Tag: iStock

New York, USA – Getty Images has launched VisualGPS Insights, a new interactive tool designed to help businesses develop content strategies backed up with data and visual guidance. With the new platform, users can view and analyse over 2.5 billion annual searches and download queries from Getty Images as well as iStock, its e-commerce platform focused on SMBs, SMEs and creatives.

In addition, the VisualGPS Insights will enable creatives, advertisers and SMBs with actionable data and insights to determine whether they should follow or avoid the most popular content and whether their campaigns are timed correctly and culturally resonant to create powerfully visual and competitive marketing strategies.

One of the early adopters, Miko Smith, owner of Bluebird Consulting, said, “I’m always looking for something to provide a solution. This would be a game-changer. If I’m running ads for a client, it’s given me another reassurance that I can look here and say, okay, let’s budget, let’s send some to India. It looks like India, let’s focus on India and the United States.”

Meanwhile, Candace Marks, senior director of product management at Getty Images and iStock, shared, “Through quick takes on visual trends and industry data, VisualGPS Insights provides customers with a unique jumping-off point for them to make data-driven decisions when it comes to their marketing strategies, whether that is deciding if they want to follow or avoid the most popular content or find inspiration on how to market their offerings in a unique and innovative way.” 

Marks added, “Through this tool, we will provide unique access to proprietary data they will not find elsewhere to empower our clients to get in front of where their industry is headed and how it is reacting to what consumers care about.”

All registered iStock customers across the world have access to the free VisualGPS Insights tool, which enables organizations to leverage real-time visual trends. As a strategic tool, the service aims to give enterprises a better knowledge of how much interest there is in various content inquiries.

Sydney, Australia – iStock, the e-commerce platform that provides premium visual content to SMBs, SMEs, creatives, and students, has just announced the launch of its two new products that aim to make professional-quality video creation more simple and affordable for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The first product, iStock Video Editor, is a video maker that does not require any previous design or editing experience, helping customers quickly go from start to finish of the video-creation process. Combined with the depth and breadth of iStock’s videos, photographs, and illustrations, the tool allows businesses to use customizable templates, music, colors, fonts, and layouts to produce high-impact videos. To use the Video Editor, users simply need to click ‘Create’ at the top of the iStock homepage.

Meanwhile, the iStock’s new subscription plan, Premium Plus Video, seeks to give subscribers on-demand access to millions of video clips, images, and illustrations all in a single easy and affordable subscription. 

Moreover, it is available in monthly or annual plans in which image and video downloads count the same, allowing customers to license video for as low as a few dollars per asset. Subscribers will also be able to roll over unused downloads and enjoy the same rich royalty-free rights included with all iStock content. 

Grant Farhall, iStock’s chief product officer, shared that video has become the preferred way for companies to reach and communicate with their audiences in compelling ways, however, their customers have told them that while they want to create more video it is a difficult and time-consuming task that requires complicated tools and large budgets.

“We listened to our customers and the launch of Premium Plus Video subscription and the iStock Video Editor will make professional video creation fast and easy for small businesses and entrepreneurs, no previous experience needed,” said Farhall.

The new iStock Video Editor and Premium Plus Video aims to remove the barriers to video creation and give businesses, both large and small, the opportunity to optimize their visual strategy to create higher engagement and improve ROI’s. 

For the past two weeks, sports fans around the world have been glued to their TVs cheering for their country at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. With the action continuing on 24 August with the Paralympic Games, the opportunity for businesses to remain connected with their customers on a topic that resonates with so many — sport — should remain front-of-mind.

Whichever industry you’re in, the feelings of celebration and togetherness the Olympics and Paralympics evoke are common themes which unite and engage communities and customers the world over, and this sentiment doesn’t end with the closing ceremony.

According to the latest iStock Visual GPS research, 75% of people in ANZ stated they want to develop daily wellness and exercise routines. Search data across iStock by Getty Images, a leading ecommerce platform providing premium visual content to SMBs, SMEs, creatives and students around the world, shows that terms such as ‘outdoor fitness’ and ‘exercise at home’ have increased by 1225% and 760% respectively over the past twelve months.

Based on the insights, here are the four things businesses can do to effectively use sport in their marketing campaigns to drive greater engagement among their customers.

  1. Ensure your visuals are relatable 

Not everyone can be Ariarne Titmus or Peter Bol. About 68% of people in ANZ want companies to celebrate diversity of all kinds, and yet 62% still do not feel represented in media and advertising. So remember to be inclusive in your visual choices and avoid relying on visuals of toned, young athletes. Ensure you are also including intersectional identities such as body shapes, types, sizes, abilities, age and gender. 

