Leaders of the country’s creative industries — including advertising and media – see huge opportunities in getting local access to Getty Images, the world’s leading creator and distributor of still imagery, footage and multi-media products, through GetCre8ive Corporation.
Prior to its partnership with GetCre8tive, Getty Images services its Philippine customers out of its Singapore regional office. However, after recognizing the increasing dynamism in the Philippines’ creative industries and the availability of world-class creative talent, Getty Images said it decided to establish a local presence to fulfil its customers’ needs readily and render 24/7 support to the country’s dynamic advertising, graphic design and other creative industries.
“There’s plenty of creative talent in this part of the world. We believe there is more potential to be unlocked if we can just set our foot deeper in,” said Rupert Harrow, Getty Images’ Senior Sales Director, in a meeting with the country’s top advertising and media industry leaders at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel yesterday.
Getty Images serves as a marketplace for creative and media professionals as well as business customers in more than 100 countries to discover, purchase and manage images and other digital content such as video footages and music.
In 2009 alone, Mr. Harrow said Getty Images has sold 22 million images and currently uploads fresh images on its site at the rate of 4,000 a day. It also offers 50,000 hours of footages and 70 million archival images that date back to the 1860s. Getty Images has 150 partner organizations worldwide, including the likes of Time Life (which added 450,000 images to the Getty Images collection), Warner Brothers, Oscar Awards, Vanity Fair, and 50 sports organizing bodies such as FIFA World Cup and PGA Tournaments.
While Getty Images has a “significant collection of images, footages and music,” Mr. Harrow acknowledged that these heavily cater to a North American audience and there is still plenty of room for local content. This is an area where having a foot in Philippine soil through GetCre8ive is beneficial, the industry leaders said.
“Getty Images could help educate the local photography sector on the opportunities available to get global exposure by being included in the Getty Images collection. Getty Images could also help strengthen the sector so they don’t get threatened by plagiarism and intellectual property rights infringements,” said Rick Hawthorne, Chairman of the Advertising Suppliers Association of the Philippines (ASAP) and Managing Director for Industry Relations of Roadrunner Network, Inc.
With more than eight million Filipinos worldwide, there is also demand for images and footage that could help the local print and broadcast media put out international news for a local audience. “For example, if Filipinos were among the victims of a bombing in Iraq, we would need those images for our local media,” said Fredrick M Allegre, corporate secretary of the United Print Media Group (UPMG) and Vice President for Corporate Affairs of BusinessMirror. This could be easily met as Getty Images sends out thousands of photographers on assignment all over the world, Mr. Harrow said.
With Filipinos topping global statistics for social media activities such as sharing video and images online, Danny Eguia, Executive Director of the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP), said intellectual piracy is a serious issue in the country that Getty Images should help address.
“The issue of licensing is one that we take very seriously,” assured Mr. Harrow. He said Getty Images has in fact set up a site called Stockphotorights.com to serve as a helpful resource for information on image licensing. It also tapped a third-party company called PicStock to track infringement rights violations online and on print.
“Getty Images recognizes the growing trend on online purchasing habits in Asia with the emergence of multimedia platforms for marketing and advertising products. This, we believe, is bound to continue,” Mr. Harrow said. “The battlefield for consumer’s attention now includes online, viral, and social networking sites, among a few.”
Citing the Internet World Stats, which placed the growth in Philippines’ Internet consumption at approximately 30% this year or about 30 million people, Mr. Harrow said Getty Images is bullish about local business prospects. “With the help of GetCre8ive, we are setting a modest but realistic business projection of double-digit growth year-on-year within the next three years,” he added.
Rising demand from advertising agencies, companies and media, which still comprise the bulk of Getty Images’ 11 million B2B customers worldwide, is also expected to drive the local business, said . In addition, demand for Getty Images products from web designers, in-house marketing creatives, freelance designers and small- and medium-sized enterprises is also emerging.
“We are very excited about our partnership with Getty Images. We believe that advances in technology in a world that is getting more and more connected would result in an increase in micro-marketing and online marketing activities,” Mr. Gust said. “More than ever, we believe that digital media that is licensed, accessible, affordable and easily available would be in great demand. As digital media becomes increasingly important in mass communication, we see exciting prospects for the Philippine market.”
About Getty Images
Getty Images is the world’s leading creator and distributor of still imagery, footage and multi-media products, as well as a recognized provider of other forms of premium digital content, including music. Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries and is the first place creative and media professionals turn to discover, purchase and manage images and other digital content. Its award-winning photographers and imagery help customers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and Web sites. Visit Getty Images at http://www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of digital media in communications and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to life.
About GetCre8ive Corporation
GetCre8ive Corporation is the representative of Getty Images in the Philippines. As the official and exclusive distributor of Getty Images products in Manila, GetCre8ive provides real-time support to advertising agencies, creative studios, marketing departments, graphic artists and other creative individuals and groups, ensuring they have access to the highest quality of stock images, footage and music from the biggest digital media company in the world. The company has an authorized capital stock of Php5 million and is represented by Robert Charles Gust, President; Haraya del Rosario, Managing Director; and Maria Gracia Chua, General Manager. Its principal office is at Unit 205 Silver City, Frontera Verde Drive corner Doña Julia Vargas Avenue, Pasig City, 1600 Philippines, with telephone numbers (02) 502.2417 and 570.9067. Visit www.getcre8ive.com.ph for more information.
