This campaign is designed to raise awareness amongst people and companies alike about sustainability and the importance of environmental responsibility. This is especially important in a world where people have taken a stand for the environment against pollution, deforestation and plastic, and they want to see brands and companies talking about the same issues.

In a recent study from Getty Images, 81% of people surveyed globally said that companies should be environmentally aware in all their advertising and communication.

And since Getty Images’ potential clients are advertising agencies, major companies and communications professionals, we wanted to inspire them to be more environmentally conscious and to keep the world moving forward – all while showing the endless imagery possibilities the brand has to offer.

Getty Images has millions of images in its archives. But there are some photos it doesn't have: of animals that went extinct before they could be photographed.

So, we reconstructed three extinct species that were never photographed, using photos of animals that are in danger of extinction right now. A warning to people that many more species across the planet may disappear, too.

On our website, users can get a 360-degree view of the American Lion, the Rodrigues Giant Tortoise and the Great Auk. They can also see every image we used to reconstruct them – all of them depicting endangered animals. They can discover the stories of the extinct animals, illustrated with photos and videos from Getty Images. And, of course, they can watch the campaign’s film and making of.

After reconstructing the animals, we took the project one step further. We wanted to get the first photo of an extinct animal in its natural habitat. But who could take such a historic picture?

That’s when we had the idea to invite Ami Vitale to star in this film. She is an award-winning nature and conservation photographer who captured the final image of the last male northern white rhino in 2018, in a beautiful story for National Geographic.

She is the perfect spokeswoman for our story. Having already shown the extinction of a species, now she would take the first photo of an extinct animal in its natural habitat: the American Lion

And, besides starring in the film, Ami also co-wrote the script in which she narrates her personal journey as a wildlife photographer.

After recreating the extinct animals using only photos of endangered species, we travelled to California to shoot the film on the same turf that the American Lion used to roam. The film premiered online in April 2021.

On the official project website, we created an interactive experience to tell the stories of the animals we reconstructed. There, you can get a 360-degree view of them, learn what happened to them and also explore every single asset we used in the process.

Since this was not a traditional campaign, consumers saw the experience differently – they were genuinely interested in the story and the photos. That helped the video and the website to gain more views and shares, both on the brand’s channel and on people’s personal accounts. Ultimately, that increased awareness of Getty Images’ endless possibilities and environmental consciousness.

And since Getty Images’ motto is “Move the world,” and its potential clients are advertising agencies, major companies and communications professionals, we inspired them to be more environmentally conscious and to keep the world moving forward – all while showing the endless imagery possibilities the brand has to offer.