Visual Steam Names Go-To Licensors in 7th Annual Survey of Creative Pros

VisualSteam Announces the Results of its 7th Annual Survey of Creative Pros: Stock Image Licensing:“Getty Images dominates as the first-stop, go-to visual resource for Creatives Pros.” NEW YORK, NY April 28, 2020VisualSteam announces the release of its 7th Annual Survey of Creative Pros: Stock Image Licensing. Survey results provide valuable information to creators, licensors and marketing professionals and offer a glimpse into what is driving media licensing today.This year’s report shows that the importance of visuals to client engagement and retention continues to drive growth in the quantity of images needed and used. However, users expect budgets to remain flat, adding pressure to an already price sensitive market. Quality and ease of access are the #1 and #2 purchase factors, respectively, determining where users go to purchase. Once again Getty (gettyimages.com) and Shutterstock (shutterstock.com) are the go-to starting destinations, with Getty dominating in 3 of the top 4 client segments.Another key trend is that the majority of Creative Pros across all segments now say they are using “free” image content (creative commons licensing). Free image provider, Unsplash (unsplash.com) continued to move up as a “favorite,” top-of-mind resource. Pexels (pexels.com) was also listed by a small number of users as a first-stop destination.“This year’s report indicates that while some things stay the same, there are many changing and evolving trends in image licensing” says Leslie Hughes, VisualSteam’s Founder and Strategic Advisor. “The continued rise of “free” content, the rise of custom stock offered by stock image companies, and the continued pressure from Creatives for more diverse and authentic images, are just a few of these trends.”VisualSteam wants to recognize and thank the sponsors of this year’s survey: Gallery Stock (gallerystock.com), Envato Elements (envatoelements.com), Oodls (oodls.io) and Nature Picture Library (naturepl.com). Their support allows us to continue to produce this survey at an affordable price.To purchase a copy of this year’s survey, please email sales@visualsteam.com. For more information about VisualSteam, please go to www.visualsteam.com, or email info(at)visualsteam(dot)com.About Visual SteamVisualSteam (www.visualsteam.com) is a marketing services organization that specializes in digital transformation and visual content markets. We work with producers, creators, and distributors to better understand and respond to market needs and define strategies for expansion and execution. We also work with clients/image consumers and content marketers to help them understand, acquire and manage visual content.