immersion: visual and cultural trend report
Background
Corbis was a leading global content licensing business known for its high quality commercial and editorial photography and video collections. With clients spread across multiple industries and concentrated in publishing and advertising, the company was a primary provider of visual content for leading brands, influencers, and Fortune 500 companies. I was responsible for the development of quarterly creative briefs that were aimed at anticipating visual content needs.
Purpose
Sales analysis revealed that the top 5% of customers were responsible for 80% of company revenue. The next creative brief, which would launch at the end of the year, would provide a roadmap for the creation of new content that would speak directly to the emerging needs of the top 5% while also driving annual sales and marketing initiatives for Corbis. The primary goal was to predict the visual needs of these customers over the next 3-5 years.
methodology
The top 5% of customers were analyzed by industry, sales, and content type. Visual content was then analyzed by subject as well as underlying concept. This provided a sense of customer purchase habits and revealed a clear preference for Lifestyle imagery. From there, I embarked on extensive primary and secondary research to determine the top emerging visual cultural trends with a focus on Lifestyle themes for 2015. Customer interviews were complimented by data from partner sources and an analysis of over 1500 external tearsheets and videos.
result
The brief outlined 8 emerging visual and cultural trends that were poised to significantly influence the future of Lifestyle imagery: Pure & Simple, Storytelling, Whimsy, Shapes & Patterns, Fluidity, Optimism, Creation & Collaboration, and Spectacle. The 2700+ images that were created in response to the brief outperformed the benchmark by 33% and provided a basis for sales and marketing initiatives throughout 2015. The identified trends and imagery were also featured in GDUSA, positioning Corbis as an industry thought leader.