Challenge
A leading global athletic footwear and apparel company had outgrown their mid-tier digital asset management system. The company was undergoing a significant transformation in how they create and market products, moving toward digital product creation workflows that would revolutionize their design and go-to-market processes. Their existing DAM system, while functional for basic marketing needs, was becoming a bottleneck in this digital transformation.
The existing system was designed primarily as a marketing asset repository, but the company’s vision demanded an integrated environment where both marketing teams and product designers could collaborate effectively. This divide between marketing and product creation workflows was causing inefficiencies and delays in bringing products to market.
Key pain points included:
- Limited functionality that forced workarounds, such as creating thousands of nested portals to achieve basic collection capabilities
- Inability to effectively manage and visualize 3D product assets, which are fundamental to digital product creation
- Lack of integration between marketing and product design workflows, causing delays in campaign development
- System constraints that stifled creativity and efficient workflows
- Need for better integration with other enterprise systems, particularly their new Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system
- Difficulty sharing 3D product representations with internal teams and external partners
Solution
The company engaged AVP to help guide them through the process of selecting a new enterprise DAM solution. Rather than simply replacing their existing system, they sought to create an elegant, welcoming environment that would serve as a creative workspace for both marketing and digital product creation teams. This vision required a fundamental shift in how DAM technology would serve the organization.
Our approach included:
- Conducting extensive discovery to understand both marketing and DPC workflows
- Developing detailed requirements that balanced traditional marketing needs with advanced 3D asset management capabilities
- Creating an RFP that challenged vendors to demonstrate innovative solutions for managing complex digital product assets
- Facilitating vendor demonstrations and evaluations with a focus on 3D visualization and workflow integration
- Managing an accelerated timeline to help the client make a decision after years of delay
Unique Aspects
The project broke new ground in DAM by focusing heavily on digital product creation capabilities. Traditional DAM systems excel at managing marketing assets like photos and videos, but the requirements for 3D product assets are fundamentally different:
3D Asset Management
- Native 3D file rendering and visualization capabilities to allow teams to view and interact with product models without specialized software
- Support for complex material and component management, including texture maps and material properties
- Version control for iterative 3D design processes
- Ability to generate multiple file formats and views from master 3D assets
Workflow Integration
- Seamless connection between product design and marketing workflows
- Integration with PLM systems to maintain consistency between product data and assets
- Ability to share 3D assets with external partners while maintaining file integrity
- Support for automated rendering and visualization of 3D assets in marketing materials
User Experience
- Intuitive interface for both traditional marketing users and 3D design specialists
- Ability to view and work with 3D assets in context
- Support for collaborative workflows between design and marketing teams
- Tools for managing complex relationships between products, materials, and marketing assets
Results
Through AVP’s guidance, the company was able to:
- Evaluate multiple enterprise DAM solutions against their specific needs
- Challenge vendors to demonstrate innovative approaches to 3D asset management
- Move quickly toward a selection decision after years of uncertainty
- Position themselves as potential innovation partners with DAM vendors in developing next-generation capabilities
The project revealed that while DAM vendors are at different stages in supporting digital product creation, many are actively developing these capabilities. Some vendors offered established solutions, while others proposed creative approaches and invited the client to partner in developing new functionality.
The client praised AVP’s thorough approach, stating “We couldn’t have gotten this far without you.” The project highlighted the evolution of DAM technology, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence and 3D asset management, and demonstrated how enterprise DAM solutions are evolving into sophisticated creative workspaces.
This implementation represents a significant step forward in DAM technology, showing how these systems can evolve beyond traditional asset management to become collaborative environments that support complex digital product creation workflows. The selected solution will help the company accelerate their digital transformation while maintaining brand consistency across all channels.
