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From my experience as a Content Marketing Manager at Teamwork.com, I’ve seen how marketing resource management is changing the way teams and agencies organize their work, manage assets, and use capacity more efficiently - reducing last-minute fire drills, preventing bottlenecks, and improving campaign delivery.
It’s a fast-growing field that’s still finding its footing, and people often have different ideas about what it means - whether they’re marketers like me or software vendors. Some define MRM as digital asset management (organizing images and files), others as resource scheduling (who’s working on what), and still others as full marketing operations platforms (combining project management, asset management, budgets, and analytics).
In this guide, I’ll define marketing resource management in a way that makes sense for creative agencies and marketing teams. I’ll also cover the benefits of adopting this approach and walk through six of the top marketing resource management software tools. Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time pressure-testing how these tools handle real marketing work — from resource planning to asset organization to campaign coordination — so I’ll share what stands up when you’re juggling competing priorities and limited capacity.
Marketing resource management (MRM) combines strategies and software for managing marketing resources - people (team capacity and utilization), assets (images, videos, brand files), budgets (campaign spend and ROI), and workflows (approvals, production, distribution).
Choose Teamwork.com ($10.99-$54.99/user/month) for resource scheduling, capacity planning, and utilization tracking - best for agencies managing people and projects.
Pick Widen Collective (custom pricing) for digital asset management with large image libraries - best for brands with thousands of visual assets.
Use Adobe Campaign (custom pricing) for personalized multi-channel campaigns with CRM integration - best for enterprises with Adobe ecosystem.
Choose Image Relay/Canto (custom pricing) for visual content organization with product information - best for CPG brands.
Pick MediaValet (custom pricing) for cloud-based DAM with unlimited users - best for large distributed teams.
Use Aprimo (custom pricing) for full-service MRM combining DAM, workflow, and budgets - best for enterprises with IT resources.
Decision rule: managing people/capacity = Teamwork.com; managing assets = Widen, Image Relay, or MediaValet; managing both = combine Teamwork + DAM tool.
What is marketing resource management (MRM)?
Marketing resource management is a wide-ranging term, including both marketing project management strategies and specific software tools that facilitate resource management and other functions important in a marketing context. MRM helps organizations and their marketing teams better manage their various marketing initiatives across four core areas: people (team capacity, utilization, skills), assets (images, videos, brand files, templates), budgets (campaign spend, ROI tracking, cost allocation), and workflows (approvals, production schedules, distribution).
As a discipline, marketing resource management brings together all the elements needed to make marketing happen, including available resources (team members, freelancers, tools), processes (approval workflows, production pipelines), operations (capacity planning, workload balancing), workflows (content creation, campaign execution), content (digital assets, brand guidelines), customer data (segments, personas, preferences), and more.
As a set of software tools, marketing resource management software (MRM software) helps businesses streamline and optimize several or even all these areas, pulling sometimes disparate data into a centralized information hub and breaking down silos and barriers within an organization. MRM software serves as a nerve center that handles planning and production of marketing assets along with governance (brand compliance, approval workflows), analysis (campaign performance, resource utilization), and even reporting (budget tracking, ROI measurement, team productivity).
The 4 key benefits of great marketing resource management
Admittedly, marketing resource management is a broad (and sometimes slippery) term, and implementing it will look different at every company. Whatever your setup looks like, you can still gain meaningful improvements by implementing a solid marketing resource management strategy (along with the right tools).
In my experience as a Content Marketing Manager at Teamwork.com, MRM matters because content rarely happens in a straight line. A “simple” campaign can involve writers, designers, SEO, product marketing, approvals, and distribution — plus freelancers or agencies. When your people, assets, and workflows aren’t visible in one place, you lose time to coordination, version confusion, and reactive rework. With a clearer view of capacity and a more consistent workflow, teams can reduce wasted effort, keep work moving, and ship campaigns with fewer last-minute scrambles.
Proper resource management for marketing campaigns can make everything run smoother and has many benefits:
Makes planning marketing campaigns easier: MRM software tools bring multiple functions into one place (tasks, resources, assets, budgets, timelines), making it easier to see the scope of campaigns and plan them out in a way that works for the entire team. Resources that used to be created once now must be refinished and reformatted dozens of times (e.g., one blog post becomes social posts, email content, landing page copy, paid ad variations), and each version needs to be perfect for its platform and that platform's audience. MRM tools help you plan this multi-format production without losing track of versions, approvals, or deadlines.
Creates a smooth workflow (and reduces busy work): MRM helps everyone stay on the same page, so work flows better and faster. It cuts down on repetitive tasks (manual status updates, chasing approvals, hunting for files) and endless back-and-forth (email threads with 15+ replies, "where's the latest version?" confusion). That way, the team spends less time doing boring admin stuff (according to McKinsey research, knowledge workers spend 28% of their time on email and searching for information) and more time actually getting things done - creating content, optimizing campaigns, and delivering results.
Helps with monitoring and tracking campaigns: MRM makes it easy to keep an eye on how your campaigns are doing - both execution (are we on schedule? on budget? using resources efficiently?) and performance (are we hitting goals? which channels are working? what's the ROI?). You can see what's working, what's not, and make changes on the fly. No more guessing games. Just clear data to help you make smarter decisions - like reallocating budget from underperforming channels to high-performers mid-campaign or shifting resources from completed projects to urgent priorities.
