they need. This can lead to work being duplicated and outdated or off-brand materials being used by mistake.
How does DAM software improve localization for employer branding content?
A Digital Asset Management solution like Papirfly enables employer branding teams to adapt brand assets for local markets and share them easily. Local teams can also use templated content creation tools to rapidly produce their own studio-quality content, without risk of going off-brand.
In what ways does DAM support employer brand consistency and compliance?
DAM ensures everyone uses approved, up-to-date content by controlling asset access and versioning. It reduces the risk of using outdated logos or expired imagery and guarantees that all employer branding materials meet brand and legal standards.
How does DAM software empower employees to contribute to employer branding?
With DAM, employees can easily access on-brand templates and content to share authentic stories, celebrate milestones, or promote new roles. This enables them to become brand ambassadors while ensuring consistency across shared content.
Empowering employer branding – insights from SAP and Papirfly
Papirfly
3minutes read
Papirfly and SAP recently joined forces to showcase an engaging discussion on SAP’s employer branding and employer ambassador program.
The session, led by Papirfly’s VP Marketing Siril Jacobsen and Nneka Mmeh, Global Employer Branding at SAP emphasised strategic collaboration and innovative approaches to employer branding. Papirfly’s brand management platform enabled SAP to harness the power of their workforce in storytelling, turning employees into brand champions.
This partnership not only enabled SAP to enhance their employer branding but also showcased the transformative impact of leveraging employee experiences in attracting and retaining top talent. The discussions provided actionable insights into
creating a compelling employer value proposition (EVP)
emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and employee empowerment in building a strong, engaging employer brand
The power of employee ambassadors
SAP’s journey into enhancing its employer branding strategy with Papirfly’s support shows a commitment to not only attract but also to nurture talent by fostering a culture of inclusivity and empowerment. The creation of an employee ambassador program exemplifies SAP’s innovative approach, leveraging the voices of its workforce to amplify the company’s values and culture. This initiative, driven by Papirfly’s brand management platform, enabled SAP employees worldwide to share their authentic experiences. As a result, it humanized the SAP brand and significantly improved its market positioning as an employer of choice.
Revolutionising talent attraction through brand consistency
The webinar highlighted the importance of brand consistency across all channels and the role of Papirfly’s platform in achieving this for SAP. By implementing a centralised employer brand management system, SAP was able to streamline its messaging. This ensured that the employer brand resonated well with its global audience. This strategic move not only enhanced the company’s visibility but also guaranteed that potential candidates received a coherent and compelling narrative about what it means to work at SAP.
Strategic insights for employer branding professionals
For employer branding professionals, the discussion provided invaluable insights into the strategic planning and execution of a successful employee ambassador program. From revamping the employer value proposition to leveraging social media and digital platforms for storytelling, the webinar offered a blueprint for organisations looking to elevate their employer brand.
The role of Papirfly in SAP’s employer branding success
Papirfly’s role in this journey was highlighted as more than just a platform provider. It was a strategic partner enabling SAP to leverage technology for brand management and employee engagement. The use of Papirfly’s solutions facilitated a seamless integration of brand assets, storytelling, and employee advocacy, setting a new standard for employer branding excellence.
Measurable success – the impact of SAP’s employer branding strategy
Increased engagement: SAP saw a remarkable increase in employee engagement on social media platforms, where ambassador content received higher interaction rates compared to standard corporate postings.
Improved talent acquisition: By leveraging employee testimonials, SAP saw a substantial improvement in its talent acquisition efforts. The data showed a notable decrease in time-to-fill for open positions. This highlights the effectiveness of a strong employer brand in attracting qualified candidates swiftly.
Enhanced employer brand perception: Surveys conducted before and after the implementation of the ambassador program indicated a significant improvement in SAP’s employer brand perception among targeted talent pools. The positive shift in perception reflects the impact of humanising the brand through employee narratives.
Greater employee retention: The initiative also played a crucial role in enhancing employee retention rates. By empowering employees to share their experiences and become brand advocates, SAP fostered a deeper sense of belonging and loyalty among its workforce. This contributed to a decrease in turnover rates.
