The evolution of digital technology and the internet has irreversibly changed the way we live our lives. Thanks to the ever-growing ‘always-on’ digital mind-set adopted by individuals and businesses alike, content has never been easier to distribute, yet more difficult to track.
Being able to navigate and utilise different channels to reach different consumers in a variety of locations creates complex challenges for advertisers striving to keep control of their digital assets. The ‘shareability’ of content through modern channels such as social media and email, as well as the more traditional methods such as television, means businesses today have the scope to take a more experimental and creative approach to multichannel marketing.
Thanks to the dawn of 4G, mobiles with larger screens and better video quality, the consumption of video content has shot through the roof. Furthermore, with most telephone networks offering data plans with huge allowances, consumers can now be reached at almost any point of the day in any location.
However, the magnitude of different handsets and supporting software now available to consumers means compatibility is a serious issue for brands. Businesses must carefully consider their route to reaching customers, and how they navigate the multichannel, multimarket, multipartner environment, which can act as a barrier between the company, partnering agencies and consumers.
A good example of the challenges organisations face in managing and distributing advertising campaigns in today’s digital world is the release of a new Hollywood blockbuster. Before the turn of the century, marketing something like this would have been relatively simple, with the distribution of a trailer being shared with audiences, either via TV or cinema.
Today, the process is far more sophisticated and most films will now have a portfolio of bespoke adverts to match a list of variables, including the time of day it is being shown, the country in which it is being viewed, and the digital channel or device via which it is being watched on. The advert also needs to be ‘social media friendly’ and not too long to encourage people to share it through their personal channels.
Traditionally, brands will work with a multitude of different vendors to manage and distribute content globally, which can be complicated, expensive and take a lengthy amount of time, causing serious logistical headaches. Brands need to find a way to guarantee relevant parties in all markets have every single piece of marketing collateral they require, exactly when they need it. So, what if brands could use a centralised framework where everyone involved could access any of the data at any given time?
CHI & Partners, the agency partner for the car manufacturer Lexus, needed just that. The company required a method to upload material in excess of 100GBs across numerous digital channels, which could also be accessed by themselves, Lexus and all other partner agencies around the globe. On top of this, the ability to track and report on all campaign activity was vital.
The company turned to Adstream, a global provider of digital advertising distribution solutions, which has experience of delivering millions of ads per year to more than 30,000 media owners in over 106 countries.
Adstream built a project environment with a unique to CHI & Partners design, which met all of its global requirements and provided an integrated platform for Digital Asset Management and distribution.
The solution enabled Lexus to carry out the necessary tracking and reporting, which provided valuable insight to improve the company’s campaign planning processes, such as reducing costs, enhancing customer loyalty and increasing the speed to market.
Many of the issues CHI & Partners faced are the same for other agencies who work with brands that need to distribute marketing assets to a range of different recipients, scattered around the globe. Every agency operates differently and in-house teams will have a different way of doing things, further complicated by different time zones, frameworks and requirements, based on their level of capacity of work with the client.
Having a globally accessible framework provides a certain amount of flexibility for all parties involved and by incorporating a DAM and delivery solution, connectivity between creative and production agencies will be increased – without compromising control of digital assets.
With so many different platforms, devices and media being accessed every day by global audiences, it stands to reason that brands need to rethink the way they handle their own content – starting in-house with a measurable and centralised global DAM.
