If your company still uses cheap stock pictures and you enjoy irony then keep reading.
Last month, McSweeney’s published “This is a Generic Brand Video”, a satirical piece by Kendra Eash about the generic branding used by some companies.
Many businesses today use meaningless, generic stock photos and stock video. These companies may think they’re sending a strong message to their customers and building a unique corporate image but they’re fooling only themselves. Everyone sees stock images for what they really are: just a quick way to cut corners and save a few bucks.
Now the irony.
A company that sells stock video clips adapted Eash’s satire into a parody corporate video which uses some of its own stock video clips. This company is using the stock video parody to market its business that sells stock video.
The video is funny because it’s true. Now look at your company’s web site. If your business uses generic stock images, how many people are laughing at you?
While there are situations that may merit the use of stock images, corporate marketing is rarely one of them. Unless you happen to sell stock images. Studies have shown that bland generic images are quickly forgotten by viewers.
Although somewhat similar in meaning, generic is not the same as cliché. Both should be avoided, especially the former.
Generic images create a generic brand which gets a generic (i.e. unemotional) response from customers. The reasons for using photos in the first place are to deliver information, influence opinion and create an emotional response in the customer. Generic stock photos do none of those things and cliché pictures might do some.
A true, credible brand image is created only with – you guessed it – true, custom photography.