Increases branding consistency: Branding consistency is a notable concern worldwide, with 83% of marketers identifying the task as a significant challenge. By syncing resources within a centralized resource management platform (single source of truth for logos, brand colors, fonts, templates, approved assets), your team can keep marketing collateral on brand, following your (or your clients') brand guidelines (and keeping clients' digital marketing assets separate from one another). This prevents "which logo version?" confusion, ensures consistent brand presentation across channels (social, email, web, print), and reduces time wasted recreating assets that already exist but can't be found.
Already convinced that your marketing team needs a better resource management tool? See Teamwork.com’s powerful resource management capabilities, which are already supercharging marketing departments across the globe.
What are the challenges of marketing resource management?
Managing people, time, and tools in a marketing team isn't always easy. There's a lot to juggle - different projects (5-10 active campaigns simultaneously), deadlines (overlapping launch dates), and team members with different skills (writers, designers, strategists, analysts). Without the right system in place, things can quickly become overwhelming - I've seen teams where 40% of capacity is wasted on coordination overhead (status meetings, email updates, hunting for information) instead of productive work. Here are some of the most common challenges teams face:
Not knowing who's available: It can be hard to keep track of who is free to take on new work and who's already stretched too thin without resource management tools. When teams don't have clear visibility into availability (percentage of capacity used - e.g., 85% utilized means 34 hours scheduled of 40 available), some people end up with too much work (120%+ capacity leading to burnout) while others aren't used enough (40-50% capacity leading to bench time). This leads to missed deadlines, stress, and wasted talent. A good resource management tool can help give everyone a clear view of workloads - I’ve seen teams lose a surprising amount of time to coordination overhead (status meetings, email updates, hunting for information) instead of productive work.
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Trying to plan ahead while staying flexible: Marketing teams often need to plan campaigns months in advance (e.g., Q4 holiday campaigns planned in Q2). But they also have to jump on last-minute tasks (urgent client requests, reactive content, crisis response). Balancing both planned work (70-80% of capacity) and unplanned work (20-30% buffer for urgencies) can be tricky. If there's no easy way to shift resources when plans change (e.g., move designer from low-priority project to urgent client request), things can fall through the cracks. Teams need a flexible system that supports both long-term planning (forecast resources 3-6 months out) and quick changes (reassign work in minutes, not hours).
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Poor communication between teams: Many marketing projects involve people from different departments like design, content, SEO, paid media, and analytics. If these teams don't stay in sync (working from different briefs, using outdated assets, duplicating efforts), there can be delays (waiting 2-3 days for feedback), confusion (which version is approved?), or duplicated work (two people creating the same asset unknowingly). According to McKinsey research, employees spend 28% of their workweek managing email and searching for information. It helps to have processes in place that keep everyone updated and on the same page - centralized communication, single source of truth for assets, and clear approval workflows.
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What is marketing resource management software?
Marketing resource management (MRM) software is a tool that helps marketing teams plan, manage, and make the best use of their people (capacity planning, utilization tracking, skills matching), time (schedules, deadlines, dependencies), and budget (spend tracking, ROI measurement, cost allocation). It gives a clear picture of who is working on what, how busy everyone is (displayed as percentage of capacity - e.g., 85% utilized), and what tasks need to be done next. This helps teams stay organized, minimize burnout (keep utilization at 75-85% instead of 120%+), and keep projects on track (on-time delivery, on-budget execution). MRM software typically includes resource scheduling, workload planning, capacity forecasting, and utilization reporting - though some platforms also include digital asset management (organizing images and files), workflow automation (approval processes), and budget tracking (campaign spend and ROI).
Quick glance: 6 best marketing resource management tools
This comparison reflects pricing and features accurate as of December 2025. Tools were evaluated based on their MRM capabilities - resource management (people/capacity), asset management (files/images), workflow management (approvals/production), and budget management (spend/ROI) - by Ben Brigden, Content Marketing Manager at Teamwork.com.
Tool
The 6 best marketing resource management tools
Here are 6 of the best marketing resource management software solutions leading a $3.18 billion market that's growing fast. I looked at each tool through the lens of day-to-day marketing coordination — based on hands-on testing where available, product research, and demos — focusing on four criteria: resource management capabilities (can you see who's available and at what capacity?), asset management features (can you organize and find files easily?), workflow automation (can you streamline approvals and production?), and integration with existing tools (does it connect to your current stack?). Each tool serves different MRM needs - some focus on people management, others on asset management, some on both.
1) Teamwork.com
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Teamwork.com is project and resource management software built for client work, with resource scheduling, capacity planning, utilization reporting, time tracking, and budget management. It's best for marketing teams and agencies (5-50+ people) managing multiple campaigns who need to track who's working on what, prevent burnout, and prove profitability. Pricing starts at $10.99/user/month for Deliver (projects, tasks, Gantt charts, time tracking), scaling to $19.99/user/month for Grow (budgets, invoicing, profitability reports) and $54.99/user/month for Scale (resource management, utilization reports, workload planner, capacity forecasting).
As Content Marketing Manager at Teamwork.com, I rely on the platform every day to plan ahead and stay agile. I use it to map out our campaigns months in advance (Q4 planning happens in Q2), forecast team capacity (see if we need to hire or can take on more work), and make sure we're set up to deliver on our goals. The resource management features - specifically the Workload Planner and utilization reports - have been game-changing for preventing burnout and maximizing our team's productivity.
Teamwork.com is a powerful project management, task management, and resource management suite built for the needs of marketing teams, creative agencies, businesses that do client work, and professional services teams. It includes powerful features for managing resources on projects of all sizes and levels of complexity - from small 2-person campaigns to large 20-person product launches spanning 6 months.
