DAM Chicago 2019: Conference Feedback
This article was written by Jeffrey Marino.
We posed a series of questions to a diverse range of attendees at the Henry Stewart 2019 Chicago DAM conference and have compiled their responses in this article. Common themes of interest included: Artificial Intelligence (lots), User Experience (much), Rights and Taxonomy (some) and Getting Started with DAM (more than a few).
Many thanks to the following for providing us with their insights:
Carol Lammers, Manager- Photography Services at Mayo Clinic
Tracy Olmsted, DAM Program Owner, BrandNext at Amway
Kristen Johnson, Operation Assistant at Bibliovault and student in the Rutgers University certification program for Digital Asset Management
Frank Villella, Director, Rosenthal Archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Kenn Crombé, Business & Network Developer, Kadanza
Sal Hakimi, Co-Founder, Tenovos
Matt Patulski, Project Manager and Business Analyst, CyanGate
Michael Romero, Vice President Integrated Solutions at iPR Software
Regarding the event:
Q: What were the most useful insights you gained from the DAM Chicago conference?
Carol Lammers
How to evaluate and select technology and how AI is helping with identification and metadata tagging.
Tracy Olmsted
This may not be as relevant to the conference as it was to me, but the major insight I gained is that we are on target. We’re new to the DAM space and we’ve been a bit isolated. It was reassuring to learn that what we’re asking for in our company is not only possible, but in alignment with where DAM is headed.
Kristen Johnson
I realized everyone is at different points in DAM development and it was great to see and hear what worked for some companies but not others. Everyone seemed willing to help each other.
Frank Villella
Most useful was networking, talking with other folks about their projects and challenges with getting a DAM up and running.
Kenn Crombé
That it’s not always about being the DAM with the biggest array of features, but more about gaining trust usually built through honest communication and references in one’s current client portfolio (industry-specific).
As purchase managers you can look at all the features, and end up buying a highly functional platform, but one first has gotta ask oneself how many people are going to use it and what’s the ease-of-use. The more people will use the DAM, the more relevant this argument becomes.
Clean up your metadata before to start implementing your DAM (also you have post-migration clean-ups).
Governance, you got to have it cause otherwise very likely your system will fail, cause it’s not just about clicking a button.
Sal Hakimi
We had a lot of great discussions and conversation with attendees and a few things became clear about the attendees:
There was a ton of talk about AI/ML and Rights Managements. But not real integrations or capabilities that really merge those capabilities and blend into operating models (maybe minus the Videofashion use case which to be fair uses that tech in almost a non-DAM way with their fashion video archive).
There was a fair number of attendees who did not have any DAM or feel their current DAM was no longer viable for their business objectives/lacked adoption/legacy tech. I think for the folks that had an aging DAM there was a lot of frustration on where their current vendor/tech had stalled and could not respond to what would be capabilities that are part of mature DAM tech and operations.
The metadata managers and practitioners always are a solid base of attendees and make panels or sessions with metadata informative. It’s good to see those roles still being considered key staffing for companies using DAM (even if many are the only singular resource in their company).
Matt Patulski
Metadata is the hook on which everyone needs to hang their hat.
Michael Romero
Consistent with previous conferences, DAM is an exciting space for innovation. Whether the core intellect revolves around AI or metadata, I’ve found that we increasingly develop successful ways to move the industry forward.
Q: What DAM-related topics are currently most interesting to you? and was that reflected at DAM Chicago?
Carol Lammers
Transferring to a new systems is most relevant to us at this point in time. I found the panel discussions with other organizations going through transitions informative and helpful. Yes, it was reflected.
Tracy Olmsted
We’re a global organization with DAM needs that span several markets. The DAM topics we’ve been exploring are one instance vs. multiple, cloud vs. on premises, metadata and taxonomy restructuring, AI support for metadata and search. We were able to explore all of those topics at HS Chicago. We’re also updating our DAM and we were able to talk to vendors and colleagues about what they were using and their experiences.
Kristen Johnson
I was interested in automation, AI, and preservation of objects that were pre-digital (film reels, photographs, etc). Yes, all of these subject matters were covered at the conference.
Frank Villella
My institution doesn’t yet have a formal DAM, so DAM 101 is what most interests me at the moment. This was touched upon to a small extent at the conference.
Kenn Crombé
How every DAM relates to each other and which criteria/methodology consultants really use in which “use-cases” of their clients. This wasn’t much reflected at DAM Chicago, but I understand why this is kept a bit confidential to avoid jeopardising one’s own business.
