Getty Images: Latest Trends in Imagery
Getty Images has launched its latest MAP (What Makes A Picture) report.  This second major trend report focuses on the issue of the environment, its pivotal role in marketing and communications in 2007 and how this will change and impact the world of advertising and communication in 2008.  The report identifies trends that are not fads, but long-term developments which all users of imagery can learn from and apply when creating visual communications.

The report’s findings have shown how marketers and advertisers have latched on to the world’s growing environmental consciousness, or ideals of ‘aspirational environmentalism’, hence the title of this year’s report AspEn.  As organisations attempt to ‘out-green’ each other, imagery plays an increasingly vital role in eco brand positioning. In 2008 brands will have to be ever more aware of greenwashing. The Getty Images’ consumer survey, undertaken in partnership with Yankelovich Research, shows how consumers will be demanding authenticity and will rally against false advertising claims as this issue becomes more and more prevalent in their day-to-day lives.

The Getty Images MAP report is a unique and rare insight into the trends that will change the look of mass-communication.  Getty Images’ global creative research team studied 2500 ad campaigns from around the world over the course of 2007.  Over 1500 of those ads are available in the report.

To engage the consumer in 2008 use Grit not Green
This year all the analysis points to the fact that consumers are getting green image fatigue. ”When it comes to the visual language of the environment, we are in danger of killing it as a meaningful symbol with visual cliché. The first lesson we must learn in order to grab any attention is to make Death to Environmentalism our mantra and kill off the clichés of ecology. Marketers shouldn’t preach what they or the consumer doesn’t really practice; they need to be positive, pleasing, entertaining, with messages that are environmentally sensitive,” said Lewis Blackwell, creative advisor, Getty Images.

The year of environmental authenticity:  polar bears are out and making it local is in…
Rebecca Swift, global creative planning director, Getty Images, said:  “With multi-billions being spent on commercial communications that are now appropriating and even preaching values from a highly volatile, political, area of public debate, environmentalism is both powerful and dangerous stuff for marketers to play with next year.

“Imagery has the ability to convey this political and emotive issue in a way that makes it real for individuals and make what can be such a huge and complex issue relevant for all of us on a personal level.  Pictures of the ice caps and polar bears will not resonate with consumers in the future - they need to be able to connect with the issue.” continued Swift.

Key themes from the report
Animal attraction/Creature features
The era of animals as context-free human entertainment as an exhibit in a menagerie, or a circus act is over, both in eco-sensitive advertising, but also in the wider global culture.  The idea that humans will only respond to animal imagery if animals are anthropomorphised in the Disney tradition, or turned into cute icons on packaging, is on the wane and what’s replacing it is getting interesting.  Of course bunnies and Bambi will still be around, but there are new directions in using animal imagery in communications

Death to Environmentalism: Invent a new Mythology
We have seen so far the deep visual thinking behind green in our personal space, at home and beyond, and looking at some of the visual cues emerging in the visual language.  What green means and looks like is currently a mix of the good, the bad and the bugly – yes we will see more images of bugs!

Near – my car, my home, my stuff
For environmental marketing, whatever the product, the closer to home you can pitch the communication the better the opportunity to win over the hearts and minds of consumers to green products and behaviours. This is probably not good news for communicators who have been enjoying economies of scale in recent years by running global campaigns

FAR Out is the New NEAR
For environmental marketing, whatever the product, the closer to home you can pitch the communication the better the opportunity to win over the hearts and minds of consumers to green products and behaviours.

The en-crowd - Inspiration for Aspiration
Visual communicators need to address consumer mindsets about environmentalism: indifference, a sense of greenwashing, and resentment about the commercialisation of a social cause.

For further information visit www.gettyimages.com

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