A job search engine company published its annual list of top Canadian employers. A printed version was inserted in today’s The Globe and Mail newspaper.
Not all of the selected top employers were profiled in the (online and printed) magazine. But by some strange coincidence, every company that was profiled just happened to have a paid ad in the publication.
If you flip through the magazine, you can tell which companies hired professional photographers and which decided to go with, uh, “other” photographers.
You will notice an awful lot of group pictures showing people doing nothing but standing or sitting around. There are also a number of photos that most professional photographers would’ve deleted. To be fair, there is one good group photo and several other acceptable images.
You can quickly conclude that:
• Some companies don’t take their corporate image seriously.
• A few companies were prepared ahead of time and had suitable corporate photos ready. But other businesses weren’t prepared and they had to resort to either cellphone snaps or social pictures.
• Some businesses spent money to present a polished, professional image and others couldn’t be bothered.
• Some understand the power and purpose of photography and others don’t.
Getting profiled in this magazine is entirely a public relations move. You might think that a company would make an effort to show their best side rather than relying on text that few people will read. Pictures attract attention, text does not.
The publication does offer a few photography tips because selected companies have to mail or courier pictures to the magazine. They’re not allowed to send digital images electronically!
. . . a professional photographer will almost always do a better job than someone snapping pictures on their mobile phone.
Almost always? Clearly the editors of this publication don’t look at their own magazine.
For Companies
1) Hire a professional photographer so you can present a professional image. It’s not just lighting and focus, it’s composition and message.
2) Social pictures with people laughing or eating might be fun but what type of employee and customer does this attract? All of us want to laugh and eat but, more importantly, we want to matter. Show your employees accomplishing something. This will attract the right employees and show your customers that you can do the job. Two birds with one stone or, should I say, two goals with one photo.
3) Don’t wait for your 15 minutes of fame to show your best side. Your company should be doing this every day on your web site and social media.
For Photographers
1) This magazine has provided you with a list of potential corporate customers :-)
2) Someone should do an annual list of the best and worst public relations photos.