With Teamwork.com, you can map out projects over the coming months and years and forecast resources out into the future (see capacity needs 3-6 months ahead). And you can also execute day-to-day capacity planning, making sure you have the right resources available for the right projects at the right time - preventing "we need a designer tomorrow but everyone's booked" emergencies.
While not necessarily a full-scale marketing resource management solution (Teamwork doesn't include digital asset management or content management), Teamwork.com offers powerful functionality across many of the areas covered by MRM platforms:
Monitoring team workload (see utilization percentage in real-time)
Visibility into all projects and campaigns (from planning to execution)
Ability to lay out and measure employee workload across projects (hours scheduled vs available)
Time tracking (billable vs non-billable, actual vs estimated)
Powerful tools for organizing tasks and assigning them to resources (drag-and-drop scheduling, skills matching)
When used in combination with a digital asset management tool (like Widen, Image Relay, or MediaValet) or content management system (like WordPress or HubSpot), Teamwork.com is a powerful component of the marketing resource management approach - handling the people and project side while DAM tools handle the asset side.
See Teamwork.com’s resource management capabilities in action.
Best features
Monitor team workload at a glance: Teamwork.com makes it easy to see how work is distributed across your team with features like the Workload Planner (visual timeline showing each person's scheduled work) and the Project Health Report (dashboard showing project status, budget, and resource allocation). You can quickly spot who's overloaded (120%+ capacity, displayed in red) and who has room to take on more (under 75% capacity, displayed in green), helping prevent burnout and underutilization. This visibility allows for smarter decisions when assigning tasks and scheduling timelines - I use the Workload Planner weekly to balance work across our team, ensuring no one's drowning while someone else is waiting for work.
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Built-in time tracking to improve planning: Time tracking in Teamwork.com lets you capture exactly how long tasks and projects take (via timers, manual entries, or timesheets), providing valuable data for future estimates. This helps marketing managers create more realistic schedules (e.g., blog posts actually take 4 hours not 2 hours estimated) and gives leadership a clear view of how team time is being used (billable vs non-billable, by project, by client, by task type). It also helps make sure client billing is correct (track every billable minute) and shows clearly how time is being used - I compare actual time vs estimates monthly to improve our project scoping accuracy.
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Real-time collaboration to streamline team communication: Team members can leave comments (threaded discussions on tasks or files), tag colleagues with @mentions (triggers notifications), share files (drag-and-drop attachments), and get notified of updates all within Proofs (visual markup and approval tool). This keeps communication tied directly to the work it relates to, rather than buried in email threads (where feedback gets lost) or scattered spreadsheets (where context is missing). It's especially useful for remote or hybrid teams working across different locations and time zones - I use Proofs for every blog post and campaign asset, cutting feedback cycles from 2-3 days (email back-and-forth) to same-day approvals.
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Resource forecasting: With Teamwork.com's long-term forecasting feature you see how much work is coming and what resources you'll need to deliver it (forecast 3-6 months out based on planned projects and estimated hours). This makes it easier to identify gaps in capacity before they become problems (e.g., "we'll need 2 more designers in Q3 to handle product launch workload"), so you can hire, shift workloads, or adjust timelines as needed. It's especially helpful for seasonal campaigns (Q4 holiday rush), product launches (concentrated resource needs), or times when marketing activity spikes - I use forecasting quarterly to plan hiring and freelancer needs.
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Track budgets and stay on top of costs: Teamwork.com's project budgets track project performance in real-time, from start to finish, so you always know what's going on - actual hours vs budgeted hours, actual cost vs planned revenue, profitability percentage. You can also set up custom budgets that fit your needs (fixed-fee projects, hourly retainers, time-and-materials contracts) and keep track of spending accurately with budget alerts at 75% and 90% thresholds. This prevents budget overruns and helps prove profitability to clients or leadership.
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Key insight: Teamwork.com focuses on people management, not asset management
Teamwork.com excels at managing people (who's working on what, capacity planning, utilization tracking) but doesn't include digital asset management (organizing images, videos, brand files). This focus makes Teamwork.com essential for agencies managing resource constraints and profitability but means you'll need a companion DAM tool (Widen, Image Relay, MediaValet) if you're managing thousands of visual assets.
Trade-off: deep people management vs no asset management.
Action: Use Teamwork.com for resource scheduling and project management, pair with a DAM tool if you manage large asset libraries (1,000+ images, videos, brand files). Don't expect Teamwork.com to replace your DAM - it's built for different purposes.
Limitations
Not a full MRM suite: Focused on project and resource management but doesn't contain all components within the MRM bucket - no digital asset management (DAM), no content management system (CMS), no marketing automation, no campaign analytics. Teamwork.com handles people, projects, time, and budgets - but not assets, content libraries, or multi-channel campaign execution.
Requires companion tools: Impressively strong at what it does (resource management, project tracking, time tracking, budgets), but may require the use of companion martech tools for full MRM coverage. Typical stack: Teamwork.com (people + projects) + DAM tool like Widen (assets) + CMS like WordPress (content) + marketing automation like HubSpot (campaigns). This multi-tool approach gives you best-in-class for each function but requires integration management.
