“That’s based solely on our DAM organization with WebNative,” said Jd Michaels, BBDO New York’s VP/Director of Print Services. “Before WebNative, searching for a file was akin to an ‘X Files/Indiana Jones’ scene. Remember that room at the end of ‘Raiders’? That was our DAM system.”

The first thing Michaels did when he arrived at the agency was install two enormous blackboards in his office.

“The best DAM systems are visual. Art directors think in a visual way. If you try to explain something to them and talk about numbers or concepts, all you get are puzzled expressions. But if you go to the blackboard and show them, the light bulbs go on. The light bulb DAM solution is the one that shows me, it doesn’t tell me. That’s WebNative,” Michaels said.

Days after implementing Xinet WebNative Venture, BBDO used it to solve a colossal problem: One giant client had a world- wide shoot in eight countries (and eight different languages), and wanted every image processed through the New York office.

“It worked perfectly: The photographers shot digitally. We gave each of them an Uploader for their desktops with their names on them so they could drag and drop their images 24 hours a day. When the New York office woke up, there were 5,500 final shots awaiting them that were uploaded while we slept.

“When our creatives came in to review them, we said: ‘Click here. These are all your pictures.’ When the client came in, they were expecting reams of paper photos taped up on the wall, but instead we used WebNative to project them as a medium. Then we gave them a Web address so they could review it at home if they wanted,” Michaels said.

This underscores the central misconception of asset management, Michaels says. “It’s not a library function. It’s a dynamic active database tool designed for problems like this.”

To ensure a cultural buy-in so his agency would feel comfortable using WebNative, Michaels brought in Apple Computer so that his colleagues –- some whom were in their mid-60s –- would first get familiar with programs like iPhoto, iMovie and iTunes.

“I put iPhoto, iMovie and iTunes on everyone’s desktop so they would play with them and get them familiar with them in that way. One woman is 63 and now she can both search our DAM and mix and burn CDs! She is the first person you turn to when you need something,” he said. “She learned, through looking for songs on iTunes, the basic principles of navigating any digital asset management system.”

The new business model that WebNative presents boils down to more work with fewer people.

“In terms of the business model, we are working faster and we are working smarter. We’re able to handle more work, and I have not had to ask for a single new employee,” said Michaels. “Xinet is the next generation of time management and money management.”