A little while ago, I was asked to shoot some corporate portraits for a multi-billion-dollar international insurance company. The problem with the pictures already on its web site, as the communications director explained, was that none of the people shown in the photos worked for the company. Every picture on the site was a generic stock image of anonymous people.
The director actually said that he was quite embarrassed about this. But his employer was more concerned about the cost of custom photography. In the end, the company decided to stick with cheap stock images for its corporate identity. (Did I mention “multi-billion-dollar company”?)
The irony here is that this is an insurance company which, by definition, is all about managing and reducing risk. Yet the company itself is taking a huge identity risk.
The problems and risk of any company using stock images are illustrated in this article on the Fair Trade Photographer blog. The risk is also perfectly pointed out by the BBC after two opposing Irish political parties used a similar stock photo. Also, see this older Wall Street Journal article.
If your business uses stock images or is thinking about trying to save a few dollars by using stock images, do your company a favour and read these articles.
It’s easy to track any photo online. The technology was invented here in Toronto. It takes mere seconds for anyone to find multiple uses of an online photo.
How embarrassing and awkward will it be if the stock photography your company uses happens to be the same pictures used on a competitor’s site? Or what if the stock picture your ad agency uses happens to show a competitor’s product?
There are several web sites that poke fun at poorly-altered photographs and embarrass the companies that use these manipulated photos. Soon enough, there’ll be similar web sites that point out awkward multiple uses of stock images and embarrass the companies that use these pictures. Will your company be one of those laughed at?
Certainly there are times when the use of a stock image may be appropriate. But for your corporate identity, branding and marketing?
Hiring a corporate photographer to produce authentic photography for your business is always cheaper in the long run, always creates the best first impression, always creates a unique look and identity, always enhances your credibility and always has the least corporate risk.
Can your business really afford cheap stock photography?
