The hottest digital asset management trends in 2024

There’s no question about it. The world of content is changing. Just look at how generative AI has upended the creative landscape. But new technology hasn’t just transformed the way we make content. It’s changing the way we organize, manage, and leverage it too.

Digital asset management (DAM) platforms are tapping into cutting-edge advances to adapt to customers’ changing needs — helping them get more value out of their digital content.

So, what exactly is the latest and greatest in the world of DAM technology? Let’s take a look at this year’s hottest digital asset management trends.

1. Organizing and finding content with AI-powered search

Object recognition and auto-tagging have been around for a while. But today’s AI isn’t your parents’ image recognition. The latest technology — like Canto AI Visual Search — can see and understand what’s happening in images and videos. As a result, you can search by action, mood, context, or any combination of criteria to find exactly what you need for any project or campaign.

This new AI-powered search technology is changing the way brands manage and find content.

Teams are spending less time organizing and tagging content and relying more on sophisticated search features to find exactly what they need. Of course, AI-powered search and metadata aren’t mutually exclusive. Tech-savvy businesses are also using new search technology to tag assets at scale with unique metadata — like product names — so they can search with AI and use search terms specific to their products and campaigns.

Want to see more ways companies are using AI to manage brand assets? Check out The Definitive Guide to AI-Powered Digital Asset Management.

2. Leveraging DAM technology across multiple teams

Think DAM platforms are just for content and marketing teams? Think again! Nearly everyone works with digital content, and companies are discovering that DAM software can enhance collaboration and boost efficiency across all types of teams.

Marketers, creatives, and e-commerce teams — like those at global beauty brand Amorepacific — have easy access to visuals that bring complex marketing campaigns and online retail experiences to life.

Sales reps at businesses like convenience store food broker Ultimate Sales have the most up-to-date materials for every product and vertical at their fingertips.

And external-facing teams can pull together on-brand pitch decks, press kits, and distributor enablement packages in no time.

Multiplied across so many functions, the efficiency boost from using a DAM platform ripples across an organization. And with everyone pulling from the same repository of approved assets, it’s never been easier to ensure content is always on-brand.

3. Next-level integrations

Much more than just a place to manage content, DAM platforms now serve as the hub of a brand’s content ecosystem. Extensive and sophisticated integrations with other tools — like design software, marketing platforms, and content publishing systems — optimize workflows and improve collaboration between teams.

Without having to download, copy, and reupload assets, designers can edit and create in Adobe Creative Cloud. Marketers can whip up graphics in Canva. Social media managers can post through Hootsuite. And web teams can splash new images across a brand’s homepage without having to upload manually to a CMS.

With integrations like these at every stage of the content lifecycle, teams can work and collaborate more efficiently — boosting productivity and brand cohesion across every project and channel.

4. Automatic web and e-commerce publishing

In a digital-first environment, brands are under pressure to deliver impactful content, stunning product images, thoughtful customer journeys, and lightning-fast page load times. To maximize efficiency and get digital content online faster, many brands — like Fugro and Schwalbe — are turning to DAM platforms’ built-in CDN capabilities to streamline content distribution.

With a single platform functioning as both DAM and CDN, brands only need to store one version of each asset. A DAM enhancement like Canto’s Media Delivery Cloud automatically displays them in the right sizes and formats across websites, e-commerce stores, and other platforms — transforming web content distribution.

5. Integrated approval workflows

Are review and approval bottlenecks holding up your projects? A well-oiled team needs workflows that make sense, and customizable DAM workflows provide just that.

Teams around the world are saying goodbye to version mix-ups, comments in multiple places, and confusion over who should review content first. Instead, they’re using built-in DAM tools to usher content through the approval processes, ensuring assets are 100% approved and ready to share with the outside world before they’re made available for teams and partners to use.

Smart workflows like these keep projects moving, boosting productivity and getting content to market faster than ever.

Canto combines experience and innovation into one powerful platform

To maximize the potential of your digital assets, you need a DAM provider that not only understands the current trends but is also preparing for the future. With a decades-long track record of innovation — including cutting-edge AI search — Canto is building solutions for tomorrow’s challenges, not just today’s.

Packing tons of sophisticated features into one easy-to-use platform, Canto helps brands around the world enhance collaboration, streamline workflows, and extract more value from their digital content.

Want to see how AI-powered DAM technology can help your brand increase the value of your digital content? Get your free copy of The Definitive Guide to AI-Powered Digital Asset Management.