Enhancing efficiency and savings: The financial efficiency gained through SAP’s partnership with Papirfly particularly highlighted a staggering $100,000 saved in potential agency costs in 2023. This reduction in potential expenses was achieved by utilising Papirfly’s platform for in-house brand management and content creation, bypassing the need for costly external agencies. The strategic approach not only streamlined SAP’s marketing expenditures but also illustrated the effectiveness of leveraging internal capabilities to foster a compelling and authentic employer brand. This also shows the tangible benefits of SAP’s innovative employer branding strategy
A blueprint for future success
The collaboration between SAP and Papirfly showcases the transformative power of employer branding when executed with strategic intent and the right technological support. For companies looking to attract and retain the best talent, the insights shared in this webinar serve as a blueprint for leveraging employee voices to create a compelling and authentic employer brand. To discover more about how SAP utilised Papirfly’s brand management platform to get set up for success watch the webinar in full.
Your Digital Asset Management guide to complete content control
Papirfly
15minutes read
If digital asset chaos is making your teams less productive and your brand less consistent, it’s time to look at Digital Asset Management (DAM). Our Digital Asset Management Guide is here with the full lowdown.
Digital Asset Management (DAM) is a structured and secure way of managing all your organization’s digital content. It eliminates the chaos of misplaced files, outdated visuals, and inconsistent messaging, delivering brand assets to your teams on a silver platter.
What are digital assets?
Digital assets are more than just files. They’re all the visual, audio, and design resources your business invests in creating – and which in turn create value for your business. From images to videos, campaign artwork to sales documents, every asset shapes how your organization looks and sounds. Managing them effectively protects your investment and your brand.
Files like images, video, audio, and artwork are digital assets. Anything you can use and combine to deliver strategic goals for your business. For example, by creating marketing collateral, employer branding materials, or ecommerce listings.
Why is Digital Asset Management important?
Your digital assets represent your intellectual property, creative investment, and brand identity. Without the right system, they’re vulnerable to loss, misuse, and inefficiency. And that puts your investment – and your reputation – in jeopardy.
With DAM, assets are securely stored and easily accessible, so everyone uses them correctly every time. Result: faster workflows, stronger governance, and greater brand equity.
What does DAM software do?
A DAM platform provides a single, centralized location to store, organize, and share your brand’s digital files. It replaces fragmented systems – like shared drives or departmental folders – with one intelligent hub built for marketing operations.
Key features include:
• Centralization for easy access across teams and regions
• Metadata and taxonomy for powerful search and discovery
• Permission controls to protect sensitive assets
• Workflow automation to accelerate review and approval processes
Four types of software for Digital Asset Management
Digital Asset Management software comes in several forms, each suited to different business needs and technical setups. Here’s how to tell them apart.
1. On-premise DAM
An on-premise DAM is software that you manage in-house and that’s installed in your organization’s IT infrastructure. You maintain full control over the system, handling updates, security, and performance internally. It puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, but can be beneficial for organizations with strict compliance requirements.
2. Cloud-based DAM
A cloud-based DAM (or cloud DAM) is hosted and managed by the software provider. You access it securely through the internet, while your vendor is responsible for all upgrades and maintenance – ideal for teams looking for flexibility and easy scalability. (We compare on-premise and cloud-based DAMs in more detail below.)
3. Enterprise DAM
An enterprise DAM is built for large, complex organizations that need advanced scalability and global brand governance. These systems typically include enhanced digital asset storage, global permissions, and localized support for multiple regions or teams. While the core functionality mirrors standard DAM systems, enterprise versions are optimized for performance and control at scale.
4. Headless DAM
A headless DAM is designed to operate quietly behind the scenes. It does not have a front end for accessing and managing digital assets but instead connects directly with other business systems, like Product Information Management (PIM), ecommerce platforms, or content delivery networks.
Why Digital Asset Management matters more than ever
Here are four key trends that are prompting modern businesses to switch to Digital Asset Management systems.
