The latest Corbis Creative IQ Trend Report focuses on “Boomeritis:” a concept defined by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons to describe the injuries and ailments of mature athletes. In addition, the Bill Gates-owned company is expanding its European distribution through partners in Croatia and Denmark.
As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement, it continues to redefine popular culture. Corbis points out that boomers have already had an irrevocable cultural effect, coining phrases such as “40 is the new 30” and defining “midlife crisis.” Now, the unstoppable generation is also redefining healthcare, as their active lifestyles often land them in doctors’ offices with self-inflicted injuries. Active boomers often overexert, forgetting that age brings musculoskeletal challenges of, for instance, osteoporosis.
Though conventional notions suggest people slow down with age, the 450 million baby boomers worldwide represent the fastest-growing market for the sports and fitness industry and make up 37% of health club members. According to Corbis, boomers’ activities go well beyond gold and tennis, and images are needed to depict their more modern and adventurous choices, from yoga and Pilates to mountain biking, skiing and whitewater rafting.
In addition to ensuring its stock collection meets buyers’ needs, Corbis is aiming to expand its international buyer pool with two recent distribution agreements: Denmark’s Polfoto and Hungary’s Red Dot.
Polfoto now exclusively represents Corbis’ rights-managed collection in Denmark. The 50-year-old agency is part of the country’s largest media and newspaper-publishing group, JP/Politikens Hus. Polfoto, which is also the exclusive local representative of the Associate Press’ imagery, produces a daily newswire serving over half of local papers.
Established in 2001, Red Dot has been Corbis’ exclusive rights-managed distributor in Hungary since 2005. The new agreement extends this relationship to Croatia. After serving Croatian clients from its Budapest headquarters, Red Dot now plans to open an office in Zagreb.