Building a Governed Enterprise Content System
I developed and secured approval for a multi-year Marq and MediaValet strategy designed to consolidate fragmented template and digital asset systems, strengthen brand governance, and shift routine production away from Creative.
The initiative began as an evaluation of digital asset management reporting. It expanded into an enterprise content strategy spanning Marketing, Sales, proposals, RFPs, generative AI, Salesforce, Microsoft Office, and practitioner self-service.
After the initial plan was rejected because of near-term IT budget constraints, I redesigned the rollout around contract expiration and fiscal-year spending. The revised program became budget-neutral during its early implementation years and is projected to release more than $100,000 in annual central technology and Marketing budget capacity beginning in 2029.
The challenge
Content production and asset management were distributed across multiple platforms.
Marketing used Canva for self-service templates. Proposals, RFPs, and sales materials were produced through Qvidian, Conga, and Microsoft Office, often using separate templates for different services and industries. Digital assets were spread across Brandfolder, SharePoint, and multiple server locations.
Each platform addressed a specific need, but the overall environment created duplicated content, inconsistent governance, difficult customization, limited reporting, and overlapping costs.
The approval process was also difficult to enforce. Under the Canva model, Creative saw only an estimated 10–20% of completed template-based designs, despite review being expected. The larger problem was not simply that files bypassed review; it was that Creative had little visibility into what had been produced.
The growing use of generative AI made the need for scalable governance more urgent.
Each platform addressed a specific need, but the overall environment created duplicated content, inconsistent governance, difficult customization, limited reporting, and overlapping costs.
Connecting templates and digital assets
The initiative began with Brandfolder’s reporting limitations.
As I evaluated alternative digital asset management platforms, Bynder initially emerged as the leading option. Its integrated templating capabilities revealed that asset management and self-service production were part of the same operating problem.
Further research led to MediaValet and Marq. I also evaluated using Marq with Bynder, but the additional cost did not provide enough incremental value.
Marq offered a stronger balance between governance and usability. Creative can protect brand-critical layout and formatting while still allowing practical content adjustments. Its support for linked text boxes, multicolumn layouts, text wrapping, smart fields, and shared data sets also makes it suitable for longer documents such as sales sheets, profiles, case studies, proposals, and RFP responses.
Salesforce integration creates a path to populate client and opportunity data automatically. Marq can also connect with the firm’s approved Microsoft Copilot environment, allowing generative AI to operate within governed templates rather than unrestricted Word or PowerPoint files.
MediaValet provides the connected asset layer. Users can access Marq templates and approved assets through a coordinated environment, while completed documents can be submitted back into MediaValet for approval and reuse.
A customizable practitioner portal and Microsoft Office integrations will eventually allow employees to locate approved collateral and imagery through a branded interface, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Building the enterprise case
The original Creative need was to improve governance, reduce repetitive production, and preserve more design capacity for campaigns, major events, and higher-value collateral.
To secure broader support, I connected the initiative to priorities across Marketing and Sales:
- Faster customization of client-facing materials
- More efficient proposal and RFP production
- Governed use of generative AI
- Easier access to approved assets
- Greater practitioner self-service
- Faster production of routine social and sponsorship materials
- Consolidation of overlapping platform costs
Proposal and RFP production became the strongest enterprise use case. Multiple teams were pursuing different solutions, while National Marketing spent significant time producing and customizing responses.
Marq created a potential common model combining governed layouts, approved content, Salesforce data, and AI assistance.
Building support across the organization
I first aligned with the Vice President of Go-to-Market Strategy, then built support across Marketing and Sales before presenting the proposal to the CMO.
That included senior leaders, influential directors with technical knowledge of the existing processes, and the CMO’s chief of staff. I also engaged stakeholders who had already invested in competing proposal solutions.
Not every group supported consolidation. Rather than requiring unanimous agreement, I incorporated those constraints into the implementation plan. A team using a specialized competing platform could remain on it temporarily, with the long-term decision based on whether its business unit would assume the cost or transition after Marq demonstrated comparable value.
This coalition-building made the strategic case clear before formal approval was requested.
This coalition-building made the strategic case clear before formal approval was requested.
Redesigning the plan after initial rejection
The first proposal completed security, legal, contract, and AI-policy reviews without significant issues. It was rejected because it required a short-term increase to the corporate IT budget when no increases were being approved.
I responded by improving the existing Brandfolder environment to address immediate needs, then reworked the rollout with Marq and MediaValet.