1. Demand for digital content has skyrocketed
From websites and social channels to intranets, third-party platforms, and traditional print – brands are producing more content in more formats than ever before. Without an intelligent way to organize and categorize assets, it’s easy for teams to lose track, duplicate work, or dilute the brand.
2. Remote work and collaboration have become standard
It is now common for global teams, freelancers, and partners to collaborate across time zones – and they can only do so effectively if they have easy access to the same assets.
A cloud-based DAM enables exactly that. Teams can find, share, and update approved materials anytime, without compromising compliance or version control.
3. Competition for people’s attention is getting fiercer
Digital content is exploding while attention spans shrink. In this world, you only have a few seconds to make an impact on consumers – and consistency and recognizability are two of your greatest brand assets.
DAM acts as your brand consistency software, giving every employee access to approved visuals, templates, and guidelines.
4. Cyber threats are growing more frequent and sophisticated
DAM platforms are built with encryption, permissions, and audit trails to keep digital assets protected. Teams have full control over who can access, edit, or share files.
Six essential features of Digital Asset Management – and how they benefit your business
1. Centralization and organization – one home for every asset
A DAM system serves as a single, centralized digital asset library. Instead of files being scattered across drives, inboxes, and third-party platforms, everything lives in one secure, searchable location. Automatic version control ensures everyone is working with the latest file. Built-in audit trails capture every edit and approval.
Key benefits: Control brand assets, eliminate duplication, and reduce usage errors.
2. Search and discoverability – find what you need, fast
What use is a digital asset library software if nobody can find their way around it? DAM uses metadata, taxonomy, and visual search to make every asset instantly discoverable.
Metadata adds context so assets can be found through multiple search routes – for example through product names, campaign tags, regions, or usage rights. Taxonomy gives your library logical structure. Visual thumbnails make searching easier by allowing users to preview files at a glance.
Key benefits: Boost productivity by saving many wasted hours spent searching for the right file.
3. Security and sharing – protect and control your brand’s IP
Brand assets are valuable intellectual property – and DAM protects them accordingly.
Granular permission controls ensure only authorized users can view, download, or edit specific assets. Encryption safeguards data in transit and at rest, while secure link sharing replaces risky transfers and expired downloads.
Key benefits: Ensure assets can be accessed by the right people – and only the right people.
4. Brand compliance, GDPR and regulatory obligations
Beyond security and sharing, a DAM plays a vital role in maintaining brand and regulatory compliance. With privacy laws and advertising standards tightening worldwide, brands need centralised control over how assets are stored, accessed and used.
By embedding consent information, expiry dates and usage rights directly into asset metadata, a DAM ensures teams only use approved, compliant content. Automated restrictions prevent expired or unlicensed materials from being published, while detailed audit trails capture every action for complete transparency.
Benefit: Reduce regulatory risk, ensure DAM GDPR compliance, and maintain customer trust through controlled, compliant asset management.
5. Collaboration and automation – work smarter, not harder
Today’s DAM systems are built for collaboration. Cloud-based access connects internal teams, agencies, and freelancers, enabling real-time feedback and faster approvals across time zones.
Automation features take efficiency even further. From AI-assisted tagging and automatic file conversions to fully automated workflows for publishing content, DAM removes repetitive manual work so your teams can focus on creativity and strategy.
Benefit: Enable seamless collaboration, reduce bottlenecks, and speed up time to market for every campaign.
6. Analytics – insight that drives smarter decisions
DAM analytics reveal which files perform best, who’s using them, and where gaps exist. This allows you to make data-driven decisions about future content investment and creation.
Benefit: Get clear visibility into asset performance, so you can continuously optimize your brand strategy and content spend.
Integrations – connecting your DAM to the tools that power your brand
Virtually any system that needs access to digital assets can integrate with your DAM – and your DAM can feed images, video, documents, and data directly to that system. Here are four of the most common types of DAM integration:
DAM + CMS
Integrating DAM with your CMS gives web editors advanced search and filtering tools – so they can quickly find the perfect assets to bring your website to life.
DAM + design software
Enable designers to browse, drag, and drop approved visuals directly from your DAM – without having to leave the window they’re working in.
