Creative assets are the lifeblood of any marketing campaign. But as teams and projects grow more complex, managing the creative process gets harder. Creative management platforms help streamline asset creation, approvals, workflow and more.
This 2800+ word guide will explore the value of creative management platforms, survey over 15 top options, and provide tips for choosing the right software for your brand.
What Are Creative Management Platforms and Why Do You Need One?
Creative management platforms help marketers centralize, organize and distribute creative assets across teams. Core features of these cloud-based tools include:
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Digital Asset Management: Store, manage and share creative files like images, videos, documents in a central repository
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Workflow Automation: Map out creative review and approval chains to speed up collaboration
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Brand Management: Ensure on-brand compliance of assets through guidelines and templates
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Analytics: Track asset usage and performance to optimize campaigns
With creative management software, cross-functional teams get on the same page. Siloed work is avoided through better transparency and communication. The result? Greater creative quality, consistency and output.
Specifically, creative management platforms drive:
- Faster launch times: Automate mundane tasks to bring ideas to market faster
- Enhanced productivity: Eliminate productivity sinks like email threads and version control confusion
- Improved teamwork: Provide clarity into roles, responsibilities and status through workflows
- Informed decisions: Leverage data insights to guide creative direction
- Higher asset reuse: Discover and repurpose existing creative materials
- Brand consistency: Align distributed teams to maintain brand identity
- Scalability: Support growing creative complexity as marketing projects increase
Without these systems, creative bottlenecks frequently derail campaigns. Creative management software solves these issues through organization and scalable structures tailored to creative teamwork.
Key Features of Creative Management Platforms
While features vary across tools, creative management platforms typically include:
Collaboration Tools
- Commenting
- Annotation
- Task assignment
- @mentions
Digital Asset Management
- Media storage
- Image editing
- Version control
- Metadata tagging
Workflow Automation
- Custom approval flows
- Milestones
- Status visibility
- Notifications
Brand Management
- Style guides
- Asset templates
- Brand permissions
Reporting & Analytics
- Asset usage tracking
- Campaign performance
- Workflow analytics
Integrations
- Creative tools like Adobe CC
- Collaboration apps like Slack
- Marketing platforms
Security
- Permissions
- Data encryption
- Access controls
APIs & Customization
- Custom fields
- Zapier apps
- API extensions
- White-labeling
Top 15 Creative Management Platforms for 2023
With those essential features covered, let‘s survey some of the top creative management platform contenders for 2023:
1. Adobe Experience Manager Assets
Part of Adobe Experience Cloud, AEM Assets helps enterprises centralize rich media and enforce brand consistency at scale.
Key Features
- Integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud
- Powerful image editing tools
- Automated video transcoding
- Extensive API and customization options
Best For
- Large companies
- Regulated industries
- Advanced creative workflows
Pricing
- Enterprise quote-based
2. Webdam
Acquired by Bynder, Webdam focuses on rich digital asset management tailored to marketing teams. Intuitive collaboration features simplify teamwork.
Key Features
- Media collaboration tools
- AI search and discovery
- Bulk workflow automation
- Integrations with Creative Cloud, Dropbox, Slack and more
Best For
- Medium/large companies
- Geographically distributed teams
- Creative workflows
Pricing
- Quote-based, scales by storage and users
3. Brandworkz
Brandworkz is an enterprise-level brand, product and creative asset management platform with powerful workflow features.
Key Features
- Advanced workflow engine and approval tools
- Deep brand compliance and security
- Usage analytics dashboard
- Detailed reporting
Best For
- Large distributed enterprises
- Consumer packaged goods
- Retailers
Pricing
- Quote-based
4. Bynder
Bynder provides an end-to-end brand portal including digital asset management, project management and content collaboration.
Key Features
- Customizable workflow templates
- Built-in annotation and image editing
- Usage analytics
- Mobile access
Best For
- Brand management teams
- Mid-size creative teams
Pricing
- Starts at $600/month
5. Widen Collective
Widen focuses on helping brands create, manage and distribute content to both internal stakeholders and external channels.
Key Features
- Translations workflow
- Built-in proofing
- Physical product sample management
- Print portal
Best For
- Consumer goods
- Retail
- Hospitality
Pricing
- Starts at $500/month
6. Third Light
Third Light provides media-rich digital asset management tightly integrated with content systems to streamline end-to-end workflows.
Key Features
- Automated video transcoding
- Built-in image editing
- Extensive API and customization options
- Integrates with CMSs and other platforms
Best For
- Media companies
- Marketing service providers
- Tech-savvy teams
Pricing
- Contact for quote
7. Celtra
Celtra offers an enterprise creative and content platform tailored to marketing teams producing ads and branded content at global scale.
Key Features
- Specialized tools for video, audio, banner ads
- Campaign reporting
- Integrations with social platforms
- Multilingual output
Best For
- In-house creative teams
- Global enterprise brands
Pricing
- Custom quote
8. Asset Bank
Asset Bank excels at media-focused digital asset management with advanced search, security and integrations.