Pricing
Free Forever: $0 (up to 5 users) - includes 2 projects, basic tasks, 100 MB storage
Deliver: $10.99/user/month (billed annually) - includes unlimited projects, tasks, Gantt charts, time tracking, 100 GB storage
Grow: $19.99/user/month (billed annually) - adds budgets, invoicing, profitability reports, advanced permissions, 250 GB storage
Scale: $54.99/user/month (billed annually) - includes resource management, utilization reports, workload planner, capacity forecasting, advanced automations, 500 GB storage
Enterprise: Custom pricing - adds dedicated support, custom onboarding, enterprise security, unlimited storage
Pricing accurate as of December 2025. Visit Teamwork.com pricing for the latest details and to start a free 30-day trial (no credit card required).
Ratings & reviews
G2 rating: 4.4/5 (based on 1,000+ reviews as of December 2025)
A G2 user, Moira, shared: "Teamwork is user friendly and makes it simple to set up projects and tasks by providing the option to add new tasks or have templates ready. Once you figure out how you want to set projects up for your team, it's easy to get things templated out. Teamwork makes it easy for account teams and creatives to keep everything in one place so everyone can be aware of what is going on with a project, what stage it's at, who is currently assigned to that stage, etc. It's simple to add in a budget for each project to keep track all in one place. Overall it's very helpful to keep things organized and moving!."
Read real user reviews of Teamwork.com here.
2) Widen Collective
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Widen Collective (now part of Acquia) is a digital asset management platform with cataloging, workflow automation, and media delivery for organizing and distributing marketing assets. It's best for brands and agencies (20-100+ people) managing large asset libraries (10,000+ images, videos, brand files) who need centralized storage, brand compliance, and distribution workflows. Pricing is custom-quoted based on number of users, storage needs, and features required - typically $20,000-$100,000+ annually for mid-market to enterprise deployments.
I've tried out Widen Collective while looking for tools to help manage marketing resources more effectively. It's a group of six connected apps that cover things like marketing resource management, digital asset management, and product information. The main tool is Widen, which is really focused on helping teams store, organize, and manage digital assets like images, videos, and content - the asset side of MRM, not the people/resource side.
Widen was one of the first software companies to bring a digital asset management solution to market (way back in 1997), so they have a deep and rich history to draw from - over 25 years of DAM experience and maturity.
The suite of applications covers an array of functions, including:
Cataloging, managing, and delivering media-heavy assets (images, videos, PDFs, design files)
Connecting product data to marketing assets (and vice versa) via PIM integration
Insights into asset performance (which assets are used most, download counts, user activity)
Setting up portals to keep collections or brands distinct (separate asset libraries per client or brand)
Using powerful templates for on-demand web-to-print collateral (generate branded materials from templates)
Workflow tools for streamlining work and content approvals (review and approve assets before publishing)
Overall, Widen Collective is extremely powerful and will certainly do everything you could need if you're a creative agency managing thousands of assets. The question is whether the suite is too much for your needs: too complex (requires dedicated DAM admin), too bulky (enterprise-grade features you may not use), too expensive (five-figure annual contracts minimum).
Best features
Comprehensive DAM capabilities: Very powerful, wide-ranging suite of tools covering asset storage (unlimited file types and sizes), metadata management (custom fields, taxonomies, tags), search and discovery (AI-powered visual search, keyword search, filters), distribution (embed assets on websites, share via portals), and analytics (usage tracking, download reports). This breadth makes Widen suitable for complex asset management needs.
Mature platform with deep expertise: Decades of history (since 1997) leads to superior service and a more mature platform compared to newer DAM entrants. Widen has solved edge cases, built robust integrations, and refined UX over 25+ years. Customer support benefits from this experience - support teams understand DAM workflows deeply.
Flexible pricing model: "Pay for what you use" pricing structure (custom-quoted based on users, storage, and features) means you're not paying for unused capacity. However, this also means pricing is opaque - you must contact sales for quotes, making it hard to budget or compare costs before demos.
Limitations
Asset-only focus: Widen focuses on digital asset management (organizing and distributing files) but doesn't include resource management (capacity planning, utilization tracking, workload balancing) or project management (tasks, timelines, budgets). You'll need companion tools like Teamwork for managing people and projects alongside Widen for managing assets.
Dated interface in some areas: User interface can feel dated in some workflows - some users report lack of drag-and-drop for bulk uploads, click-and-drag to select multiple files, or modern UX patterns. Widen has been modernizing the interface but legacy workflows remain. This can slow down power users managing hundreds of assets daily.
Limited access controls: Lacks some granular access controls like download-only rights (users can either view or download - no middle ground), expiring share links (links don't auto-expire after X days), or usage restrictions (can't prevent users from using assets in specific contexts). Enterprise plans offer more control but basic plans are limited.
Pricing
Custom pricing - quoted based on number of users, storage requirements (typically 1-50 TB), features needed, and contract length. Expect $20,000-$100,000+ annually for mid-market to enterprise deployments.
Pricing accurate as of December 2025. Visit Widen (Acquia DAM) website to contact sales for a quote.
Ratings & reviews
G2 rating: 4.5/5 (based on 200+ reviews as of December 2025)
A G2 user, Stewart (designer), shared: "I think the best thing for me as a designer is that clients can access the collective and source their own images. I used to waste HOURS sourcing images for internal clients. We set them up as a user, and click, done. Client is empowered to search and source their own images, and our brand is consistently presented to them with a customizable WIDEN interface. Life saver."
3) Adobe Campaign
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Adobe Campaign is a cross-channel campaign management platform with marketing automation, email personalization, and customer data integration for enterprise marketing. It's best for large enterprises (100-1,000+ marketing team members) already using Adobe Experience Cloud who need sophisticated personalization and multi-channel orchestration. Pricing is custom-quoted as part of Adobe Experience Cloud bundles - typically $50,000-$500,000+ annually depending on contact volume, features, and support level.