DAM + PIM
Using a Product Information Management (PIM) system? Linking DAM and PIM lets you automatically pull product images into catalogs and ecommerce platforms, accelerating time to market.
DAM + CRM
Integrating with your Customer Relationship Management system allows teams to create brand-compliant assets faster, with content being automatically formatted for each channel.
Who uses DAM systems?
Marketing
Marketers use DAM to centralize, organize and categorize assets, ensuring everyone involved in campaigns can collaborate efficiently. Marketing asset management software gives creatives access to up-to-date assets and artwork, allows for rapid distribution to end users, makes it easier to manage event collateral, and enables you to automate workflows.
Creative agencies
Agencies use DAM to streamline and accelerate production processes and to protect and manage assets for different customers. Some even offer DAM services to customers as an additional revenue stream. Learn more about digital asset management for agencies
Content creators
For publishers and content creators, speed and accuracy are everything. A DAM provides a central hub to store, tag, and retrieve written, visual, and multimedia assets instantly.
Ecommerce and retail
Consumers buy with their eyes. By organizing product images, videos, and marketing visuals in a DAM, ecommerce and retail teams can ensure accurate, consistent, and high-quality presentation across websites, marketplaces, and campaigns.
Employer brands
DAM provides an employer branding platform for teams to manage recruitment campaigns and materials in one centralized asset library. It ensures every message, visual, and video reflects your company’s culture and helps create a unified candidate experience while also acting as an internal communications management tool.
Corporate brands
Consistency builds trust — and trust drives growth. That’s why corporate brands use DAM. By providing a single source of truth for brand guidelines, logos, templates, and visual assets, the system empowers people to represent the brand accurately, wherever they operate.
Make sure the right people access the right assets
Create bespoke hubs for your teams.
Make sure the right people access the right assets
When is the right time to invest in Digital Asset Management?
Every organization reaches a point when managing digital assets manually is no longer sustainable – and when a DAM goes from being a “nice to have” to business-critical. Here are eight signs you may have reached that point.
1. Your systems are slowing your teams down
Disorganized files, outdated systems, and endless searching are draining productivity. A DAM centralizes all your digital assets in one secure, searchable place, so everyone can get what they need – fast.
2. You need to cut costs, without cutting corners
A DAM accelerates and automates workflows, helping you increase operational efficiency and save precious time.
3. Your assets need stronger protection
A DAM’s granular access permissions will help you ensure only authorized users can view, edit, or download assets.
4. Your brand consistency is slipping
By providing a central source for approved brand assets, logos, and guidelines, a DAM helps every department stay on-brand.
5. You have remote working issues
A cloud-based DAM allows freelancers, agencies, and teams to collaborate seamlessly from any location.
6. Your current digital asset storage systems can’t keep up
Switching to a DAM enables you to handle thousands (or even millions) of assets without slowing down. The DAM scales with you, no matter how complex your operations get.
7. You need to raise your content game
A DAM system will enable you to create, distribute, and publish higher-quality content – at speed and at scale.
8. You’re digitizing your processes
Putting DAM at the center of your digitization strategy creates a foundation for smarter, faster, more connected operations.
The business case for Digital Asset Management
From reducing costs to accelerating go-to-market speed, DAM delivers benefits you can quantify and scale. Here’s how it pays off:
1. Greater operational efficiency
DAM streamlines processes across the board – from automating repetitive tasks like image resizing and file conversions to enabling seamless collaboration between global teams. No more duplicated effort, lost files, or “where’s the latest version?” messages. Everything lives in one organized, searchable system, ensuring assets move quickly from creation to delivery.
The impact: Accelerated digital asset management workflow, fewer manual interventions, and campaigns that launch on time and on brand.
2. Smarter resource optimization
DAM eliminates inefficiencies by giving teams instant access to approved assets. That means creatives spend more time creating, marketers spend more time strategizing, and every contributor focuses on work that drives business growth.
The impact: Greater productivity, higher engagement, and stronger returns from every role in your marketing, internal communications, and brand ecosystem.
