Image Licensing“Free” (CC0) images have burst onto the market with as many creatives using free images as those using microstock.VisualSteam announces the release of its 6th Annual Survey of Creative Pros: Stock Image Licensing. The survey is sent to more than 20,000 art buyers, art directors, art producers, creative directors, photo editors and marketing professionals around the world. Survey results provide valuable information to creators, licensors and marketing professionals and offer a glimpse into what is driving image licensing today.This year’s report shows a progression but also a continuing change in the market. The importance of visuals to user engagement and retention continues to drive a substantial increase in demand. The volume of images used continues to grow as does social media and communications, in general. Price and budgets impact purchasing in a significant way, as does quality. Once again Getty (gettyimages.com) and Shutterstock (shutterstock.com) are battling it out for the hearts and minds of Creatives. However, 45% of those surveyed say they are using“free” image content. Free image provider Unsplash (unsplash.com) appears in the top ten of “favorite,” top-of-mind resources.“There are many interesting pieces of data in this year’s report” says Leslie Hughes, VisualSteam’s Founder and Strategic Advisor. “Anyone creating or licensing visual content can learn about shifts in preferences, and the wants and needs of Creative Pros. We are also trying to build in more trend data, comparing results with previous years.”VisualSteam wants to recognize and thank the sponsors of this year’s survey, Alamy (alamy.com), FootageBank (footagebank.com) and iSPY Visuals (ispyvisuals.com). Their support allows us to continue to produce the survey at an affordable price.To request 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.
