Customer Stories

Genentech’s DAM Tips: Metadata

Get more tips from Genentech on DAM process ownership.

Read the full transcript below:

When we launched our DAM [digital asset management] system, we introduced business rules and the business rules are really saying, “You’ve got a great system. This is how you’re going to use it.”

We go into the system, we work with all of the partners so that they understand those business rules, and when they’re going through the process, they don’t have to second guess how they create.

One of our business rules is that metadata is entered immediately. Even a little bit of information goes a long way. If we start a placeholder, we then understand that the downstream system is saying, “Ah, there’s a new project coming.” That’s the first part of metadata is saying to everybody, “get ready.”

Then from there, the agencies then as well as any of our stakeholders, are updating that metadata with the life cycle of that project. When the photography goes in. When those images go in, they’re tagged. When references go in. That’s what’s critical is that it’s not just a one-time thing. It’s visited continuously until the very end.

And then once again, we audit to make sure that everyone understands the importance of that metadata is always going to close out and it’s going to be up-to-date.

The importance of a DAM is to understand your products, to understand not only where they are today, but where they’re going. So metadata needs to be built, once again, on where the product is, the life cycle, but then also those checks and balances.