3. Tangible cost savings
DAM doesn’t just help you achieve time and efficiency gains – it also directly reduces operational spend. For example:
Team members can find and repurpose existing assets, so they don’t have to create them from scratch
Enhanced visibility into your asset stock reduces the risk of duplicated work or purchases
DAM minimizes your risk of costly legal exposure
The impact: Real savings, reduced waste, and smarter reinvestment in content that performs.
The ROI of Digital Asset Management
Based on typical deployment and usage patterns, an average Papirfly customer achieves:
212% Return on Investment (ROI)
$1.17 million Net Present Value (NPV)
80% reduction in effort required for asset creation
$200 average agency spend avoided per asset
Payback period: under six months
Understanding the costs
We’ve included some typical DAM costs below. When planning your investment, it’s important to weigh these up against the cost of not having a DAM. How much time and money will your organization continue to lose by having disorganized assets?
Upfront costs –Mostly just for on-premise licenses and infrastructure setup
Subscription fees –Cloud-based models usually charge per user per month
Storage – Additional fees may apply for higher volumes
Number of assets – Some pricing models consider how many assets you need to store
Features and customization –Some advanced capabilities, customizations or integrations may incur extra cost
Maintenance and support –You may need to pay a monthly fee for technical support and training
Migration – You may choose to pay the vendor or a third-party to migrate your assets to the new DAM
In-house costs – Don’t forget to factor in-house costs like the time it will take to research and implement the system
How to choose and implement a DAM system
Selecting a DAM system is a major decision that should not be rushed. Here are some pointers to help you make the right choice – and make it count.
1. Define your requirements
DAM works best when it serves the whole organization, not isolated departments. Identify who will use the system, how they’ll use it, and what challenges it needs to solve.
Ask key questions:
What goals will the DAM support?
What types and volumes of assets will it manage?
Which workflows need automation?
Which existing systems (CMS, CRM, PIM, etc.) must it integrate with?
2. Research your options
With hundreds of DAM platforms available, research is essential. Don’t just rely on paid ads or surface-level comparisons. Instead:
Look for vendors with proven success in your industry.
Read independent analyst reports like The Forrester Wave™.
Check user reviews on trusted sites such as G2 or Capterra.
And remember – the best DAM for your organization isn’t necessarily the most expensive. It’s the one that fits your processes, culture, and future vision.
3. Test and compare
Once you’ve narrowed your list, arrange product demos and hands-on trials. Compare each system against your requirements document. Assess usability, performance, and overall fit for your teams.
You should also invite key stakeholders to join the demo sessions. Their input will ensure the system you choose supports every corner of your organization.
Beyond pricing and features, key elements to consider when assessing potential DAM solutions include:
Functionality
Start with the essentials: centralized storage, advanced search and filtering, permissions, and asset version control. Then look at more sophisticated capabilities such as automation, templating, and AI-assisted tagging. If you need your DAM to double as brand portal software or to connect with ecommerce systems, ensure those features are built in, not bolted on.
Scalability
DAM scalability is critical. Look for a solution that will effortlessly expand as your teams, regions, and content volumes grow. You should be able to add users, storage, and integrations without disrupting operations or budgets.
User experience
Even the most powerful DAM won’t deliver ROI if people don’t use it. The interface must be intuitive, visually clear, and easy to navigate. A good user experience encourages adoption and helps teams make the system part of their daily routine.
Integrations
A DAM should fit seamlessly into your existing tech ecosystem. Look for integrations with your CMS, design tools, CRM, or PIM systems to connect workflows and prevent duplication. This ensures assets flow smoothly between teams and channels.
Vendor support
Strong vendor support makes all the difference during setup and beyond. Ask about onboarding, self-service resources, and response times for technical issues. You want a partner – not just a provider.
