For organizations of all kinds, consistency in brand expression is one of the most important benchmarks for global success. As touchpoints increase and consumers become more sophisticated and perceptive, brand managers play an increasingly essential role in ensuring a cohesive experience at every stop along the customer journey.

Consistency is defined as the degree to which a brand is experienced without fail across all touchpoints, formats and locations. In a perfect world, a brand is expressed exactly the same way in New York City as it is in Amsterdam.

In reality, implementation is a constant challenge, sapping both time and budgets as mistakes are fixed, best practices are put into place and employees are trained on the importance of staying on brand.

When a company operates in multiple categories and geographies, the chances of an inconsistency hurting brand value rise exponentially. Globally, many companies are yet to fully appreciate the importance of effective systems to maintain a consistent brand.

Brand managers need to learn that the simpler it is to access and navigate an online platform, the more likely users are to embrace it. As such, they need to explore implementing Digital Asset Management (DAM) systems.

Similar to a company’s intranet, these online platforms provide a centralized resource for employees at every level of an organization to learn about the brand and access the tools needed to deliver on it efficiently and effectively.

Brand Mistakes

It takes years of effort to build value in a brand, but only moments to diminish it. Something as seemingly minor as using a previous version of a logo or the wrong typeface in a piece of signage can suggest a company that lacks discipline and doesn’t pay attention to the details.

In a world rich in backlash through blogs, Twitter feeds and photo-sharing sites, the damage can be instantaneous and immense.

DAM systems are designed, however, to prevent mistakes like these and countless others by providing a central repository of the latest identity assets, as well as guidelines and templates on how to use them.

Easy to access and navigate, these platforms can provide valuable assistance by eliminating guesswork and freeing brand managers from fielding countless questions on what is approved and what is obsolete.

Operations Advantage

The advantage of a digital asset management system is that its size and structure can be precisely tailored to the needs of the brand. By eliminating unnecessary sections and functionality, users find it easier to navigate content and locate only the assets they need for their project or their role.

As a company expands its portfolio or moves into new markets, the system can scale proportionally to meet a greater range of needs and assist more employees in delivering a consistent brand experience.

For companies launching or re-launching brands on a global scale, DAM systems are essential to ensuring rollout is seamless and by the numbers, saving precious resources and extending implementation budgets further.

Maintaining Focus

A well-implemented DAM system can fundamentally change the way brand management staff works by providing a centralized workflow management tool. By hosting essential documents, tracking project phases, updating delivery schedules, monitoring resources and more - often on a minute-by-minute basis - it can become a master resource that focuses every employee’s efforts.

With this greater transparency, it is easier to spot inefficiencies, and with them money-saving opportunities meaning a brand can get to market faster and enjoy a significant advantage over the competition.

Brand Benefits

With more effective systems in place, systems that take into account the exact needs of the brand and employee usage, brand managers can foresee a dramatic rate of adoption and with it, greater consistency in their brand expressions as a result.

One of the benefits is a stronger, more authoritative brand, one that is clearly differentiated from its competitors and whose offerings are preferred in the marketplace, a brand worthy of the loyalty of its customers.

There are more immediate benefits as well, especially Return-on-Investment (ROI). Through a well-designed DAM system, process and output efficiency can increase dramatically, preserving operational budgets from the constant drain of traditional implementation and management processes.

Once in place, a DAM system can even bring about cultural changes by promoting internal understanding of the brand, its goals and how to deliver on it. With the brand playing such a central role in everyone’s day-to-day work, it becomes easier than ever for brand managers to ensure the consistent expressions that are so critical to a successful brand.

M. Isi Eromosele is the President | Chief Executive Officer | Executive Creative Director of Oseme Group - Oseme Creative | Oseme Consulting | Oseme Finance

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