Images of shared values offer support and orientation in a complex world
In advertising, and therefore also in stock photography, intangible values are becoming increasingly important. Anyone who wants to market their products successfully must therefore address their target group not only with concrete sales arguments, but also with emotional sensitivity. There is an important trend in visual communication that cannot be ignored: the increased need for support and moral orientation in a present that many experience as crisis-ridden.
© Westend61 / Viktoryia Verstak
Values such as sustainability, community and social responsibility are a counter-trend to the “everything is possible” mentality of the early digital years. The belief in the future and progress of many people in industrialized countries has been shaken by the coronavirus pandemic in particular. Since then, a new awareness of the vulnerability of even highly developed, modern societies has been compounded by fears of war and inflation, as well as conflicts and polarization within society and climate change.
© Left: Westend61 / Joseffson, Right: © Westend61 / Malte Jäger
In this difficult, worrying and often confusing environment, many people are reflecting on the value of community and solidarity. Meaning and being are becoming more important to them than having and consuming. For advertising, this means that you can no longer bombard your customers with platitudinous advertising messages, but must meet them where they are with an authentic visual language – with images that show what is important to people now: a sense of community, fairness, equal opportunities, equal rights, social responsibility, environmental protection. Especially in a society that is becoming increasingly individualistic and at the same time threatened by divisive tendencies, images that show people working together across all differences will stand out favorably.
© Left: Westend61 / INIMAGES , Middle: © Westend61 / Maskot , Right: © Westend61 / Maskot
After all, such images are more than just eye-catchers that can be used to attract the attention of a potential customer for a particular product: These little stories told in pictures can also be an expression of the values practiced in the advertising company. They can make a statement for a better world of tomorrow, which we can all help to build a little bit every day. And above all, they have the power to dispel the gloomy clouds on our horizon or at least clear them up a little. Because in all their variations, they convey the strong message: “No one is alone, together we can do it.”