Which is better? It all depends on how much control you need – and how much responsibility you’re willing to take on. Here’s a snapshot of how the two models compare:
On-premise DAM
Cloud-based DAM
Access
Restricted access
Anywhere access
Scalability
Limited by your in‑house storage capacity
In theory, unlimited storage, but with costs attached
Maintenance and updates
You are responsible for upgrades and maintaining the system
The provider is responsible for upgrades and maintaining the system
Security and control
Direct, maximum control
Reliant on provider
Customization
Customization options via your in‑house team – maximum flexibility but limited by IT capacity
Some customization usually availability via support request – may incur additional cost
Integrations
Via your in‑house team
Some available out‑of‑the‑box and others via your own team using APIs
Upfront costs
Bigger upfront costs – you buy the platform outright
Lower upfront costs – you buy subscriptions (seats)
Deployment
Slower due to need for infrastructure set up
Faster as minimal infrastructure needed – simply deployed online
Data sovereignty
Greater control over geographic location and data sovereignty
Less control over geographic location and data sovereignty
Access
On-premise DAM: Restricted access
Cloud-based DAM: Anywhere access
Scalability
On-premise DAM: Limited by your in-house storage capacity
Cloud-based DAM: In theory, unlimited storage, but with costs attached
Maintenance and updates
On-premise DAM: You are responsible for upgrades and maintaining the system
Cloud-based DAM: The provider is responsible for upgrades and maintaining the system
Security and control
On-premise DAM: Direct, maximum control
Cloud-based DAM: Reliant on provider
Integrations
On-premise DAM: Via your in-house team
Cloud-based DAM: Some available out-of-the-box and others via your own team using APIs
Deployment
On-premise DAM: Slower due to need for infrastructure set up
Implementing a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system is a big deal for your organization – a cultural shift in how everyone creates, manages, and protects content. Following these proven best practices will help you get the most out of your investment.
1. Be strategic from the start
Your DAM initiative should directly support your wider business goals. Whether you’re focused on improving efficiency, enhancing collaboration, maintaining brand consistency, or driving digital transformation, use your objectives to guide every stage of implementation.
2. Audit your assets and workflows
Your DAM provider will have a LOT of questions. Come prepared with knowledge of how many assets you have, where they live, how they’re used, and who needs access to them, as well as information on file types and workflows.
3. Don’t just replicate – innovate
This isn’t about digitizing the status quo. It’s about creating the kind of system you’d love to have. Speak with the teams who create, approve, and distribute content. What challenges do they have? Where do bottlenecks occur? What could be improved? You should also ask your DAM vendor how other customers use the software to see if there are any innovations you could adopt.
4. Plan for onboarding and training
However intuitive your new DAM system, users will still need training and support to use it effectively. Requirements will vary between user groups. For example, admins are likely to need hands-on workshops while casual users should be able to learn through video tutorials or quick-start guides. Create a communication and training plan to help you roll out your new software and get people excited about using it.
5. Commit to long‑term governance
Without regular maintenance, even the best-designed system can become cluttered and inefficient. Establish clear governance practices – and if your asset library is extensive, consider appointing a DAM manager or librarian. Their responsibilities should include:
Archiving outdated or redundant assets
Reviewing metadata and taxonomy for accuracy
Managing user access and permissions
Overseeing security and software updates
Monitoring usage and optimizing performance
The future of AI‑powered Digital Asset Management
DAM systems speed up manual, time-consuming processes – and, with intelligent automation, they’re doing it faster than ever. Here are three ways that AI is shaping the next generation of Digital Asset Management.
1. Smarter metadata through AI auto‑tagging
Modern DAM systems handle one of the most important yet repetitive asset management tasks automatically via AI metadata tagging. AI asset management software can instantly recognize an image, video, or document and apply meaningful tags that describe its content, even during bulk uploads of thousands of files.
The impact: Faster uploads, consistent metadata, and a stronger foundation for content discovery.
2. AI-powered search and recommendations
Search within DAM is evolving from reactive to predictive. AI algorithms now analyze user behavior – from search patterns to content engagement – to deliver smarter, personalized recommendations. Instead of typing in the perfect keyword, users are guided to the assets most relevant to their role, project, or past activity. This means less searching, more discovering, and far greater productivity.
The impact: Assets find you – not the other way around.
3. Generative AI within DAM
Generative AI is the next frontier. While some DAM systems already use it to make light edits, the technology is rapidly expanding in scope. Soon, users will be able to create new assets directly within their DAM environment. Imagine using a brand video maker or image generator to generate campaign variations and localized content in seconds.