Sal Hakimi
I think the marketing and brand control over a company’s content (planning/spend/creation/execution/operations/omni-channel) hasn’t been a focus where it’s addressed holistically and looked at from the story-telling/narrative; where a Creative/Brand VP talks about what they need DAM to do; where content and operational transparency is necessary to support C-Level goals (eComm, Revenue/Retail, B2C Loyalty, Licensing….).
HS client case studies showcase ways a company (Mars, Detroit Institute, etc.) use DAM and often it is called enterprise DAM – but speakers are often IT owners, database managers that own the technology and recognize they need governance, change management, etc.
But as a software vendor – to improve our product – and ultimately innovate in the DAM industry, the bigger conversation and perspective needs to be heard and understood first. And in that way the practitioners of DAM who attend HS conferences can share their daily experiences but also begin to really speak to DAM ROI and Content Maturity because the value of DAM starts to have a narrative beyond technology.
Matt Patulski
Archive Practices in the Private Sector and Cultural Heritage. The Chicago event is always strong with museum panels and attendees. The sessions on Detroit Institute of Arts and Boston Symphony Orchestra were great.
Michael Romero
AI and enterprise-level implementations are most important to my focus at the moment and both were represented well at DAM Chicago.
From what you heard at the conference:
Q: Where do you think DAM has innovated in the last few years?
Carol Lammers
I’m new to the DAM world so not really able to fully answer this. I did find AI and machine learning to be innovative and strong potential in the future
Tracy Olmsted
I’m new to this work in the last year, but it looks like there have been some leaps and bounds in the AI space.
Kristen Johnson
AI and automation.
Frank Villella
Hard to say, since I’m new to this.
Kenn Crombé
Business and brand intelligence, with more accurate analytics to back it up.
Matt Patulski
Integrations and platforming to address MDM and Content Syndications especially in the CPG space. Most of the Case studies were not stand alone systems; they were positioned within larger organizational ecosystems.
Q: What developments got your attention?
Carol Lammers
AI
Tracy Olmsted
Definitely the capabilities behind (the) VideoFashion (case study). The use of AI for creating a searchable library was very impressive.
Kristen Johnson
AI and how to get systems at different technological levels talking/interacting with each other.
Frank Villella
The artificial intelligence aspect is fascinating.
Kenn Crombé
Business tagging (AI), and the specific use of AI in the case of Videofashion (represented by Anne V. Adami).
Sal Hakimi
The User Experience has to change for the most important stakeholders and software has to reflect how they work, where they work and not take them into a separate ‘DAM experience’.
From your own experience:
Q: Has DAM innovation, implementation and adoption helped you and your organization? If so, how?
Carol Lammers
I’m hoping it will as we transition from a 15 year old system that has not been well utilized.
Tracy Olmsted
It definitely has, but we have a long way to go. It has provided a “single source of truth” and done a great job providing a structure that protects the company from legal liability, but only if people use it.
Michael Romero
From the vendor side, innovation is extremely important to the survival and growth of our business. If we don’t acknowledge, adapt and support innovation then we should be doing something else for a living. As it relates to our customers, they expect innovation from us as we’ve built long-standing relationships with the promise of partnership for the long-haul.
Q: What issues or roadblocks need (or still need) to be overcome?
Carol Lammers
Governance and adoption by an organization of 70,000+ employees.
Tracy Olmsted
Our roadblocks are in the user experience area. You can’t browbeat everyone into using a system. You need to make it the most desirable option. The more desirable the option, the more people use it, the more we’re protected from liability. We have improvements to make in both our process and our system to create that “most desirable” user experience.
Frank Villella
We have to convince upper management to allocate the resources and invest.
Sal Hakimi
Who owns/values and supports content technologies is shifting but still has a ways to go so that Brand/Marketing use cases and realities in a company’s content journey is met. (ie, nobody wants to ‘own’ the technology but in any initial governance meeting it’s really clear that IT has very little say about ‘owning’ content spend/planning/execution for brands, which heavily defines the right technology and solution being asked for).
Matt Patulski
DAM as a concept continues to be abstract to most members of potential user communities. DAM vendors and consultants need to do a better job equipping their clients with the language to communicate the benefits and risks of Digital Asset Management. With DAM solutions expected to integrate with so many systems across the enterprise — ERP, PIM, CRM, MDM, CMS — there is a need for a community of practice and a need to drive integration standards regardless of the software architecture.
Michael Romero
Interesting question because there aren’t any that immediately come to mind. I think an area that is going to see more innovation will be the AI space, and companies will eventually build their own AI layers on top of the Amazons, Googles and Microsofts of the world.
