I recently got an email from a vendor that is selling an e-learning solution for Diversity and Inclusion. And while I know that stock photos have been and are here to stay- I was really amused looking at this ad. First of all what struck me were so many smiling faces with perfect teeth- and all looking directly at me- a great commercial for teeth whitening for sure. Certainly the company they are all working for must be really really great since I have not seen so much collective happiness in one place. The second thing that struck me was the lack of anyone over the age of 22. For an organization that is promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, it seems to me that it is missing anyone that was born before 1990. While they managed to cover most (not all) of the different groups in our society- I was surprised to think that diversity is important only among young professionals… hmmm.

I understand that most companies today can not afford the cost of a real photo shoot and that the limitations of stock photography force certain photo selects. The good stock is almost as pricey as a regular shoot, and  royalty free stock is like being forced to eat velveeta cheese instead of a fine chevre; sometimes you have to eat it- but it’s not good.  Marketing partners scour the dozens of resources to try to find images that are not as cheesy as the images above- forced set ups where everyone is eternally happy- and those few that are good, cheap and available are often overused.

Are there solutions? A good eye, a good photo researcher and lots of time to ferret out images that work are a good start. Understanding that big wide grins are not believable and can have the opposite effect- making your product or service unbelievable as well. Sensitivity certainly to representing a diverse audience is critical- but if you are going to portray total inclusiveness- then don’t forget important groups- in the case above Hispanics and older citizens are not shown. And, it may be better to show a believable selection rather than a one-from-each-food-group approach. Stock photos are here to stay- but stock answers to photo selection should not be.