RSG has been tracking Digital Asset Management (DAM) industry developments throughout 2018. DAM has finally crossed the significance threshold and it's safe to say the majority of enterprises need a DAM platform.

Simple to Complex DAM Offerings

We see a large (and widening) marketplace split between simple image repositories and those vendors ready to serve as the prime content engine underneath your MarTech stack.

But this is just part of the narrative. More than ever, products are becoming increasingly specialized. As a buyer, it's critical to choose a solution that effectively addresses your specific use cases.

Reviewing This Year's Trends

We've all become media-dependent. But how do we effectively manage assets? Here’s eight trends we saw in the marketplace this year:

 #1: Every Marketing Department Needs It: DAM is now essential to marketing. As visual story-telling becomes central to customer communications and experience, your marketing teams cannot live without a DAM

 #2: The Center of Your Digital Engagement Layer: The most sophisticated enterprises are positioning their DAM systems as the single source of truth for their media assets.

 #3: Vendors Extending Functionality: DAM vendors are trying to earn a larger spot within marketing departments by filling in the awkward areas between marketing technologies (note: this is not always a good thing).

 #4: Work-In-Progress Management: Traditionally, DAM systems have focused on finished assets. We’re now seeing vendors pay much more attention to creative workflows.

 #5: DAM as Product Information Management? Some DAM systems are trying to become the place where your product data, copy, and media assets come together.

 #6: Managing Internal Knowledge: Internal assets are valuable and a smart enterprise will manage them as such.

 #7: Tracking Asset ROI: Savvy executives are starting to look more closely at the costs and benefits of their assets.

 #8: Vendors Specializing More: Each industry sector brings its own media needs and they can vary widely.

Overview

DAM will remain a hot topic of conversation for RSG in 2019. In the meantime, here are some tools we hope you’ll find helpful and some guided next steps to ensure you're on the right path to choosing a vendor that's the right fit for you.

Tools to Help

Try the DAM ShortList Builder

Compare DAM vendors head-to-head

DAM is Critical 2018

Next Steps

Download a free sample of RSG's DAM vendor evaluation research

Watch this fast-paced webinar on selecting the right DAM

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