Marketing Superstars: Susan Smith Ellis, CMO, Getty Images
Marketing Superstars: Susan Smith Ellis, CMO, Getty Images
Getty Keeps Its Image Fresh
Most marketers probably know Getty Images as a prime source of stock photos. But that familiarity, welcome as it is, poses a challenge for company CMO Susan Smith Ellis. “Even when you’re as well-known as Getty, you have to do two things,” she said. “One is, you need to keep the customers you have and make sure they’re aware of all the ways you’re remaining modern and fresh. And you also need to be able to attract new customers.”
One way Getty is staying fresh is by evolving the content of its photographic offerings. “As young people and marketers look for authenticity, we have briefed our contributors to start to shoot people and scenarios as they are and not as their clichés,” Ellis said. For example, when the company noticed an increase in searches for “women at work” and “working women,” the call went out for more images of women in today’s work environments.
Getty is also staying modern by adding new media such as virtual reality and 360-degree photography. “Imagine that you’ll test-drive a car that way, or tour a house with virtual reality,” she said. “There are a lot of ways it can become much more immersive and engaging for both the brands and the consumer.”
Keeping up with the times is just a part of any marketer’s job, said Ellis. “As a marketer, you have to be uncomfortable all the time. Just when you think you’ve figured out one channel, a new one comes along.”
Highlights from this week’s Marketing Superstars podcast include: *
How a well-established brand can hold on to a familiar customer base while still attracting new customers (2:36) *
How stock photography is changing in an era of authenticity (4:08) *
How a stock photo company keeps its offering fresh and current with popular trends (6:24) *
Photos can be used to promote social movements or make a political statement as well as promote a product (13:41) *
The evolution of virtual reality and 360-degree photography (17:45) *
The impact of user-generated content and images from apps like Instagram and Snapchat (22:21)