NEW YORK, NY -- August 22, 2002 -- TrendWatch Graphic Arts today released a special report that offers graphic communication professionals a comprehensive collection of detailed user stories, in 11 key vertical markets, from real-world digital asset management (DAM) users. The report, "Digital Asset Management: Who's Buying This Stuff?", is a single source for 76 case studies and website testimonials from users inside and outside of the graphic arts industry. The report is available for online purchase at the TWGA eStore in PDF format. For more information, go to the TWGA website (www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com). Researcher's Quote... "The goal was to compile a representative collection of the available case studies and user stories from supplier archives and public sources that readers could analyze in a single volume," noted Vince Naselli, Director, TrendWatch Graphic Arts. "The report covers a the vast universe of markets, customers, and products types so as to bring this technology to life in a real-world context. We suggest that readers, including printers and service providers, will gain new ideas, new perspectives, and new marketing approaches relating to DAM. Perhaps they will even find new markets. There is much to be learned from the experience and successes, especially outside of our own industry. Drawing on that experience, then applying those lessons to our familiar industry, is where true innovation arises." What is DAM... Digital Asset Management, or DAM, is most often defined as a computer software and/or hardware system which archives, tracks and manages digital page elements (including but not limited to text, graphic and photo images, pages, templates, line art, logos, finished layouts, PDFs, and more recently, video and audio clips). DAM systems allow users to quickly recall these elements for re-use in new jobs, saving the production time of recreating them. Though some would argue that a plain paper job bag is a form of DAM, in the last 10 years, DAM has been referenced as a digital software and/or hardware solution. About This Report... Most of the information contained in "DAM: Who's Buying This Stuff? (And Why)" is drawn from public sources (with the exception of some case studies supplied by manufacturers). The report contains: -- An overview of DAM technology definitions and positioning; -- Listing of more than 30 digital asset management suppliers and company URLs, compiled from TWGA proprietary research; -- 76 case studies from high-profile companies, such as Simon & Schuster, The Daily News, DreamWorks SKG, ABC Television, Vanderbilt University, The Holocaust Museum, Sandia National Laboratories, U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Home Depot, Wells Fargo, Exxon Mobil, PeopleSoft, Coors Brewing, General Motors, and many more; -- Case studies organized into 11 vertical market categories (Catalogs, Books, and Newspapers; Media and Broadcasting; Education and Institutions; Government; Law Enforcement; Online and Retail; Financial Services; Consulting, Marketing, and Creative; Manufacturing; Health Care and Pharmaceutical; and Miscellaneous Enterprise); -- Materials from 13 key industry suppliers. Who Should Buy This Report... This report is written for those selling or considering selling digital asset management, supplying or considering supplying DAM services to the market, and anyone considering investing or even 'not' considering investing in a DAM system. Readers have 76 case studies to draw from, providing a truly global perspective. The report contains valuable insight into: -- What specific business problems drove top U.S. and international companies to invest in DAM; -- What features were most critical in their purchase decisions; -- What vertical markets are most receptive; -- How DAM is being integrated into their business operations; -- Why customers selected the suppliers they did; For client-server and ASP solutions providers, it provides additional benefits such as: -- Insights into competitive products; -- What features or capabilities their competitors are promoting; -- How their competitors are promoting those capabilities; -- Who their competitors' customers are; -- What markets those competitors are operating in; and -- Which features and capabilities those customers are focusing upon. Availability... "Digital Asset Management: Who's Buying This Stuff?" is available for purchase by visiting the secure TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore online at www.trendwatchgraphicarts.com or by phone at 866-873-6310. The price for the report is $1595. TrendWatch Graphic Arts eStore customers can download this report in PDF Acrobat format immediately after purchase.