Key Features
- Automated image tagging
- Brand and license tracking
- Bulk edit metadata
- Developer-friendly API
Best For
- Photo libraries
- Media teams
- Museums/non-profits
Pricing
- Starts at $1,000/month
9. NetXposure
NetXposure offers digital asset management focused on high security, compliance and custom workflows for regulated industries.
Key Features
- Advanced permission controls
- CCPA/GDPR compliance
- Audit logs
- Custom metadata
Best For
- Pharma
- Financial services
- Legal teams
Pricing
- Contact for quote
10. MediaBeacon
MediaBeacon delivers digital asset management tailored to large B2B and media companies with advanced permissions, enormous scalability and fast search.
Key Features
- Integrates with other ECM systems
- Doubles as product information management
- Automated transcoding
- Developer-friendly extensibility
Best For
- IT software companies
- Media publishers
- Manufacturing
Pricing
- Starts at $30,000/year
11. Brandfolder
Brandfolder positions itself as an enterprise brand asset manager with a focus on seamless content collaboration. Customizable permissions support external stakeholders.
Key Features
- Deep integrations ecosystem
- Automated image resizing
- Custom access controls
- Developer-friendly API
Best For
- Consumer brands
- Retail
- External agencies
Pricing
- Custom quote-based
12. Frontify
Frontify centers its brand management platform around aligning marketing, brand and product teams. Adaptable platform to support many use cases.
Key Features
- Centralized brand guidelines
- Collaborative workflow tools
- Developer-friendly extensibility
- White-labeling options
Best For
- Distributed multinationals
- External agencies
- Franchises
Pricing
- Starts at $420/month
13. Shift Process
Shift is a workflow automation platform tailored to marketing‘s unique needs involving creative approvals, asset sharing and collaborating with agencies.
Key Features
- Specialized for marketing workflows
- Advanced permissions
- Usage analytics
- Calendaring
Best For
- Marketing operations
- Retail marketing
- B2B marketing teams
Pricing
- Starts at $99/user/month
14. Filecamp
Filecamp positions itself as an easy-to-use yet advanced digital asset manager for small creative teams with video support, analytics and compliance tools.
Key Features
- FFmpeg transcoding
- File tracking
- Basic workflow automation
- CCPA compliant
Best For
- Small creative teams
- Video producers
- Marketing co-ops
Pricing
- Starts at $7/user/month
15. Northplains
Northplains ONE focuses on seamless integration across multiple systems with adaptable modules for DAM, PIM, workflow and print/packaging.
Key Features
- Modular platform
- Advanced automation
- Built-in connectors to other martech systems
- Print and packaging portal
Best For
- Retail product teams
- Media companies
- Multi-system environments
Pricing
- Contact for quote
This list highlights the depth and variety across creative management platforms. From global conglomerates to small creative shops, multiple options exist at range of price points and features.
How to Select the Ideal Creative Management Solution
With so many creative management platforms available, selecting the right software takes thoughtful analysis. Key factors to consider include:
Team Size & Location
Consider number of users, remote work needs and creative headcount growth projections.
workflows
Map typical creative requests, review cycles and approvals to optimize.
Asset Types
Audit image formats, videos, docs required to estimate storage and functionality needs.
Marketing Tech Stack
Identify other martech systems needing integration like social platforms, DAMs or digital experience software.
Budget
Factor both short-term software costs and long-term efficiency gains in ROI estimates.
Compliance & Security
Consider regulatory (HIPAA, GDPR), legal and privacy needs affecting controls.
Getting alignment across these fronts helps surface ideal creative management software candidates matching budget, requirements and strategic priorities.
Tips for Adopting Creative Management Software
Once purchased, implementing creative management software for maximum impact takes strategic planning:
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Set executive buy-in: Educate senior leadership on ROI estimates to ensure continued support.
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Audit existing assets: Carefully index and tag all creative materials during onboarding for easy discovery.
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Align team roles: Clarify creative team members, stakeholders and reviewers during workflow mapping.
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Phase rollout: Prioritize high-impact pilot workflows before expanding platform across all projects.
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Train end-users: Offer hands-on guided sessions for self-serve creative teams to boost adoption.
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Reinforce new habits: Communicate standards and expectations persistently to cement behavior change.
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Fix pain points: Solicit continuous feedback at Town Halls and in surveys to improve platform experience.
With these best practices, creative teams position new software for maximum impact transforming fragmented work into well-oiled collaboration at scale.
The Future of Creative Management Platforms
Creative management software steadily matures enabling more automated, efficient teamwork for accelerated content creation. AI promises more intelligent recommendations for asset discovery and campaign ideation. Integrations continue expandinginto adjacent marketing systems.
As creative complexity increases across channels and devices, reliance on these platforms will only intensify. Though needs and options vary now, creative management software will grow more essential for enterprises in all verticals navigating rising consumer expectations.
Summary: Why You Need to Level-Up Creative Management
Modern business moves fast. Creative teams struggle scaling processes built for smaller projects. Centralizing creative workflows pays compounding dividends as assets multiply across global campaigns.
Transitioning to more structured collaboration feels uncomfortable initially. But the productivity lift is profound. Creative management software empowers teams to reallocate energy from mundane tasks towards higher-level innovation moving brands forward faster.
