The ecosystem of imagery: 100 years of Nikon
From an advertiser’s point of view, the democratisation of imagery has opened up a raft of new avenues through which brands can engage with audiences, writes Spark Foundry’s Monica Majumdar
One of the greatest socially transformative changes of the 20th and 21st century has been the democratisation of imagery through photography – from photographers capturing everyday life, instead of just the wealthy or notorious, to the everyday woman reaching for affordable cameras and capturing the world around them.
Alongside this greater accessibility, we’ve also seen a huge development in image quality and the possibility of what we’re able to capture. Grainy black and white pictures that took hours to develop have been replaced by high-definition, full colour images that are ready in an instant, and this fast evolution has altered how brands have been able to communicate with consumers and the types of messages we can share.
The 100th anniversary of Nikon, a company and brand that has become a pinnacle of photography and more, is an opportunity to reflect on how vital imagery has become to not just storytelling, but our entire lives.
What used to be the special privilege of professional photographers and magazines like National Geographic is now the purview of the average Joe – with the likes of Flickr, Snapchat and Instagram, we can capture and share interesting vistas, perspectives, and points of view with everyone.
User generated: some of Instagram’s best travel shots
It’s a whole ecosystem that’s allowed photography to become accessible to many as the main means by which we express ourselves and communicate; in addition to the technology that made cameras more sophisticated, compact and affordable, it’s the advent of the internet and WiFi (allowing us to share photos directly to online platforms), advances in software (enabling us to enhance photos ourselves), and of course the exponential growth in data storage capabilities (allowing us to upload and store 300 million photos daily on Facebook alone).
From an advertiser’s point of view, the democratisation of imagery has opened up a raft of new avenues through which brands can engage with audiences.
In the past, striking examples of image-led advertising included Coca-Cola’s use of Santa Claus in the 1930s, VW’s prints ads from the 1960s and the Got Milk ads of the 1980s and 1990s.
However, in today’s world we’ve seen a shift away from stage imagery towards using real imagery and from the wider population rather than just the professional photographers.
Now that everyone can be a photographer, the power of images from ‘people like me’ has an equal, if not greater influence, than images from staged set ups, giving rise to user-generated content campaigns and influencer marketing.
Beauty brands are turning to vloggers to help extol the virtues of their products, and clothing, luxury goods and food brands have realised that prolific Instagram users can best portray and promote their products to their wider organic following.
And the use of user generated images is moving beyond the realms of social media.
Warner Brothers created a composite Harry Potter image using fan photos for the release of the last film in the franchise, whilst the likes of Apple are featuring iPhone users’ photos in their latest ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign.
It will be interesting to see the direction competitors like OnePlus take, given their focus on dual camera capabilities (including unprecedented depth of field quality and larger aperture) that make the average smart phone user an even better photographer.
The shift we’re seeing in the 21st century is towards brands championing users’ photos, whilst the average consumer now has access to once sacred and tightly monitored brand images to keep, share, and edit.
What used to be restricted to magazine covers, outdoor posters and galleries, is now open and available for all to share and use to express themselves. This shift in marketing and the relationship between brands and consumers wouldn’t have been possible without the democratisation of imagery.
It’s not just about the storytelling vehicle images give us, but also how they enable us to connect with the people and places both near and far. Whereas before we were limited to messages of 140 written characters to describe what was happening or what we were feeling, we can now share photos and videos, and the 1,000 words they are worth. It is images that have enabled us to empathise with the real life stories of people miles away.
The rise of citizen journalism, first noticed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2010 Arab Spring, meant we could share and show exactly what was happening on the ground in the midst of a crisis, rather than through the lens of a particular broadcaster, who may or may not be censored.
Whilst photos and modern technology allow us to connect individual to individual, it still has the power to move crowds, as evident by the 2015 publication of the tragic photograph of Aylan Kurdi in the UK’s newspapers, which spurred a 100-fold increase in donations to the Syrian refugee crisis.
Ultimately, the increased creation and sharing of imagery has led to a better-connected world where different cultures, ideas and products can be easily understood and accepted. In 100 years we’ve come a long way, but advertisers have remained at the forefront, using new technology to spread their messages.
The democratisation of imagery, together with social media, has bought us closer to the brands we love as we’re able to share our favourite moments with them for the world to see. As a result, we all have the power to be brand ambassadors, which for brands and advertisers alike is a very powerful tool.
Monica Majumdar is strategy director, Spark Foundry