As a marketer, I've used several of Adobe's tools over the years, so I appreciate how familiar and widely used they are across teams. Adobe is really building on that by offering a full campaign management suite. With Adobe Campaign, you get a mix of CRM and campaign tools that work together to help you create personalized marketing campaigns across different channels (email, mobile, web, social, direct mail). It's especially useful if you're already working within the Adobe ecosystem (Experience Manager, Analytics, Target) and want everything to connect seamlessly.
Campaign offers centralized workflow management (approval processes for campaigns), marketing automation (triggered journeys based on customer behavior), personalized email marketing (dynamic content based on customer data), customer data management (unified customer profiles), and a managed cloud experience (Adobe hosts and maintains infrastructure).
Campaign isn't a fully featured MRM system; in fact, its resource management and project management capabilities are light to nonexistent - you can't track team capacity, plan workloads, or manage project budgets in Adobe Campaign. It's a campaign execution and personalization platform, not a resource management tool.
But if you're looking for data-driven personalization (e.g., send different email content based on customer segment, purchase history, or behavior), Adobe delivers something with Campaign that you may have a hard time finding elsewhere - especially integration with Adobe's broader marketing cloud for unified customer experiences.
Best features
Cross-channel personalization: Personalized campaigns across all channels (email, mobile push, SMS, web, social, print, direct mail) with unified customer data. Create dynamic content that adapts based on customer attributes (location, purchase history, engagement level, lifecycle stage) and orchestrate journeys across channels (e.g., email → SMS reminder → web personalization).
Advanced segmentation and targeting: Prospect search and segmentation is a widely loved feature allowing marketers to build complex audience queries (e.g., "customers who purchased in last 30 days AND opened last 3 emails AND live in California") for precise targeting. Segments update dynamically as customer data changes.
Adobe ecosystem integration: Campaign is part of the Adobe Experience Cloud, which creative firms may already be paying for - reducing incremental cost if you're using Experience Manager (CMS), Analytics (web analytics), or Target (A/B testing). Data flows seamlessly between Adobe products for unified customer view.
Limitations
Not a full MRM solution: More an ancillary MRM technology platform than a full MRM solution - Adobe Campaign handles campaign execution and personalization but lacks resource management (capacity planning, utilization tracking), project management (tasks, timelines, budgets), and digital asset management (organizing visual assets - though integrates with Adobe Experience Manager Assets).
Requires technical resources: Designed for enterprise businesses with robust in-house IT resources for implementation, configuration, and ongoing maintenance. Adobe Campaign requires technical expertise to set up workflows, configure data models, and build integrations - not a self-service platform marketers can implement alone. Expect 3-6 months implementation with Adobe consultants or system integrators.
Dated platform architecture: As a marketing automation platform, Campaign seems dated compared to modern cloud competitors like HubSpot, Marketo, or Salesforce Marketing Cloud. The interface feels less intuitive, workflows are more complex to build, and the platform requires more technical knowledge to operate effectively. Adobe is modernizing Campaign but legacy architecture remains.
Pricing
Custom pricing - quoted as part of Adobe Experience Cloud bundles based on contact volume, features, and support level. Expect $50,000-$500,000+ annually for mid-market to enterprise deployments.
Pricing accurate as of December 2025. Visit Adobe Campaign website to contact sales for a quote.
Ratings & reviews
G2 rating: 4.1/5 (based on 400+ reviews as of December 2025)
A G2 user, Caroline, shared: "It is great source for marketing. It is also great when combines with other adobe software's. The built-in-reporting and targeting features has helped us to spread knowledge of our private school that would otherwise go unnoticed. we are also a nonprofit and being able to reach a wide variety of people without having to email each and every person has helped not only our administrator, but our ability to remain open and help our students with financial aid and donations."
4) Canto (Image Relay)
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Canto (formerly Image Relay) is a digital asset management platform with visual search, metadata management, and brand portals for organizing and sharing marketing assets. It's best for brands and agencies (10-100+ people) managing large visual libraries (5,000+ images, videos, design files) who need fast search, brand compliance, and easy sharing. Pricing is custom-quoted based on users, storage, and features - typically $10,000-$50,000+ annually for mid-market deployments.
I first came across Image Relay when looking for digital asset and product information tools to support our marketing operations. It originally focused on helping teams manage visual content and product data in one place which is a key part of marketing resource management - specifically the asset management component.
Over time, Image Relay has grown and evolved into what's now known as Canto, expanding its features and improving the user experience. While they call it the "world's first fully integrated marketing solution," I'd say that might be a bit of a stretch (it's primarily a DAM tool, not a full MRM suite) but it does a solid job handling content and asset management for growing teams.
Canto is a fantastic tool for organizing photos and other visual marketing content, along with product information. If you're a consumer-packaged goods brand (CPG) with thousands of product images, packaging variations, and marketing collateral, Canto might be near priceless in terms of value - the product information management (PIM) integration is particularly strong.
But as a marketing resource management platform, Canto is pretty sparse. You won't be tracking campaigns or building out projects. You probably won't use it to actually build complex campaign content, either. It can (usually) help you find the right images and content quickly, but turning that content into what you need to create? You'll probably want to do that elsewhere (design tools, project management platforms, marketing automation).
