Brand Asset Management (aka BAM)
What Is Brand Asset Management (BAM)?
Brand Asset Management (BAM) is a systematic approach to organizing, storing, and retrieving digital assets associated with a brand. Digital assets can include logos, images, videos, brand guidelines, templates, presentations, marketing materials, and any other digital files that are used to represent the brand. BAM is crucial in maintaining brand consistency, ensuring that all digital assets meet the brand's guidelines and are up-to-date. It's a subset of Digital Asset Management (DAM), specifically focused on managing assets that directly impact a brand's identity and perception.
How Do You Perform Brand Asset Management?
Brand Asset Management is conducted by cataloging, tagging, and storing digital assets in a centralized system, often a digital asset management platform. Assets are tagged with metadata, such as the asset's purpose, where and when it can be used, and its relation to other assets. This ensures that they can be quickly retrieved when needed. It also involves routinely updating, archiving, or deleting outdated or irrelevant assets, ensuring that the most current and relevant materials are easily accessible.
Who Uses Brand Asset Management?
Brand Asset Management is utilized by any organization that needs to maintain and manage its brand assets. It is particularly essential for large corporations with multiple brands or geographically dispersed teams. Marketing, brand management, design, and communication departments often use BAM extensively to ensure all created materials are in line with brand guidelines and to streamline their workflow by having immediate access to the necessary assets.
What Do You Have to Watch out for When You're Performing Brand Asset Management?
When performing Brand Asset Management, it's important to ensure that all assets are properly tagged with relevant metadata to ensure easy retrieval. It's also crucial to maintain a process for regularly updating and pruning the asset library to avoid clutter and maintain relevancy. Access control is another important factor to avoid misuse of brand assets. The system must be secure to protect from any unauthorized access, yet flexible enough to allow appropriate access when needed. Also, the digital assets should align with the brand guidelines, preserving brand identity across various platforms and touchpoints. Lastly, any legal issues related to copyrights and usage rights of the assets should be properly managed to avoid legal repercussions.