Aug 17, 2020   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

New Getty Images research shows that 8 in 10 people expect companies to be consistently committed to inclusivity and diversity in their advertising

NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 80% of people globally have said it isn't enough to have people of various ethnicities, backgrounds, and appearances in advertising but that they expect companies to do a better job at capturing people's true lifestyles and cultures, according to new research by Getty Images. The findings have been revealed in a second wave of research for Visual GPS, completed in conjunction with global market research firm YouGov.

The Visual GPS Summer Update also reveals that 63% of people prefer to buy brands that are founded by or represent people like themselves. These results hold steady across generations and gender, with only modest differences across global regions.

"Visual GPS shows that amid the COVID-19 pandemic and despite massive changes in people's lives, the demand for more diversity in visual communications has only increased," said Dr Rebecca Swift, Global Head of Creative Insights at Getty Images.

The company reports similar findings in its global customer search data:

    --  Searches have increased year over year for 'diversity' (up 133%),
        'culture' (up 115%), 'real people' (up 115%) and 'inclusion' (up 126%).
    --  From May to June alone customer searches for diverse images increased by
        200% and searches for images around unity and equality increased by
        500%, trends that are believed to be intensified due to anti-racism
        protests.

This second wave of Visual GPS findings around representation is the latest effort by Getty Images to address underrepresentation and misrepresentation of different groups in visual communications. The company has spent over a decade working to break down stereotypes and create more authentic content which it has done through commercial imagery collections including Muslimgirl.com, Nosotros, The Disability Collection and Project ShowUs.

Findings around Bias and Discrimination:

    --  62% of people feel they have been discriminated against, with this more
        common among Gen Z relative to other generations, among women relative
        to men, and by consumers in the Americas, relative to Europe and APAC.
    --  57% of respondents in North America say they experience discrimination
        based on the color of their skin, compared to Europe and APAC.
    --  53% of respondents in North America also see discrimination as being
        based in people making assumptions about their background, more so than
        any other region.
    --  In Europe, more than half (56%) of people who feel discriminated against
        feel so because of assumptions being made about their nationality or
        country of origin.
    --  Of people who feel they have been discriminated against, only 14% say
        they are well-represented in advertising and 15% in business
        communications.

To partner the new report, Getty Images has released an Inclusive Visual Search Guide designed to assist brands and businesses in making intentional content choices which drive authentic and inclusive representation in visual communications. To download the guide, please go to http://view.ceros.com/getty-images-services/search-guide-1-1/p/1.

For more information on Visual GPS, visit www.visualGPS.com.

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SOURCE press.gettyimages.com