An opportunity to over-respond
Finding an image online is a snip. We all do it all the time. It’s so easy that we sometimes end up seeing things we wish we hadn’t (an unwritten rule of the internet states that whatever search term you enter into Google images, within three screens of scrolling down through the results, you will see a naked person – and most likely someone who would look a lot better dressed).
With all these thousands of images so readily to hand, how often do we give a thought to whoever actually created them? The photographer or illustrator who actually visualized the image, and then made it happen. Or the paparazzo on his moped, or the selfie-taker with their smartphone?
A lot of the images on the internet are simply popcorn for your eyes, and many, many of them are dross. But a lot more are really good, and took time and effort to make. Professional photographers and artists rely on them to make a living. They face a conundrum: put their work online to promote it, but at the same time, risk having it ripped off by unscrupulous or uncaring web users.
Of course when most of us use an image from the internet we don’t look to gain anything from it, at least not financially. But in the online world, IP has come to mean internet protocol and not intellectual property. Accusations of plagiarism abound. People have tried adding watermarks to images but this doesn’t stop anyone just borrowing them. The mass pilfering continues.
Working in social media, we’ve recently noticed that photographers in particular are becoming more militant in defending their images. As with everything from wearing fur to fracking, they are turning to social media to name and shame offenders.
A client recently innocently posted an image which had been wrongly tagged by someone else. There were no photographer credits attached to it. The eagle-eyed lensman however spotted this transgression within hours and vented his frustration all over their Facebook page, using hashtags like #fraud and #willtheyrespond.
A genuine mistake, but it resulted in a gauntlet being thrown down. Thousands of people like this particular page, and hundreds interact with it every day. Now all these people would come to see that this Facebook page was not just using other people’s images, but claiming them as their own.
While social media is in many ways uncharted territory, the rules of damage limitation are much the same. Rule one, admit when you’ve screwed up. Rule two, say sorry. No excuses, just say it and mean it. Do it quickly, genuinely, and publicly. Rule three, make amends.
Clearly this particular snapper had been sinned against in the past, and had no real hopes of any redress other than the scant satisfaction of causing some slight embarrassment. A golden opportunity for a brand to turn a pig’s ear into a silk purse by giving generously.
Step one: a new post, naming the photographer and apologizing to him for this inadvertent error. With a replacement image that was not one of his. Step two, take down the offending post and in its place, a link to his website thus bringing his portfolio to the attention of thousands of potential customers. Step three - of course - write a blog about it.
Honour restored and the brand had a great opportunity to show that while it makes mistakes, it acknowledges them, fixes them, and gives something back. #willtheyrespond? #yestheywill - #generously.
dailybridgerton
romaincrisis
gummygunk
origamiaround
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