8 Tips for a Better Brand Management Software set-up (With AI Power)
Is your brand management software helping you move forward or quietly holding you back?
Pieter Bosschaart
Client Partner Digital
In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, brand teams are under growing pressure to deliver faster, better, and more consistently—across more channels than ever before. With AI accelerating change and complexity, the brand management tools and solutions you rely on to manage your brand can either enable or quietly hinder progress. If your current brand technology stack isn’t living up to its promise, it might not be the tools themselves—but how they’re set up, governed, and used. In this blogpost I would like to share 8 tips to get the best results out of your (AI) tools for effective brand management.
When good brand tech falls short: why tools alone aren’t enough
The evolution of AI presents both opportunities and uncertainties, leaving many brand managers struggling to keep up and understand how different tools can best support brand management. In this high-demand environment, brand software should act as a reliable foundation and give teams the tools, structure, and confidence they need to succeed.
However, even with powerful brand management platforms like Templafy, Bynder, Frontify, or Papirfly in place, many organisations find themselves underwhelmed by the results. The technology may be best-in-class, but when systems are poorly implemented, inconsistently maintained, or not fully adopted, they rarely live up to their potential. Common pain points—like disconnected tools, outdated templates, underused features, or unclear governance—can quietly erode performance, frustrate users, and compromise brand consistency.
"Technology may be best-in-class, but when systems are poorly implemented, they rarely live up to their potential."
At VIM Group, we work with global organisations to transform their brand technology stack from a static set of tools into a dynamic enabler. Based on best practices, let me share these eight practical tips that will help you evaluate your current set-up, identify what might be holding you back, and create a brand tech ecosystem that truly supports your strategy today and in the future.
Tip 1: Position your DAM as the single source of truth
A digital asset management system (DAM) should serve as the go-to source for all brand content. If users struggle to find what they need, or if content appears out of date, they’re more likely to resort to offline solutions or create their own versions, often at the expense of brand consistency.
We recommend building a structured and accessible DAM set-up, with intuitive folders, controlled permissions, and AI-powered tagging to improve searchability. This is particularly important for platforms like Bynder, where the right metadata and governance framework can make or break user adoption.
Tip 2: Design a brand portal that teams want to use
A well-designed brand portal should make life easier for your teams, instead of adding another layer of complexity. When portals are difficult to navigate or populated with outdated materials, they often fall into disuse.
Focus on clean, logical navigation, mobile accessibility, and regularly updated content. Self-service functionality, such as AI-assisted search, smart filtering, and live brand guidelines, helps users find what they need quickly and confidently. We often see engagement levels rise when portals are structured around real use cases, not just technical possibilities.
Tip 3: Provide smart templates that empower and guide
Templates should support both brand control and team autonomy. Smart configuration allows local teams to create content that fits their market without compromising brand standards.
"Smart configuration allows local teams to create tailored content without compromising brand standards."
Platforms like Templafy offer strong capabilities for dynamic templates. When supported by AI-driven features, such as layout suggestions or content prompts, these templates help teams create faster while maintaining brand alignment. Combining these tools with automation and well-managed user access improves consistency and scalability across teams.
Tip 4: Use analytics to make smarter decisions
Brand technology offers rich insights that often go unused. Beyond simple usage data, analytics can help you understand where adoption is high, where support may be needed, and which content is underperforming.
Through our Brand Tech Health Checks, we work closely with clients and platform Customer Success Managers to analyse this data. In Templafy, for example, we’ve helped teams identify internal champions (users who have embraced the platform and can influence others) as well as discover unused templates that were taking up space and undermining clarity. These insights allow you to make targeted improvements based on actual behaviour.
Tip 5: Ensure your tools work seamlessly together
Disconnected tools lead to extra steps, duplicated effort, and unclear ownership. Your brand tech ecosystem should function as a connected environment, not a collection of isolated systems.
Integrate your DAM, brand portal, CMS, and analytics platforms to reduce friction and increase transparency. Whether through APIs or platform-native connections, seamless workflows help ensure users follow the intended process, and content flows remain consistent across the business.
Tip 6: Use AI with care and clear boundaries
AI brings valuable opportunities, from automated asset tagging and content suggestions to performance insights, but it must be implemented responsibly. Without guidelines, there is a risk of generating content that doesn’t reflect your brand’s tone or values.
"AI should complement your teams, not take over creative or brand-sensitive decisions."
Set clear parameters around tone of voice, language, and visual identity, and ensure that human oversight remains in place where necessary. AI should complement your teams, not take over creative or brand-sensitive decisions.
Tip 7: Equip your employees, not just the platform
The effectiveness of any technology depends on the confidence of the people using it. Without adequate onboarding or support, they will revert to old habits, avoiding the platform altogether. This ultimately lowers the return on your brand technology investment.
Training and communication are core elements of our Brand Tech Health Check approach. We provide tailored documentation, short-form learning options, and embedded guidance to help your teams feel supported at every step. With the right knowledge in place, adoption becomes more natural and more sustainable.
Tip 8: Review and refresh regularly
In many cases, organisations complete around 70% of their technology rollout, then shift focus elsewhere. Over time, incomplete configurations, outdated templates, and missing integrations begin to affect performance and user trust.
"Organisations complete around 70% of their technology rollout, then shift focus elsewhere."
A regular brand audit helps prevent this. It gives you the chance to evaluate what’s working, identify weak points, and unlock new opportunities. During our post-implementation assessment, we often uncover areas that were overlooked during the original rollout, such as missing Microsoft Office integrations, underused AI features, or underperforming asset categories.
Common challenges brand managers face
We regularly support organisations in addressing challenges such as:
Outdated or missing templates
Lack of AI readiness in template or asset set-up
Poor asset discoverability due to tagging or structure
Unclear governance models or role assignments
Incomplete platform integrations
Low user engagement due to missing support or training
Identifying and addressing these areas for improvement early can make the difference between a tool that sits unused and a system that reinforces your brand’s consistency, efficiency, and ease of use.
Looking for a check-up of your brand management software set-up?
Our Brand Tech Health Check service provides a structured evaluation of your current platform set-up. Whether you use Templafy, Bynder, Frontify, Papirfly, or a hybrid stack, we assess technical configuration, governance, user engagement, training needs, and integration points.
You receive a tailored, action-focused roadmap that outlines the current state of your brand's technology, highlights critical risks, and presents realistic opportunities for improvement. The goal is to empower your teams, simplify complexity, and ensure your system supports your long-term brand strategy while delivering stronger return on investment from your existing tools.
Let’s take a closer look together
If your current set-up isn’t delivering what it should, or if you are unsure whether it is being used to its full potential, we are here to help. Together, we will assess where you stand, map out the next steps, and support you in creating a brand technology ecosystem that works now and in the future.
