For many years Lou Rosenfeld (Rosenfeld Media) and Tony Byrne (Real Story Group) have not only delivered high quality books and reports but have re-invented their business strategy to reflect changes in reader and subscriber requirements. These two entrepreneurs have now joined forces and the outcome is a classic example of synergy. The reports that the Real Story Group publishes are noteworthy not only for the quality of the vendor/product profiles but also for the extended introductions that provide very valuable context to the profiles. Digital and Marketing Asset Management is the first title in a new series of books from Rosenfeld Media in which the introductions have been transformed into a stand-alone book format. The Real Story Group profiles 34 DAM vendors in its profiles report so this is quite a significant and very competitive market.

Theresa Regli has established herself as an authority on the digital asset management (DAM) market and is a frequent speaker at the Henry Stewart DAM conferences. This 230 page book is an exceptional piece of writing, as I would have expected from someone who started their career as a journalist. The result is a seamless blend of how to manage DAM projects and how to select and implement DAM services. The initial three chapters set the scene, leading into a DAM maturity model based around a consideration of people, information, systems and processes. Then follow five chapters on the underlying technology of DAM applications, including a good discussion of on-prem, cloud and hybrid delivery options. In Chapter 9 the heading says it all – ‘You are not just buying a tool: strategic considerations’. The book concludes with a set of scenarios to use in comparing the technology solutions available and some reflections on DAM in the digital marketing mix.

I don’t have a copy of the RSG DAM report so I cannot tell how much change there has been in the journey from report to book but certainly the book shows no evidence of the text being cut and based from the report. I was delighted to see that there is a very good index which is essential in a book of this type that readers will want to dip into from time to time. The book is available in both print and ebook format at $39. There is also a companion website. I loved the tag line of The Real Story About DAM Technology and Practice.

The most important attribute of this book is that it is written by an author who started in DAM consulting in 2008, and the experience and insights just shine through. In addition Theresa treads the difficult line of being intelligible to marketing managers and yet solid in the technology with great skill. I know from my own experience with Enterprise Search just how challenging that can be. I started to read this book knowing little about DAM but ended up with a very good understanding of the attributes, benefits and challenges of DAM systems. Definitely a book for the top shelf of the bookcase along side my desk, and I am looking forward to future titles on Web Content and Experience Management and on Enterprise Social-Collaboration Technology.

Martin White