Even seen a picture in someone’s marketing communications and gotten a sense of deja vu? This week’s WSJ wrote about "When Marketers See Double." In a nutshell, too many marketers are short-cutting the creative process and using stock photos in their ads – often, the same ones that their competitors.
Case in point. I was in Ireland last week and found an insert in my newspaper (pictured at left). There’s a group photo of people who’ve completed qualifications recognition. Naturally, they’re happy.
Problem is, they’re not Irish. They’re a bunch of New Yorkers (so maybe some are) who were paid to take part in a group photoshoot. How do I know this? Because my friend Hosen is in the picture (the Asian guy in the back left). In addition to a registered Irish professional, he’s been a satisfied Sprint employee in Las Vegas and made an appearance in the Washington DC area as well.
Maybe it’s a creative issue in general – check out this post on reusing the "Wilhelm Scream" in cinema.