Looking ahead:
Q: Do you think that ROI from DAM is properly understood by stakeholders? What do you think best demonstrates its value?
Carol Lammers
No. ROI is always difficult to show for most aspects of creative endeavors. I think showing the saving of time for projects through the value of being able to find assets is key.
Tracy Olmsted
I can only speak or our company, but I would say it could be better understood. That will come from the measurable KPIs that we are working to put in place. I would like to start adding the monetary value of each asset to the metadata, then measure that against the analytics we can bring back from assets that are directly placed in web, design and social platforms – things like engagement, impressions, and conversions. That way we can see that ROI of each asset by measuring its use against the cost of making it. I would also like to see more ways of gathering feedback from the DAM users about the assets. If they can comment, like and share within the system and we can measure that plus their placement in internal design and development software such as Creative Cloud and Sketch – then we have a second layer of data. All of this should go into a dashboard for creative decision makers.
Kristen Johnson
I feel like stakeholders tend to undervalue DAMs and their usefulness. One possible way of showing their worth would be for the company to show profit as a result.
Frank Villella
Ease of access to materials.
Sal Hakimi
ROI for DAM is looked at around finding content, reuse and cost savings – again, mainly due to the idea a content technology solution should show those KPI’s along with ensure the principle of brand consistency is about using/finding/reusing the ‘right content’. ROI for Brand Content is so much larger when you look across content planning, workflow and outcomes. And if DAM is connected into that ecosystem it can enrich data and show many more ROI parameters.
Matt Patulski
No. Too often there is a gap between leadership and end users as to what DAM is, when mature. The space needs to frame DAM as a service much more clearly instead of a software product that has an end life. The best way to make the case for ROI is to use examples where DAM addresses pain points such as moving large files, managing brand consistency, rights management, versioning and derivative management.
Michael Romero
The content at DAM conferences improves with each instance. I spoke to many first-timers who were extremely impressed and sometimes happily overwhelmed with the wealth of knowledge presented in one day. In my opinion, the single day in Chicago was more informative than the two days in New York this year and I think that speaks to improved programming based on listening to what practitioners need and want.
Q: What topics would you like to see discussed in greater depth by the DAM community?
Carol Lammers
Hard to say since I’m a new attendee.
Tracy Olmsted
How DAM is not just being used as a repository, but the foundation for an ecosystem and a vehicle for conversation around creative direction.
Kristen Johnson
Security and governance.
Frank Villella
Getting started with a DAM.
Kenn Crombé
Overall mapping of the different strategic directions and thus positioning of players in the industry (without necessarily mentioning any names, íf that would be a point of concern), but I guess that’s the type of knowledge that analysts like The Real Story Group try to monopolize and keep secret.
Matt Patulski
User experience and accessibility. Most DAM platforms are very immature in this regard. Supporting Mobile and tablet UIs with end users.
Michael Romero
Like a broken record, I’ll continue to raise a flag for more AI discussions. I also think that further dialogue around taxonomy and metadata continues to be a focal point necessary for our industry’s evolution.
Q: What was your overall experience of DAM Chicago and would you go again?
Carol Lammers
Yes, it was great. I made good connections, learned some new things and found out we were already doing come things right.
Tracy Olmsted
Excellent. Yes, I would.
Kristen Johnson
If I was given the opportunity, I would definitely go again. It was wonderful to see the breadth of experience from people from different organizations struggling with a variety of subject matters.
Frank Villella
It was a lot to absorb in one day; I would love to go again, but it’s quite expensive (my fee was comped).
Kenn Crombé
Friendly and open atmosphere, helpful organization of HS. It’s well suited to connect with experts/consultants in the field as well as to learn from specific case studies that were presented, but less useful to discover and connect with design & production agencies as well as potential technology integrators (which are both quite relevant for Kadanza’s expansion strategy). Yes I would like to go again, if budget and opportunities permit.
Sal Hakimi
I would always go again – I think listening and learning from this community of content professionals is vital. Refreshing the sessions and tracks so they are better defined by roles/content/maturity, having the exhibit floor turnkey and using a LOT more video for presentations, technical discussions and thought leadership…all things I hope to see in the future.
Matt Patulski
Very much enjoyed the day in Chicago. This was my 4th visit in the past 10 years. I suspect I will be back again.
Michael Romero
Loved it and would absolutely go again. Planning on San Diego in a few weeks; very much appreciate Henry Stewart Conferences and look forward to more exciting content.
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