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RANDOM THOUGHTS 81
June 21, 2004
Zefa Uncovers Unauthorized Uses
Zefa has discovered that 90% of the uses of its images on the Internet are unauthorized. Recently Zefa started using PicScout software to locate its images on Internet sites in Germany and other German speaking countries and in the first ten day 90% of the images found were being used without a proper license.
In half the cases there had been an initial license, but the images were being used beyond the license. The other half were being used by organizations that had never licensed images from Zefa. According to CEO, Tomas Speight the revenue collected for these usages was in excess of 20,000 euros.
The degree of unauthorized use is all the more remarkable when you consider that the spyder being used to search for the Zefa image is aimed at commercial and busines sites. It ignores sites developed by amateurs and homeowners on the theory that it would be difficult to collect from these small users, even if an unauthorized were to be uncovered.
Prices For Getty's StoneX Images
Preliminary analysis of Getty's new StoneX brand indicates that uses are priced about 35% higher than uses of images in the ImageBank or Taxi brands. This is about the same price as images from FoodPix and Botonica which previously were the highest priced RM images on the site. All of the regular Stone images are priced about 15% above that of ImageBank and Taxi prices.
These are list prices on the site, and not necessarily what is actually charged for usage. Sources indicate that if customers are smart enough to call and negotiate, instead of paying the list price, the Getty sales people will very quickly offer a 25% discount on any price listed on the site. Getty also has a variety of bulk deals with various purchasers.
For more about Getty's pricing strategy read Story 610 .
Decline In Printed Materials
Printing industry shipments declined by $342 million in April 2004 when compared with April 2003. For the first four months of 2004 shipments were down 2.9% compared to the same period in 2003. The printing industry does not seem to be participating in the general economic upturn. Industry insiders believe this is due to increased use of the Internet and other new media, a shift in event marketing and promotion alternatives, and general changes in the mix of print relative to other media that businesses are using in their marketing.
11th CEPIC Congress A Success
The recent 11th CEPIC Congress held in Copenhagen from June 10th through 13th was a major networking success with 625 delegates from 375 companies and 50 countries in attendance. The CEPIC Congress, held annually in Europe and next year in Prague, is an opportunity for stock agents to meet, build relationships, and learn about the latest offerings from other agents and companies supplying services to the industry.
The other major opportunity for stock agents to network is the PACA International Meeting which will be held this year on October 17th and 18th in Jersey City and timed to coincide with PictureHouse and PhotoPlusExpo 2004. For more information about the future events go to www.stockindustry.org
and www.cepic.com .
Online Catalogs (Products not Stock Images)
According to Bob Tedeschi of the New York Times now that more people have access to high-speed Internet lines there is a re-emergence of online catalogs.
When many catalog merchants tried to sell their products on the web in the late '90s the great print catalog photography proved useless because graphics heavy pages took too long to load. Now that 40% of home users and 95% of work users have high speed lines virtual catalogs are getting a revival.
Many virtual catalogs are nearly identical to their print counterparts except that readers click to turn pages and photographs are roughly one-third smaller.
According to Lauren Freedman, president of E-Tailing Group, a consulting firm in Chicago, about 40% of all catalog companies offer online catalogs and that is up from 32% a year ago. Merchants say that customers who peruse catalogs are twice as likely to buy as those who do not.
Typically the online catalogs are created by scanning the printed catalogs and converting them into interactive web pages.
Given the versatility of virtual catalogs and the growing tendency of catalog recipients to buy online, one might expect catalog companies to reduce their reliance on paper catalogs, which can cost as much as $1 or more to produce. But many retail companies remain convinced of the paper catalog's power as an advertising vehicle - so much so that many businesses that started out as Internet-only companies now mail catalogs, too.
EMPICS Acquired By The Press Association
The Press Association (PA), the national news agency of the UK and Ireland, has acquired EMPICS. The merger of EMPICS sports photo library with the general coverage of the Press Association will boost PA's position in the picture syndication market and improve its range of services to customers.
Combined, the two organizations have an archive of nearly 9 million news, celebrity and sport images, of which more than 1.5 million are available to customers online.
Among EMPICS photo marketing initiatives is its ground-breaking New Media Stills Production (NMSP) service that delivers still images taken at events to customers within 20 seconds.