How to integrate sport into your marketing in an authentic and inclusive way
Photo: iStock.com/SelectStock

Around 18% of Aussies and 24% of Kiwis live with some form of disability, and 27% of the ANZ population are aged 55+, so think about the range of exercise and fitness on offer, from wheelchair basketball, to senior yoga and running buggy groups. Sport and exercise can be both an individual and group activity, so it’s important to consider visuals of both.

  1. Celebrate togetherness

Sporting events such as the Olympics, Paralympics, The Ashes and Australian Open bring people together – virtually or in person – to celebrate, enjoy each other’s company and cheer on their favourite athletes. The Visual GPS research shows that 84% of people in ANZ look for ways to celebrate the good things in their life. This could be as simple as showing how we are celebrating having a meal or drinks together at home with our family, partners or housemates.

How to integrate sport into your marketing in an authentic and inclusive way
Photo: iStock.com/FG Trade

Consider visualizing the ways in which people are connecting virtually and celebrating sporting successes with loved ones from afar. The same research highlights that this is incredibly important to people, with 82% of people across ANZ finding that technology helps them feel connected to others. 

  1. Consider fitness more holistically

In Australia, the priority most valued during the pandemic was personal health and wellbeing, followed closely by the health and wellbeing of family. Attitudes to ‘wellness’ have changed, with 94% of people in ANZ believing it is equally important to take care of themselves emotionally as well as physically. When thinking about fitness, consider it holistically and include the benefits it can have on people’s emotional wellbeing. Use visuals which show the emotional rewards people get from sport and exercise and encourage physical health in the making, rather than the results of exercise on physical appearance. 

How to integrate sport into your marketing in an authentic and inclusive way
Photo: iStock.com/RyanJLane

Connect authentically with supportive depictions of mental health, and include visuals which represent a broad spectrum of proactive self‑care moments, from a video yoga class at home, to a walk on the beach, to a Zoom call with friends, or sharing a healthy meal with family.

  1. Get back to nature

International travel bans and limits on time allowed outside the home have meant Aussies are exploring their own backyard. Searches on iStock for ‘outdoor living’ and ‘Australian nature’ have both increased by 144%, reflecting how people are reconnecting with nature and finding inspiration and restfulness in the outdoors.

How to integrate sport into your marketing in an authentic and inclusive way
Photo: iStock.com/Fly View Productions

When selecting your visual content, consider the different ways in which people are embracing the outdoors and moving freely through landscapes and uncrowded spaces. Visualizing the mindful ways in which people are engaging in outdoor activities will resonate well with your customers of all ages.

With the continued impact of the pandemic, sports present an opportunity for businesses, regardless of industry, to connect and celebrate with their customers. 

This article was written by Kate Rourke, head of creative insights for Asia Pacific at Getty Images and iStock.

Sydney, Australia – Few days left for the observance of Pride Month this June, yet new data from LGBTQIA+ media advocacy organization GLAAD and visual communications company Getty Images shows how even developed regions, specifically in the ANZ region, have low or stereotypical representation among visual storytelling in their respective markets.

According to their findings, 30% of such visuals depict gay men as ‘feminine’ and 31% of such visuals depict lesbian women as ‘masculine’. They also noted that 36% of such visuals depict gay men as ‘flamboyant’ and 25% of such visuals depict LGBTQ+ people carrying the rainbow flag in some capacity.

Consumer-wise, while 8 in 10 ANZ consumers say they expect brands to be consistently committed to diversity and inclusion, only 4 in 10 feel accurately represented.

According to Kate Rourke, head of creative insights for Asia Pacific at Getty Images and iStock, Australian and New Zealand brands have a great opportunity to look beyond token opportunism, and create and use visuals that effectively reflect and speak to the LGBTQ+ community – without fear of backlash or to simply ‘tick a box’.

“Brands that continue to use cliched visual stereotypes to minimise risk of offending the more conversative customers, will do more harm in the long run. Our society is constantly evolving and changing. Our recent research also revealed that for Australians and New Zealanders the top way they know a company is truly committed to diversity and inclusion is by consistently showing a wide range of people, lifestyles, and cultures in their communications. Ignoring these cultural changes means they will lose out to their competitors in the long run,” Rouke stated.

That reliance has left some advertisers feeling hesitant when it comes to proactively depicting the LGBTQIA+ community in their campaigns and communications, especially outside of events like Mardi Gras. 

In response, Getty Images’ has recently released its ‘LGBTQIA+ Guidebook for Inclusive Visual Storytelling’ that gives brands and businesses practical recommendations for confidently making more inclusive visual choices when depicting the broader LGBTQIA+ community.

“Our hope for the Guidebook is to empower businesses to step up and depict the LGBTQIA+ community in authentic and thoughtful ways, rather than relying on often overused stereotypes. This can be as simple as choosing visuals of real LGBTQIA+ people in their daily lives such as walking a dog, going to school, at work, cooking, running errands, even grabbing a coffee or doing laundry,” Rourke added.