Best features
Product catalog management: A great solution for businesses with large catalogs of products (with associated image and product information) - CPG brands, retailers, manufacturers with hundreds or thousands of SKUs. Link product data (name, SKU, description, specifications) to visual assets (product photos, packaging images, marketing materials) for unified management.
Visual asset organization: Brings order to often chaotic image-based workflows with AI-powered visual search (find images by visual similarity, not just keywords), facial recognition (find all images containing specific people), and smart tagging (auto-tag images with AI-detected objects, colors, concepts). This makes finding the right asset fast even in libraries with 10,000+ images.
Brand consistency and compliance: Maintains brand consistency by creating a single source of truth for images, design elements (logos, fonts, color palettes), and product information. Set up brand portals (separate asset libraries per brand or client), control access (who can view, download, or edit), and ensure teams always use approved, up-to-date assets - preventing "old logo" mistakes.
Limitations
Search and navigation challenges: Combination of hierarchical folder structure and search tool makes surfacing content a challenge for some users who report difficulty finding assets without knowing exact folder locations or file names. Search quality varies - works well for properly tagged assets but struggles with poorly tagged or legacy content.
DAM-only scope: Features very limited in scope to digital asset management - no resource management (capacity planning, utilization), no project management (tasks, timelines, budgets), no campaign execution (email, social, automation). Canto handles asset storage and distribution only, requiring companion tools for full MRM coverage.
Enterprise pricing for mid-market features: High price tag (typically $10,000-$50,000+ annually) for limited feature set compared to broader platforms. You're paying primarily for DAM capabilities - if you don't have large asset libraries (1,000+ files) or complex brand management needs, simpler tools may suffice at lower cost.
Pricing
Custom pricing - quoted based on number of users, storage needs, and features. Expect $10,000-$50,000+ annually for mid-market deployments.
Pricing accurate as of December 2025. Visit Canto website to contact sales for a quote.
Ratings & reviews
G2 rating: 4.4/5 (based on 300+ reviews as of December 2025)
A G2 user, Nikeeta (creative designer), shared: "The best thing about Canto is that whenever I update files I can simply replace the old version without having to delete the old file or reupload a new one with tags. Not only can I replace the old version but the old version is still there in the history in case I ever need to reference back at it. I also appreciate the level of organization within this platform. There is such an ease for everything and it really cuts down my time when uploading assets. The customer support is great and they are very responsive whenever I have a question. I use Canto everyday as a creative designer designer and it's a great tool that I can reference back and forth on as I'm creating content. Canto is super user friendly and I highly recommend for anyone who is in need of handling multiple types of assets within their company."
5) MediaValet
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MediaValet is a cloud-based digital asset management platform with unlimited users, AI-powered search, and workflow automation for managing and distributing marketing assets. It's best for large distributed teams (50-500+ people) managing significant asset libraries (10,000+ files) who need unlimited user access without per-seat costs. Pricing is custom-quoted based on storage needs and features - typically $15,000-$75,000+ annually for mid-market to enterprise deployments.
I've tried out MediaValet for managing digital files with our marketing and creative teams. Since it is cloud-based, everyone whether they are on our team or outside partners (clients, freelancers, vendors) can easily get to the files they need no matter where they are. That makes working together way simpler especially when people are spread out across offices, time zones, or work-from-home setups. It really helps keep everything organized and easy to share.
MediaValet boasts high-quality support and training and can support an unlimited number of users (no per-seat pricing), making it ideal for large corporations with hundreds of marketing team members, external agencies, and partner organizations needing asset access. The service includes simple navigation and easy-to-use tools and supports assets and files of any type and size (images, videos, PDFs, design files, documents - no file type or size restrictions).
MediaValet is highly scalable and very flexible, but it doesn't claim to be anything more than a digital asset management tool. It's similar to Canto in this way: Both tools are great at what they do (organizing and distributing assets), but they can't assist with anything resembling project management (tasks, timelines, budgets) or resource management (capacity planning, utilization tracking).
That said, pairing the capabilities of Canto or MediaValet with a robust project and resource management tool like Teamwork.com could give you the best of both worlds - MediaValet handles assets, Teamwork.com handles people and projects, and integrations connect them for unified workflows.
Best features
Universal file support: Supports file uploads of nearly any type (images, videos, PDFs, design files, documents, audio, 3D models), with tagging (custom tags for categorization) and detailed metadata (custom fields for any data point - client, campaign, usage rights, expiration date, creator). This flexibility means you can manage all marketing assets in one place instead of scattered across tools.
External user access: Allows you to easily invite external users (clients, agencies, partners, vendors) to the files you choose without paying per-seat fees (unlimited users included). Set granular permissions (view-only, download, upload, edit) and create branded portals for external access. This makes client collaboration seamless and cost-effective.
Flexible organization: Gives users the freedom to manage content however they want (folders, collections, tags, smart albums) yet keep it centralized and accessible. Different team members can organize assets differently (designer uses folders, marketer uses tags, client uses collections) while accessing the same central library. This flexibility accommodates different working styles.
Limitations
DAM-only focus: Another limited solution that may require using multiple tools for full-service marketing resource management. MediaValet handles asset management (files, images, videos) but not resource management (people, capacity, utilization), project management (tasks, budgets, timelines), or campaign execution (email, social, automation). Pair with Teamwork for people management and HubSpot or similar for campaign execution.
Interface limitations: Some users report dated user interface patterns in certain workflows - limited drag-and-drop for bulk operations, no click-and-drag to select multiple files in some views, or legacy UX patterns. MediaValet has been modernizing the interface but some workflows feel less intuitive than newer DAM platforms.
