Getty Images partnered with fiftyfifty (a 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 homeless people’s possibilities, and helped people to see the homeless as who they really are –– the same human beings as anyone of us.

The photos were uploaded to Getty Images and iStock. All profits from the downloads go to fiftyfifty to help house the homeless.

With the data insights about the most frequently requested scenarios on Getty Images, we created a relevant and well-targeted photo collection that can maximize user exposures and download revenue. The innovative data solution in this idea lies in the application of commercial data to the improvement of fundraising results for a charitable cause.

We creatively transformed the commercial data of an online business, into our unique tool to optimize the fundraising results for a charitable cause.

Based on the data insights about the image search and download on Getty Images, we shot for the most popular motifs with our homeless models, and integrated these images to the Getty Images database. The photos were tagged separately on the website, targeting the users with different image needs.

This way, we were able to create a well-targeted photo collection not only of high relevance to stock image users, but also with great potential for commercial success on the website, which in turn means more revenue to be donated to the homeless.

Because the well-targeted photo collection was created based on real data insights about the most requested image scenarios, stock photo users are easily exposed to our photos in their common image searches.

The high relevance of the photos also makes it easier for the users to decide to download the images from our project, instead of the other normal images, as our photos really match their search needs at the same time of helping a good cause.

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, this project has generated over € 50K donations in total for fiftyfifty.

The project was greatly enhanced by the analysis and application of data. We examined the downloads on Getty Images, filtered out the most in-demand image scenarios, and created our photo collection based on such data insights, which helped our images to reach more stock photo users, get more downloads, and thus generating more profits to be donated to the homeless.

Getty Images has always been keeping track of the image search and download on their website. For this project, we analyzed their search and download data over the last year, and sifted out the most requested image concepts and scenarios.

We employed such data insights to help our photos to catch stock photo users in their most common image searches, and appeal to the users with high relevance to their search needs. Such data-based targeting strategy contributes to gaining more user exposures, more downloads, and more donations generated for the homeless.

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.