REPICTURING HOMELESS

Short List
TitleREPICTURING HOMELESS
BrandGETTY IMAGES AND FIFTYFIFTY (MAGAZINE FROM HOMELESS PEOPLE)
Product/ServiceREPICTURING HOMELESS
Category B08. Use of Digital Platforms
Entrant HAVAS GERMANY, GERMANY
Idea Creation HAVAS GERMANY, GERMANY
Media Placement HAVAS GERMANY, GERMANY
PR HAVAS GERMANY, GERMANY
Production CHAMAELEON DIGITAL VISION Düsseldorf, GERMANY
Production 2 STUDIO FUNK Düsseldorf, GERMANY
Additional Company MONA DAVIS BEAT Berlin, GERMANY
Additional Company 2 NINA KLEIN ARTIST MANAGEMENT Berlin, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Eric Schoeffler Havas Germany Chief Creative Officer
Darren Richardson Havas Düsseldorf Chief Creative Officer
Juan Leguizamon Havas Düsseldorf Creative Director
Tiago Beltrame Havas Düsseldorf Art Director
Nian He Havas Düsseldorf Copywriter
Daniel Grube Havas Düsseldorf Management Supervisor
Anna Berg Havas Düsseldorf Senior Account Manager
Julian Dormis Havas Düsseldorf, Studio6 Producer
Dominic Rutkowski Havas Düsseldorf, Studio6 Junior Art Director Motion
Guido Eichhoff Havas Düsseldorf Digital Creative Director
Erik Teichert Havas Düsseldorf Digital Conceptor
Adrian Warren Havas Düsseldorf Digital Art Director
Peter Holzportz Havas Düsseldorf Head of Digital Print Service
David Ochsenknecht, Jonas Boamah Havas Düsseldorf Final Art Work
Frank Schemmann Das Studio Photographer
Oliver Rudolph Chamaeleon Digital Vision Managing Director
Kevin Krefta Chamaeleon Digital Vision Director
Christian Käutner Chamaeleon Digital Vision Producer
Nico Dupon, Rouben Pohl, Kai Wittkamp Chamaeleon Digital Vision Editor
Ronny Bülow, Hendrik Vosskamp Chamaeleon Digital Vision Motion Graphics
Arne Hottgenroth Chamaeleon Digital Vision Colorist
Tobias Grumbach Studio Funk Studio Manager
Michael Righetti Studio Funk Sound Engineer
Stefanie Schneider Studio Funk Project Manager
Stephen Hudson Studio Funk Voice Over
Barbara Lange, Tina Schmoll, Franziska Sonnabend Nina Klein Artist Management Hair & Make-up Artist
Nina Jasny, Christina Schuller Nina Klein Artist Management Styling
Franco Tortora, Woepf Lechenmayr, Tom Batoy, Raffael Karg Mona Davis Beat GmbH Composer

Why is this work relevant for Media?

The major goals of the campaign were all achieved through the smart use of media. Our biggest purpose is to shift the negative public perceptions of the homeless. Stock photos are abundant with typical scenarios of common people. We took advantage of this feature of this medium, to help people “repicture” the homeless as the same human beings as anyone of us. This move also helps to reshape people’s impression of stock images, and enhance the brand of Getty Images. Meanwhile, stock photos are also used as an unexpected medium for constant fundraising over the long term for the homeless.

Background

People always see homeless people as poor, desperate, and beyond help. Most existing homeless campaigns simply keep re-affirming such stereotypical images, and ask people to donate out of sympathy, which only marginalized this community even more. Instead of following down the spiral of pity, this project is aimed to challenge the negative public perceptions of the homeless, and drive a narrative of hope and possibilities, while raising funds for this community in a meaningful way. On the other hand, this campaign also has the purpose of reshaping people’s impression of stock photos, and shoring up Getty Images as a brand that strives to shift perceptions and spur changes with powerful imagery.

Describe the creative idea/insights

Getty Images partnered with fiftyfifty (street magazine sold by homeless people), and worked with their homeless vendors as models for classic stock photography. We filtered out the most in-demand motifs on Getty Images, and portrayed the homeless as common people in these different life and work situations. This way, we showed the possibilities of homeless people, and helped others to see the homeless as who they really are –– the same human beings as anyone of us. The photos were uploaded to Getty Images and iStock. All profits from the downloads go directly to fiftyfifty to help purchase apartments for the homeless. To make our photos more targeted and relevant for stock image users, we analyzed the search and download data on Getty Images over the last year, and created the collection based on the most popular photo scenarios, which is instrumental in gaining more downloads and raising more funds.

Describe the strategy

Stock photos are abundant with typical scenarios of common people. We took advantage of this feature of this medium, to help people “repicture” the homeless as the same human beings as anyone of us. This move could also make people realize that stock photos not only create but also can break stereotypes, and thus shoring up the brand of Getty Images. With the smart use of stock images, we converted an established digital service into a new media channel, and a constant fundraising tool over the long term. To spread our message to the public, and drive a positive narrative for the homeless, the project was widely promoted with a combination of online and off-line media, including traditional channels, online films, social media, and events.

Describe the execution

We launched the collection online in January 2018, and tagged the photos separately, targeting users with different image needs. These images are purchasable for people worldwide on gettyimages.com and istockphoto.com. Meanwhile, a microsite was launched, as a categorized portal of all images, and a project hub that leads people to explore the initiative. While Getty Images began to promote our photos in their newsletter to the user community every month, we were spreading the project through various mediums: online films, social media posts across all platforms, a print campaign on fiftyfifty, a TVC on n-tv, cinema advertising across Düsseldorf, plus photo exhibitions around Germany. The project started as an initiative in Germany, but more and more photographers and homeless NGOs all over the world are joining us. Growing numbers of photos are being added to the collection from US, Hong Kong, Brazil, etc., turning the project into a global movement.

List the results

With over 155 million reach, and more than € 1.4 million equivalent of earned media, we are driving a narrative of hope and possibilities for the homeless community. The shift of public perceptions, and the change in the way people talk about the homeless, have been evidently reflected in the media coverage and people’s online discussion about our photos. Up until now, the project has generated over € 50K donations in total for fiftyfifty. Brands such as Lufthansa Insurance started to purchase images from the collection for commercial uses. The number is still climbing, with stock photography as a constant fundraising tool over the long term. On the other hand, the awareness of Getty Images as a brand striving to shape perceptions and move the world with powerful imagery has also remarkably gone up among the general public.