Access control gaps: Lacks some granular access controls like download-only rights (users can view or download - no middle ground preventing downloads while allowing preview), watermarking on shared assets (can't auto-watermark assets shared externally), or usage tracking (can't see where assets are being used after download). Enterprise features offer more control but standard plans are limited.
Pricing
Custom pricing - quoted based on storage requirements and features. Expect $15,000-$75,000+ annually for mid-market to enterprise deployments.
Pricing accurate as of December 2025. Visit MediaValet website to contact sales for a quote.
Ratings & reviews
G2 rating: 4.6/5 (based on 100+ reviews as of December 2025)
A G2 user, Kevin, shared: "MediaValet is helping my team streamline and scale our content management. With thousands of assets in our media library, we need an efficient, user-friendly, fully integrated system to help us stay organized. MediaValet will ensure we reduce waste and duplication of efforts. We especially like having the ability to create guest portals so that we can share with our partners and collaborators."
6) Aprimo
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Aprimo is a content operations and MRM platform combining digital asset management, workflow automation, budget tracking, and campaign planning for enterprise marketing. It's best for large enterprises (100-1,000+ marketing team members) needing comprehensive MRM covering assets, workflows, budgets, and governance. Pricing is custom-quoted based on users, modules, and implementation - typically $75,000-$300,000+ annually for enterprise deployments with 6-12 month implementation timelines.
I've checked out Aprimo and it's a content operations platform that combines a lot of features like digital asset management (organize and distribute assets), work management (tasks and workflows), and budget tracking (campaign spend and ROI) all in one place. The idea is to help marketing teams, especially CMOs, run campaigns faster and stay on schedule with unified visibility across all marketing operations.
The suite boasts AI-powered workflow enhancements (intelligent routing, auto-tagging) and "content atomization" (breaking content into reusable components for multi-channel distribution). Forrester includes the suite in its 2020 Forrester Wave™ report as a leading full-service MRM platform - one of the few true end-to-end solutions.
Though Aprimo offers a wide range of capabilities, implementation takes work if you want to get the most value out of it. Be prepared for tech-heavy implementation (requires IT resources, system integrators, or consultants) and integration with your systems (CRM, marketing automation, analytics, ERP), which may require support over time. Expect 6-12 months from contract to full deployment.
Best features
Comprehensive work management: Tracks task and campaign progress across the entire marketing lifecycle from planning (campaign briefs, resource allocation) through execution (production workflows, approvals) to analysis (performance reporting, budget reconciliation). This end-to-end visibility is rare in MRM platforms - most focus on either assets or workflows, not both.
Highly customizable platform: Offers a wide range of features and functions if you have the ability to custom-build workflows, data models, and integrations. Aprimo is a platform you configure to match your processes, not a pre-built solution you adapt to. This flexibility is powerful for complex enterprise needs but requires technical resources and time investment.
Enterprise integration ecosystem: Very well integrated with many of the apps and services you're already using including Salesforce (CRM), Adobe Creative Cloud (design tools), Microsoft Office (documents), SAP (ERP), and major marketing automation platforms. Pre-built connectors and APIs enable data flow across your martech stack.
Limitations
Requires extensive implementation: Out-of-the-box functionality is limited; requires implementation support from Aprimo consultants, system integrators, or internal IT teams to configure workflows, data models, integrations, and user permissions. Expect 6-12 months implementation timeline and significant services costs (often 50-100% of software licensing costs) before the platform is production-ready. This is not a self-service tool marketers can implement independently.
Complex user experience: Fairly unintuitive UI and UX compared to modern cloud platforms - interface feels enterprise-heavy with complex navigation, technical terminology, and workflows that require training to understand. New users need 2-4 weeks of training before feeling comfortable with core features. This complexity reflects Aprimo's enterprise focus but creates adoption challenges.
Workflow flexibility concerns: Some users find the built-in workflows much less flexible than Aprimo claims, reporting difficulty customizing approval workflows, changing process stages, or adapting workflows to evolving needs without professional services support. The platform's structure can feel rigid despite promises of flexibility.
Pricing
Custom pricing - quoted based on users, modules, storage, and implementation services. Expect $75,000-$300,000+ annually for enterprise deployments including software licensing and implementation services.
Pricing accurate as of December 2025. Visit Aprimo website to contact sales for a quote.
Ratings & reviews
G2 rating: 4.3/5 (based on 100+ reviews as of December 2025)
A G2 user, Amy, shared: "One thing I like best about Aprimo is the stableness of the site--I'm able to visit one of my materials and it's easy to navigate and immediately find. Plus, the search feature is very helpful when I'm looking for a piece that's not linked on my company's SharePoint site. Easy to integrate into my workflows as well since I work with the Aprimo Librarian for my company and I use Aprimo daily; I can keep a stable link to the site on other applications like Excel. Overall, very efficient library source."
How to choose the right MRM software
Choosing the right MRM software depends on which aspect of marketing resource management you need to solve. If your primary challenge is managing people and capacity (who's available? who's overloaded? can we take on more work?), choose resource management tools like Teamwork.com ($10.99-$54.99/user/month), Wrike ($9.80-$24.80/user/month), or monday.com ($9-$16/user/month). If your primary challenge is managing assets (where's the approved logo? which image version is latest? how do we maintain brand consistency?), choose digital asset management tools like Widen, Canto, or MediaValet (custom pricing, typically $10,000-$100,000+ annually). If you need both, either choose a full-service MRM platform like Aprimo (expensive, complex, enterprise-focused) or combine best-in-class tools (Teamwork.com for people + Widen for assets).