The impact: A future where DAM doesn’t just manage content – it helps create it.
Beyond this Digital Asset Management guide – take control!
If digital asset chaos and constant approval bottlenecks are slowing your organization down, a next-generation DAM like Papirfly could be the solution. Organize and showcase your brand, create content on-demand, and scale global governance.
Take the next step on your DAM journey
Discover how Papirfly helps brands manage and scale content.
Take the next step on your DAM journey
Discover how Papirfly helps brands manage and scale content.
Why responsible AI adoption matters for your brand’s reputation
Papirfly
5minutes read
Every week, new AI tools and use cases hit the market. For branding and marketing teams, this can be an exciting prospect, as new ways to work and collaborate are discovered, leading to dramatic time and cost savings and turbocharged creative capacities.
At the same time, however, the rush to invest in or use free online AI solutions can backfire if care isn’t taken, with potentially huge consequences for teams and their businesses.
Amongst the new AI tools on the market, Generative AI (GenAI) is particularly important for brand marketing. As with the popular ChatGPT and Midjourney tools, GenAI allows users to describe tasks and let powerful computers get on with generating outcomes.
These could be AI generated images and brand assets, customer support messages, or new campaign ideas.
A survey of communications professionals found that, while almost 86% were optimistic about the potential of AI, 85% were also concerned about the legal and ethical issues.
Over the coming years, how companies use their AI tools will have a direct impact on their reputation, how much customers trust them, and how markets treat them.
Modern brands should be aiming to use these new technologies to create real value for customers, businesses and society. It starts with knowledge, understanding, and careful planning.
Establishing trust in uncertain times
Customer trust has long been understood to be at the core of successful branding. As consumers we simply like to spend our money with brands that we believe in. Research also shows that customers who trust a brand are three times as likely to forgive product or service mistakes.
When it comes to adopting AI tools, it’s therefore important to ask yourself the question – is our company using AI in a way that builds customer trust? Or could our choices be doing the opposite?
Sparebank found this out the hard way, when it came to light that the Norwegian bank had used an AI generated image without being labelled as such.
This broke legislation on misleading marketing, which requires that subjects used in ads be real users of the product or service. It also potentially contravened Norwegian regulations on image manipulation, which require that images that have been airbrushed or edited are clearly marked in order to reduce pressure that could lead to shame or body dysmorphia.
The result was a media storm, in which Sparebank were forced to publicly admit their mistake and promise to take more responsibility in future.
The lesson? New capacities created by AI tools might seem great on paper, saving time and money and helping to bring new creative ideas to life. However, if they contravene legislation or prevailing social norms, the best intentions can quickly backfire.
Respecting privacy with AI technologies
How many people are currently using ChatGPT at work, unaware that information entered into its prompt box is technically in the public domain?
With most companies building their AI tools on the back of third-party machine learning algorithms, complex issues are raised around data protection and privacy. Without proper assessment and training, well-meaning employees may end up breaching GDPR and other data-protection regulations without realising.
Until regulators and legislators catch up with AI technologies and provide clear and unambiguous guidelines, this is a potential minefield for brand reputation.
Companies need to take care not to intrude into their customer and employee’s private lives in ways that overstep reasonable boundaries.
Consider that, as tools get more powerful, brands will be able to advertise and persuade us with increasingly subtle and powerful strategies. Where is the line drawn between personalised, data-driven marketing and outright manipulation?
Or consider that there is at least one AI wellbeing tool in development that purports to allow companies to track productivity alongside employee wellbeing. All good – but what if the algorithm shows that employee productivity drops beyond a certain degree of wellbeing?
These might be speculations, but they could very soon become realities. As the famous theorist Paul Virilio once remarked, “the invention of the ship was also the invention of the shipwreck.”
Companies need to tread carefully to ensure that good intentions don’t accidentally lead to intrusive or manipulative practices, which, once publicly exposed, will meet with an understandable and expected backlash.
Implementing ethical AI solutions
With all this said, what can companies do to minimise the risk and maximise the value that AI can contribute to customers, employees, and society?
