Death to Stock
“They [stock] felt very fake/forced compared to most of the branded work I was used to seeing on social media.”
“Using professional/ talented amateur photographers returns much needed exposure back to these creative communities.”
As a photographer/content creator that started shooting in 2017, I would often google ways to make money as a photographer and one of the top options was always creating and selling stock images for public/professional use. This option never seemed likely for me or anyone that I was working around at the time since by then stock photos had already felt outdated in a way. They felt very fake/forced compared to most of the branded work I was used to seeing on social media. This did spark thoughts of how we can provide companies with those images they need without going the traditional stock route and an easy solution that I found was us –– Gen Z photographers. UGC basically allows companies that run promotions and ads with content created by actual creators/customers that use their products, for example Apple has been running a “#ShotonIphone” campaign using actual photos that people with iPhones have shot. In the same campaign Apple hired Photographer Adrian Octavius Walker to shoot with Prominent Chicago figures and community groups such as The Artist Femdot and the Black women-led skate collective Froskate and then shared the photos online as well as in billboards. This provides consistency by using professional/talented amateur photographers and returns much needed exposure back to these creative communities.
“This provides consistency by using professional/talented amateur photographers and returns much needed exposure back to these creative communities.”
Another example of User Generated Content is unboxing videos, with the introduction of TikTok or Instagram reels, consumers look to these videos for real product reviews. EGC or “Employee Generated Content” is a form of content that focuses on the production/behind the scenes. This generates a personal connection and/or community within the brand.
According to the 2021 State of UGC report, 66% of consumers agree that transparency is one of a brand's most attractive qualities. Consumers tend to shop with the brands they feel comfortable/connected with.
“With the rise of UGC, I realized my photographer friends and I all have high quality content that is superior to the stock photo aesthetic while still originating from an authentic Gen Z lens.”
An issue that companies run into with UGC is image control and consistency, extra emphasis on consistency, to ensure the same level of quality that you ran before.
“With 93% of marketers agreeing that consumers trust content created by customers more than content created by brands, you can only expect to see more non-branded imagery.”
An easy solution would be to open a consistent line of communication and work with the same image creators but the same creators are not always available to shoot as many photographers freelance for multiple companies. But if a company found a creator that has images they can already use without creating an entirely new set, that creator could allow the company to go through their already taken photos and use them for marketing. Most photographers and models have photo archives. With the rise of UGC, I realized my photographer friends and I all have high quality content that is superior to the stock photo aesthetic while still originating from an authentic Gen Z lens.
There's a site called Kayvar that allows creators to search through open calls for publications big or small. That same concept can be reversed on a platform where brands go to search through photographers already posted portfolios searching for content that fits their campaign. The option of brands building longer relationships with Gen Z photographs/image creators differs from most relationships that brands have with influencers by giving brands more variety and style.
It doesn't make much sense anymore to have multiple different models wearing your product(s) with similar backgrounds and the overproduced feeling you get when you see a stock photo. Using more image creators allows variety in styles, photos, content, and overall feeling while keeping the consistent/refreshing look that lacks from most influencer posts and stock photos. Speaking specifically with social media, it seems that consumers are moving away by being directly influenced by ads and respond more positively to organic content or more art centric content. With 93% of marketers agreeing that consumers trust content created by customers more than content created by brands, you can only expect to see more non-branded imagery.
The Takeaway
With the increase in UGC and the impact of organic content, cheesy stock photography seems a thing of the digital past for any brand who wants to survive Gen Z. With brands still needing consistency and image control, brands can capitalize on Gen Z creative professional content for the surety of stock and the naturalness of UGC. Integrating photo surpluses from the generations lens for content planning and collaboration benefits companies, and gives much needed support back to these creative youth communities.