A portfolio of content assets

In the financial field a portfolio is a set of investments and resources held by a person or party. Applied in the content management field a portfolio can be seen as a set of content investments and resources, together with information about them.

Using a portfolio perspective on content assets makes it possible to discuss the amount of spending on these assets in relation to its corporate value.

I claim that the value of content is created at the point of experience i.e. when it is consumed. This means that investing in producing content assets that nobody or few experiences is most often a waste of resources. It also means that if we have invested in producing a content asset we should make an effort to re-use it in different products and channels for maximizing consumption and generation of value. Digitized goods like content are unique because it is relatively easy to re-produce them for re-use.

In this context the portfolio can list our content assets and information about them making it clear how each investment generate value. Used intelligently the portfolio can guide decisions about prioritizing investments, allocating resources, setting targets, evaluating performance etc.

The portfolio can be realized as a simple excel sheet listing the content assets and information such as:

• Provider information and purchasing costs
• Digital rights and responsibilities
• Production costs and value adds
• Re-use opportunities and consumption channels
• Life cycles and service levels

Portfolio management is a good example of utilizing established practises in the comparatively new field of content management. I will reveal other examples in upcoming postings.