Decision criteria:
What's our biggest resource management pain point? People/capacity = Teamwork.com; Assets/brand = DAM tools; Both = Aprimo or combined stack.
What's our team size and budget? Under 20 people with limited budget = Teamwork.com only; 20-100 people with moderate budget = Teamwork.com + lightweight DAM; 100+ people with enterprise budget = full MRM suite like Aprimo.
Do we have IT resources for implementation? If yes, consider enterprise platforms (Aprimo, Adobe Campaign). If no, choose self-service tools (Teamwork.com, Canto).
How many assets do we manage? Under 1,000 = use project management tool's file storage; 1,000-10,000 = lightweight DAM; 10,000+ = enterprise DAM like Widen or MediaValet.
Start with your biggest pain point, test solutions with 14-30 day trials or demos, and measure impact (time saved, capacity improved, assets found faster). Don't try to solve all MRM challenges at once - start with people management or asset management, prove value, then expand.
Key insight: Most teams need resource management, not full MRM
Full-service MRM platforms (Aprimo, Adobe Campaign) cost $75,000-$300,000+ annually and require 6-12 months implementation - overkill for most marketing teams under 100 people. The reality: most teams' biggest pain point is managing people and capacity (who's available? who's overloaded?), not managing thousands of assets or complex workflows.
The fix: start with resource management tools like Teamwork.com ($10.99-$54.99/user/month) that solve capacity planning, utilization tracking, and workload balancing - the core of MRM for agencies and marketing teams. Add DAM tools later if you accumulate 1,000+ assets and struggle with findability or brand consistency.
Trade-off: full MRM suites' comprehensive coverage vs focused tools' faster time-to-value and lower cost.
Action: Audit your current pain points - if you're spending 5+ hours weekly on capacity planning, resource allocation, or "who's available?" questions, invest in resource management first. If you're spending 5+ hours weekly searching for assets or managing brand consistency, invest in DAM first.
Best practices for implementing MRM software
Getting new software up and running can sometimes be tricky, but it doesn't have to be. Here are some easy tips to help you use marketing resource management software the right way and make sure your whole team is on board:
Know what you want to achieve: Before you start using MRM software, be clear about what you want it to do for your team with specific, measurable goals. Are you trying to keep track of projects better (reduce missed deadlines from 30% to 10%)? Manage budgets (reduce budget overruns from 40% to 15%)? Speed up approvals (cut feedback cycles from 3 days to same-day)? Knowing your goals helps you focus on the features that matter most and measure success after implementation.
Get team buy-in early: Involve your marketing team and other key stakeholders from the start of the selection process. When people understand how the software will help them (save time, reduce frustration, improve visibility) and have a say in the process (participate in demos, provide feedback on workflows), they're more likely to use it consistently. Training and open communication are key to making adoption smooth - aim for 80%+ daily usage within 30 days.
Keep your data organized: One of the biggest benefits of MRM software is centralizing your marketing assets and information. But to get the most from it, you need clean, well-organized data. Take time to standardize naming conventions (e.g., ClientName_AssetType_Date_Version.ext), file storage structures (consistent folder hierarchies or tagging systems), and workflows (documented approval processes, defined roles) so everything is easy to find and track. Garbage in, garbage out - messy data creates messy systems.
Integrate with existing tools: MRM software works best when it connects with the tools your team already uses, like project management platforms (Teamwork.com, Asana), CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce), digital asset management systems (Widen, Canto), or marketing automation (Marketo, Mailchimp). This helps you avoid doing the same work twice (manual data entry, duplicate updates) and keeps information synchronized across systems. Prioritize native integrations over Zapier workarounds for reliability.
Check in and make changes often: Using MRM software isn't something you do once and forget. Keep checking how it's working for your team (monthly reviews of adoption rates, time saved, goals achieved), listen to feedback (what's working? what's frustrating? what's missing?), and tweak things if needed (adjust workflows, add integrations, refine processes). This way, the software keeps helping you hit your goals without causing headaches. Plan for continuous improvement, not "set it and forget it."
Manage your marketing efforts & resources effectively with Teamwork.com
Marketing resource management is a deep discipline, and organizations embracing an MRM approach require numerous digital capabilities and functions - resource scheduling, asset management, workflow automation, budget tracking, and campaign analytics. Due to the technical complexity involved, there aren't many full-service solutions that make sense for smaller companies or creative agencies - full MRM suites like Aprimo cost $75,000-$300,000+ annually with 6-12 month implementations, making them accessible only to large enterprises.
One useful approach is combining the power of a digital asset management platform (Widen, Canto, MediaValet for organizing assets) with a robust project and resource management suite (Teamwork for managing people, capacity, budgets, and projects). This best-of-breed approach gives you specialized tools for each function at lower total cost and faster implementation than enterprise MRM suites.
For the latter, Teamwork.com is a fantastic choice: Teamwork.com is the project and task management platform built for creative teams and agencies. It's perfect for marketing project management - powerful enough to do everything you could need (resource scheduling, capacity planning, utilization tracking, time tracking, budget management, profitability reporting), but user-friendly and intuitive for marketers and creatives to use and enjoy without extensive technical training or IT support.
Start your free 30-day trial (no credit card required) or book a demo to see how Teamwork can transform your marketing resource management.
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