Because of our long held “do the right thing” approach to content and technology management, when behavioral targeting and dynamic emerged as major forces in digital marketing, we were ready to support their varacious appetite for custom imagery. The image ”feed” technology was already in place, a limited amount of investment allowed the agency to complete the Real Time Library project.

For Dell we use the RTL to completely automate product image transformation and distribution for display to the consumer in digital vehicles, via a CDN estimated at 10,000 controlled images by end 2013.

Key Features:

- Core product images are identified by their comprehensive metadata

- These images are automatically transformed into every size, aspect ratio and file type required for all global digital programs

- The thousands of finished file variants are renamed to a completely predictable naming convention and published to the CDN

...all this happens without human intervention. Within 30 minutes of a base image being approved, its many variants are available for use in email and banners globally.

Built on solid ground:

- A library science team using a global marketing metadata standard

- Agency / Dell partnership created product photography standards, with cross-channel usage and automation envisioned from the start

- All imagery managed in a global Digital Asset Management Network

…along with a series of equally necessary but unsexy innovations.

The Real Time Library is a highly practical example of innovation, delivering a tangible solution. A high level of process, creative, production, distribution and technology integration allow this solution to operate.

The technology is delivered by the agency, building on the process and vision of both client and agency in partnership. Working in beta, launching live marketing material in May 2013, scaling to a billion impressions / quarter by end 2013.

We have to recognize that the 'old' hierarchies and systems are obsolete. There are no longer clear boundaries and spaces where brands meet consumers, where customers meet products, where agencies meet clients, etc. We can no longer "hide" behind the old structures – we need to use technology in a creative and efficient way to conquer the new digital reality of the globalized world.

- Dynamic and behavioral targeting are proving themselves every day, with statistics such as “7x revenue per order” and “35x revenue per click”.

- The Real Time Library transforms and makes available tens of thousands of product images, in a series of angles and at any size, ratio and file type required.

- Supporting an estimated 6 billion image impressions this year.

- The design is deliberately simple, to allow easy adoption by any team, with immediate cost savings and quality improvement.

- Central control of the published images saves cost, and allows the BT and dynamic programs to move past older image production processes and “best guess” transformation of web imagery.

- Phase 2 is currently in prototype, automating the addition of creative elements to the images.