Amnesty International 

Amnesty International is a global organisation with members and activists worldwide who endlessly campaign to end human rights abuse. Photographs and video are key to the strategy in helping them lobby and support those living in tough regimes.

Amnesty International digital asset management
About

It was essential that Amnesty International had a Digital Asset Management solution that provided flexible permissions to protect people featured in marketing campaigns that were helping them in the fight against human rights abuse. 

 

Head office

London, UK

 

A growing number of users

Amnesty International's Asset Bank has over 2,000 users, proving it's an essential resource for the organisation

 

Images and videos being used widely

In 2008, Amnesty International already had 250,000 downloads. Over 10 years later, you can imagine that figure has increased tenfold

INTRODUCTION

Many of us have heard of the atrocities that take place worldwide under military dictatorships and other regimes where basic human rights are violated. However, how many of us think about the power of the Internet and the role it plays in helping raise awareness of these atrocities?

As a grassroots human rights organistion, Amnesty uses the digital sphere to spread the word and encourage others to help in their fight to defend human rights and other global issues.

the challenge 

Ensuring protection for vulnerable people who are helping to spread Amnesty International’s cause

non-profit DAM solution
the challenge 

As a worldwide human rights organsation, it goes without saying that Amnesty International need to manage images and videos in a way that ensures the protection of the people in the visual media as well as those who created them.

They also need to make sure that everything is used in the right context and with the right messaging.

"Our requirements for digital asset management are fairly complex. We need something that is a hybrid of archive and distribution and one which needs to have complete transparency of where the file has come from and who can use it.” 

Philippa Ellerton, Audiovisual archivist at Amnesty

For many files, context is key. If certain images are released in certain regions, lives risk being compromised. Therefore, it was vital that Amnesty’s DAM solution was specifically configured to communicate exactly when and how an asset can be used.

 

Why Asset Bank?


Asset Bank is the ideal solution because it’s able to collect information about where a file has been sourced from, and whether or not a photographer needs to be credited. This information is then displayed prior to an image or video being downloaded. It’s also embedded in the actual asset itself at the point of download, ensuring that this key information is never lost.


"I have always admired the work of Amnesty International and I am very pleased to have been involved in this project. The Amnesty version of Asset Bank shows how a DAM system can really support the communication campaigns undertaken by an organisation. Many of our clients use digital asset management tools to ensure that they keep control over their brands – the context in which their images and logos are used, by who and when. However, for Amnesty, in addition to this it is also vital that they can check the credibility of the source and ensure images are not used in countries where those depicted could be at risk if identified. It is a great example of how Asset Bank can be configured to meet complex requirements."

Martin Wilson, Asset Bank

 

The results

Asset Bank rose to the challenge of creating a tailored DAM system that acts as a centralised repository and archive for Amnesty’s images, audio, video and other digital files.

Managed by the Amnesty team in London, each country has different hubs which allow their users to control and access their own collections of assets. These are used for marketing campaigns and allows them to manage permissions to the press.

Many of the files operate on a traffic light system. Red means it can’t be used and green means it can. This simple yet highly effective system means users understand what they can and can’t use, no matter what language they speak.

Furthermore, with many of the visuals being of a sensitive nature, Asset Bank has the ability to hide the image preview with a warning box to ensure that the image content does not shock the user when browsing.

 

“The Asset Bank system, which has been tailored to our requirements is ideal. We hadn’t encountered anything as flexible and which worked with our needs at the heart of its functionality. Since 2008 we've had over 250,000 downloads and now have over 2,000 users internationally which shows what an essential resource it is for us as an organisation and how it supports our lobbying of human rights for all."

Amnesty International DAM

Ready to make a positive change?

Contact our team for a demo and discover
how Bright's DAM tools will transform your workday