Payments were redistributed across fiscal years, new costs were aligned with expiring contracts, and some functionality was delayed. The revised plan preserved the long-term strategy while keeping the early implementation budget-neutral.
The second proposal was approved.
The current phased plan is:
- 2026: Retire Canva Enterprise and migrate National Marketing templates to Marq
- 2027: Expand MediaValet and prepare for the broader migration before Brandfolder expires
- 2028: Target the Qvidian transition and expand proposal and RFP use cases
- 2029: Complete the planned enterprise-wide rollout
The schedule may change as broader merger priorities evolve, but the financial model provides a viable path through each phase.
Leading a compressed implementation
Only two months separated contract signing from the expiration of Canva Enterprise.
Because of that compressed timeline, I led the initial implementation directly. I built the first Marq templates and supporting data sets, consolidated the approved image library in MediaValet, partnered with the vendors on training, conducted portions of the training independently, and remained the primary point of contact for users and troubleshooting.
My team supported the migration by consolidating headshots, reviewing Canva project files, preparing assets, and beginning to adopt the new platform.
The migration was also an opportunity to simplify the template system rather than reproduce the previous environment.
Reusable page templates and dynamic data sets reduced the number of visible templates and page variations. For example, users can select an approved color scheme and apply it across multiple layouts rather than navigating a multiple template or separate pages for every color and format combination.
This reduced administrative complexity while preserving controlled flexibility.
Current implementation and adoption
Approximately 110 users currently have Marq template access, with another 20 view-only accounts for National Marketing leaders. This was reduced from more than 160 Canva accounts after unused access was removed.
The contract supports up to 150 template users, leaving room to expand into adjacent teams and secondary use cases.
Current templates support social media graphics, sponsorship advertising, and selected event materials. Additional use cases are being developed for profiles, case studies, and other repeatable content.
MediaValet currently supports Marq with approved photography, headshots, and brand assets. The future taxonomy and metadata structure have been established, and the practitioner portal has been initially configured in preparation for the broader migration.
A pilot group of experienced Canva users tested Marq before launch, followed by multiple training sessions across National Marketing. Early feedback has been positive, with no significant resistance to the transition.
The Salesforce integration is expected to enable the next phase: pilots for sales enablement, proposals, RFPs, automated data population, and governed AI-assisted content.
Measuring success
Success will be measured by more than platform adoption.
Marq is designed to provide visibility into every completed file. Depending on the risk and template settings, content can either move through formal review or bypass review according to predefined rules. The goal is not to increase manual review; it is to ensure that governance is intentional and transparent.
Additional measures will include:
- Reduced use of noncompliant or potentially unlicensed photography
- Greater use of approved DAM assets
- Template adoption across teams
- Proposal and RFP turnaround time
- Reduction in proposal work produced manually by Marketing
- Lower administrative effort for Creative Operations
- Increased practitioner self-service
- Retirement or reduction of legacy platforms
As MediaValet access expands through Marq, the practitioner portal, Outlook, and PowerPoint, approved assets should become easier to find and more frequently used.
Financial impact
The planned 2029 enterprise contract for Marq and MediaValet is approximately $148,000 annually.
The program is designed to replace or reduce spending across Brandfolder, Canva, Conga, Qvidian, Adobe, Flippingbook, and potentially Getty Images.
The program is projected to release more than $100,000 in annual central technology and Marketing budget capacity beginning in 2029, with the final enterprise-wide savings dependent on whether Qvidian is retired or retained within a specific business unit.
Potential savings from engagement letters and other future document use cases have not yet been included.
The program is projected to release more than $100,000 in annual central technology and Marketing budget capacity beginning in 2029…
Leading transformation beyond the platform
The value of the initiative is not limited to replacing Canva or Brandfolder.
It creates a governed content infrastructure connecting assets, templates, data, generative AI, approvals, and distribution. It gives practitioners faster access to routine materials while allowing Creative to invest more capacity in campaigns and work requiring deeper strategic and design judgment.
The initiative also demonstrates a broader approach to transformation: begin with an observable operating problem, identify related needs across the organization, build a coalition around shared value, and redesign the implementation when financial or political constraints change.
The first proposal was not viable within the organization’s immediate budget limits. Rather than abandon the strategy, I changed the sequence, funding model, and implementation timeline while preserving the intended enterprise outcome.
An evolving
case study
Enterprise transformation is a multi-year process.
The Marq and MediaValet implementation is being delivered in phases through the planned enterprise rollout in 2029. As additional milestones are completed, this case study will be updated with implementation progress, adoption data, governance improvements, operational measures, and long-term business results.