We can begin with a simple principle of humility. Despite our best attempts to guess, no-one knows for certain what the impact of AI will be. As we saw with Sparebank, what likely began as a reasonable business intention – “let’s use these new tools to save time and money” – quickly turned into a public scandal.
Sparebank quickly admitted it got it wrong, which may in the long run work to its favour. In times of uncertainty and change, transparency and honesty go a long way towards (re)building trust.
Brand teams should keep this in mind. Over the coming years, more companies are likely to have their reputations tested as they experiment with AI technologies. The most successful will find ways to innovate, while maintaining respect for their customers and sensitivity to when ethical lines are crossed.
Creating an ethical charter is one way that companies can ensure their intentions are aligned with positive societal outcomes. An ethical charter defines clear values for how AI should be used, providing a framework for decision making when boundaries get murky and regulations aren’t much use.
Be a good corporate citizen when it comes to the rightful privacy of our users
Ensure we act in an unbiased manner – always – as we’d expect to be treated too
Build in the highest level of explainability possible, because output is important
Overall, our task is simple – we must build technology that is designed to do good
Within each of these principles are further specific guidelines for how AI should be built and used within our business.
Naturally, ethical charters will vary from company to company to reflect their specific needs and markets. The aim should be to create a strong company culture, laying the foundations for ethical decision making and a reputation that customers can always trust.
Towards an AI powered future
Artificial intelligence depends on responsible humans making clear decisions within strong ethical frameworks.
To learn about how Papirfly is ethically innovating the challenges of branding and AI, check out these links.
At Papirfly, we are committed to using AI to enhance every user’s experience, all while continuing to empower the world’s biggest brands with our all-in-one brand management platform.
Learn about how Papirfly is ethically innovating the challenges of branding and AI.
Papirfly unveils seamless integration with Ungapped
Papirfly
2minutes read
In an exciting development for marketing and brand professionals, Papirfly, the renowned brand management platform, has announced an integration with Ungapped, the user-friendly communication platform equipped with a variety of marketing tools.
This collaboration promises to streamline brand consistency and enhance user experiences for both Papirfly and Ungapped users.
A hub for marketing excellence
Ungapped is a Swedish digital communication platform that caters to various marketing needs, including email marketing, SMS campaigns, event management, surveys, and marketing automation. The platform is also hosted on GDPR-compliant servers. The new integration allows users to easily pull assets from Papirfly’s Digital Asset Management solution, Place, and integrate them seamlessly into their marketing campaigns in Ungapped.
The integration between Papirfly and Ungapped introduces the ability to find, select, and retrieve assets from Place directly within Ungapped. This integration web plugin bridges the gap between brand management and marketing automation, making it easier than ever to maintain brand consistency throughout marketing materials.
How the integration benefits marketing users
Seamless asset retrieval: Users of Ungapped can now seamlessly access assets stored in Place through Papirfly’s integration. This streamlines the workflow, ensuring that marketing materials are consistently on-brand.
Time efficiency: With the integration to Papirfly’s Place, marketers can save valuable time by eliminating the need to switch between platforms. This streamlined process allows them to focus on creating engaging on-brand content and campaigns.
Brand consistency: Maintaining brand consistency is paramount for businesses. The integration ensures that all assets used within Ungapped adhere to brand guidelines, promoting a cohesive brand identity.
Enhanced user experience: Users of both platforms will benefit from the convenience of this integration, resulting in a more user-friendly experience and greater productivity.
In a world where branding and marketing are more critical than ever, the Papirfly-Ungapped integration represents a significant step forward. It empowers businesses to manage their brand with precision while efficiently executing marketing campaigns. With this partnership, users can look forward to a future where brand consistency and marketing automation seamlessly coexist, ultimately driving success and growth for their organisations.
Gå ikke glipp av en faglig ettermiddag i Oslo med eksperter fra Statkraft, Kantar og Papirfly! Start høsten med inspirasjon og konkrete tips til å bygge en sterkere merkevare. Etter faglig påfyll blir det mingling og noe godt i glasset.
