Getty Images partnered with fiftyfifty (street magazine sold by homeless people), and worked with their homeless vendors as models for classic stock photography.

We filtered out the most in-demand motifs on Getty Images, and portrayed the homeless as common people in these different life and work situations. This way, we showed the possibilities of homeless people, and helped people to see the homeless as who they really are –– the same human beings as anyone of us.

The photos were then uploaded to Getty Images and iStock. All profits from the downloads go directly to fiftyfifty to help purchase apartments for the homeless.

By analysing the data about image search and download on Getty Images, we obtained great insights about their most in-demand scenarios, and thus made our media channel (stock photos) more targeted and relevant for the users, which is helpful to get more downloads and generate more donations.

We first integrated the photos into the Getty Images database, and tagged them separately, targeting the users with different image needs. These images are purchasable for people worldwide on gettyimages.com and istockphoto.com.

Meanwhile, a microsite was launched, as a categorized portal of all images, and a project hub that leads people to explore the initiative.

While Getty Images began to promote our photo collection in their newsletter to the user community every month, we are promoting our message together with the powerful photos through various mediums: online films, social media posts across all platforms, a print campaign on fiftyfifty, a TVC on n-tv, films in cinemas across Düsseldorf, plus an exhibition in the biggest church of Düsseldorf at the town center.

The project started out as an initiative in Germany, but with more and more photographers and homeless NGOs worldwide joining us, it has already turned into a global movement.

With 155 million reach, and € 1.4 million equivalent of earned media, we are driving a narrative of hope and possibilities for the homeless community. The shift of public perceptions, and the change in the way people talk about the homeless, have been evidently reflected in the media coverage and people’s online discussion about our photos.

Up until now, the project has generated over € 50K donations in total for fiftyfifty. The number still keeps climbing, with stock photography as a constant fundraising tool over the long term.

Both major goals of the campaign were enhanced by smart media use.

The first purpose is shifting the negative public perceptions of the homeless. Stock photos are abundant with typical scenarios of common people, which we took advantage of, to help people “repicture” the homeless as the same human beings as anyone of us, which meanwhile can reshape people’s impression of stock images from “creating stereotypes” to “breaking stereotypes”.

For the second aim of raising funds for the homeless, we converted an established digital service into an unexpected medium for constant fundraising, with the innovative use of stock photos.

Stock photos are abundant with typical scenarios of common people, which we took advantage of, to help the public “repicture” the homeless as the same human beings as anyone of us. This move could also make people realize that stock photos not only create but also can break stereotypes, and thus shoring up the brand of Getty Images.

With the smart use of stock images, we converted an established digital service into a new media channel, and a constant fundraising tool over the long term.

To make our photos more targeted and relevant for stock image users, we created the collection based on the most demanded scenarios on Getty Images, which is helpful to raise more funds.

To spread our message to the public, and drive a positive narrative for the homeless, the project was promoted across various media platforms, including traditional channels, online films, social media, and an event.

People always see homeless people as poor, desperate, and beyond help. Most existing homeless campaigns simply keep re-affirming such stereotypical images, and ask people to donate out of sympathy, which only marginalized this community even more.

Instead of following down the spiral of pity, this campaign is aimed to challenge people’s prejudiced beliefs, and drive a different narrative for the homeless, by putting homeless people’s hope and possibilities under the spotlight.

At the same time, the project also has the purpose of raising funds for the homeless community in a meaningful way.