March has always been a month of transition for me. The most obvious is the change of seasons from Winter to Spring. The days get longer, and the sunshine gets warmer. Green shoots begin to push through the soil. Winter’s dark clothes start to show signs of color and life. Al fresco dining becomes a real possibility. I start to get my fishing tackle ready for the upcoming season. And while March may not be everyone’s favorite month, for me, this transition is one I genuinely enjoy.
Transition and transformation share the same root – and if you are a marketer, Digital Transformation is a very hot topic. Every brand, team, and organization is looking for innovative ways to make creative magic happen, with digital leading the way. Creating deeper engagement with more reach and measurable results is the challenge we’re all facing.
At PhotoShelter, we set a high goal for our Digital Asset Management (DAM) software – to “Transform the Way Creative People Work.” And as we enter March, we’re bringing you a month of creative inspiration to do just that. We call it #DAMMonth, and our fifth annual installment is designed to help you thrive!
Our weekly series will focus on four key themes – “Get Smart” (DAM basics and innovation), “Workflow Wonders” (how to revolutionize your creative process), “DAM Around the World” (how DAM is empowering global brands), and Trendsetters (inspiration from cutting-edge creatives). You will see this content flow across our digital channels over the coming month so we can help make your “Digital Transformation” a reality!
We’re excited to bring you the #DAMMonth content experience and wanted to share a few key points that set the stage for what we see happening in the creative marketplace.
Creative Marketers Share the Same Struggles.
Delivering innovative, visual storytelling while managing an increasing volume of media assets and driving to do it faster than ever is a consistent challenge. Jeff Bezos built Amazon around the answers to an important question few ask, “what’s not going to change in the next ten years?” The challenges marketers face with managing complex media libraries and creating more efficient workflows will be here for many years to come. The good news is that there are a lot of tools, techniques, and technologies to help alleviate this challenge (hint, connect with us to find out how!)
“Doing More with Less” is Not a Negative. It’s Reality!
We’re all doing more with less and stretching dollars/resources more than ever. Every budget has gone through a massive re-think over the past three years, often with ruthless efficiency. But quality investments always make it past the hard decisions, especially when they save time, drive efficiency, and, ultimately, strong ROI. And when those investments do make it into “the plan,” those of us who manage budgets make sure they deliver! It’s an exercise in addition by reduction. With less to work with (CFO asks, “maybe we don’t need this?”), we find a way to be more efficient and creative – and deliver outsized results. That’s how creative people roll.
The “Experience Economy” is a Real Thing.
People love “things,” but what they love more are their memories. As we’ve come out of the critical phase of the pandemic and are out in the real world again, live events, sports, concerts, conferences, entertainment, and networking have come back in full force. Great brands, teams, and organizations figure out how to make the experience a three-part journey – before, during, and after. And the best way to do that is with visuals, the “assets” people remember, hold on to, and share more than any other media. If you connect your vision with the experience in a way that the fan/consumer can make their own, they will engage and amplify in ways that create true, lasting value for your brand.
Sports is the Creative Laboratory for Marketing.
Nearly every trend we consider “marketing today” has been piloted in the sports area. Influencer Marketing, Brand Collaborations, UGC, Artificial Intelligence, Community, Philanthropy, Collectibles, Analytics, Monetization, Podcasts, Brand Ambassadors – if you know them now (and are looking at deploying any of these for your brand), it has already permeated the sports marketplace. Keeping your eyes open to what’s happening in the sports world is a great way to get inspired and bring those tactics into your brand strategy.
Innovation Can Happen No Matter the Size of Your Organization.
Related to the point above, there are no rules in marketing. We have witnessed small non-profit organizations blow our minds with their creativity and impact, small colleges take storytelling to new heights (and bring tears to the eye), upstart brands jump past an incumbent through sheer force of creativity, and small teams delivering impact that’s 10X a bigger team because they committed to breaking the rules and making magic happen. It’s demanding but gratifying. Isn’t that why we got into marketing in the first place?
Come follow me over on LinkedIn if you have any insights you want to share, like to connect, or to have a conversation about your Digital Transformation needs.
