What 2025 Taught Us About Getting DAM Right in 2026

Описание: The AVP team takes lessons learned from 2025 and digs into what it really takes to get DAM right as organizations head into 2026.

Host Chris Lacinak is joined by Kara Van Malssen, John Horodyski, Amy Rudersdorf, and Shawn Averkamp for a candid, pragmatic conversation about the priorities, pitfalls, and decisions that will shape DAM programs in the year ahead.

This episode focuses on the lessons that emerged from real-world work across DAM selection, implementation, migrations, AI experimentation, governance, integrations, change management, and more, and how those lessons should inform what organizations do next.

The team explores the growing gap between platform capabilities and organizational readiness, the rise of DAM-adjacent tools, why integrations and automation continue to challenge teams, and how AI is forcing a renewed focus on fundamentals like metadata, permissions, and stewardship. They also tackle big questions that will carry well beyond 2026: Is DAM evolving or being redefined? Are organizations moving too fast or not fast enough? And what conversations still need more attention inside the DAM community?

If you manage, select, govern, or depend on a DAM platform, this episode is designed to help you move forward with clearer priorities, better questions, and a more realistic view of what success actually requires.

👉 Subscribe for more DAM Right conversations that focus on practical insight, not hype, as the DAM landscape continues to evolve.

Guest Info:

Kara Van Malssen – Partner and Managing Director, AVP
  / kvanmalssen  

John Horodyski – Managing Director, Strategic Client Growth, AVP
  / johnhorodyski  

Amy Rudersdorf – Director of Consulting Operations, AVP
  / amyrudersdorf  

Shawn Averkamp – Director of R&D Services, AVP
  / shawnaverkamp  

Resources mentioned in this episode:

DAM Good Advice Newsletter (Subscribe to get updated when the 2026 DAM Trends Survey Report is published)
https://www.weareavp.com/damgoodadvice

Interline DPC 2026 Report
https://bit.ly/interlinedpc2026

C2PA
https://c2pa.org/

EU Artificial Intelligence Act
https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/

Engage:

📰 Subscribe to DAM Good Advice at https://www.weareavp.com/damgoodadvice

🆓 Access free DAM resources at https://www.weareavp.com/free-resources/

🔗 Connect with Chris on LinkedIn:   / clacinak  

Chapters
00:00 Episode Intro
02:49 Guest intros and what word or phrase best describes DAM in 2025?
04:04 How should we characterize the DAM landscape today?
11:04 What DAM trends are industry-specific vs cross-industry?
20:53 The DAM AI Gap reality and implications
26:45 Where do vendor promises diverge from customer reality?
32:27 Integration as a service vs custom integrations
36:45 What was missing in 2025 and needs more attention in 2026?
41:13 Is DAM dead?
45:52 What’s the last song added to your favorites playlist?