Invoicing

When invoicing for jobs it's important to include back up receipts for proof of line items. Nowadays clients are scrutinizing every dollar spent and making sure line items add up. It's my responsibility, as an art buyer, to review the invoice submitted with a microscope to justify all costs to the clients. In advertising, photographers are normally asked to submit all backup receipts.

Keep your receipts no matter what the cost is... if it's for a postage stamp, if it's for a latte, if it's for crew, etc. Whatever the case may be keep all receipts pertaining to the job you're working on. I have always asked this for every job I've ever worked on, as part of client requests and how the agencies work.

The agencies are working for the clients and therefore are also audited to ensure spending dollars are what they should be and that the agency is working in the best interest of the client (and their money). I've even heard from other art buyers that some agency accounting departments will not pay an invoice without the backup production expense receipts. Every dollar needs to be accounted for.

I bring this up because I ran into a situation and posed the question to several other art buyers... all agreed that when receiving invoices they require this backup.

I know people have brought up markups here when I've posted about billing before, I suggest including it in your creative fee or having a wrap fee.
Either way when you do larger advertising jobs you will always be asked to account for each line item in your invoice with backup receipts as proof.

Advertising and the Economy (part 2)

In response to Amy's question... I wonder if the economy (which actually has been affecting my own freelance income stream since LAST fall) is going to mean more stock buying as a way for clients to save cash?

In my opinion - probably.
Stock imagery, especially the royalty free kind, is a cheaper way for clients to get imagery in their advertising. It doesn't mean it's a great image or an exclusive image though and that's what art buyers and account managers need to reiterate.

The unfortunate thing with the economy being in the proverbial toilet is that budgets are going to be slashed considerably so it requires adjustments on the artist, crew, and agency's parts. I will still recommend original imagery to the clients in hopes of continuing to have original work done by photographers and illustrators but I'm pretty sure the budgets won't allow for much. Which in turn will force creatives to turn to stock imagery.

Here is a benefit - most art buyers are aware that artists are offering their own stock on their websites and will search there as well as the larger stock houses BUT make sure you let them know with your marketing. I highly recommend to all to have a section on your site that at least states you offer stock imagery. Even if you don't have a section to that allows viewers to search on their own offer to pull lightboxes that might be appropriate for the projects and clients.

Art + Commerce has an image archive section that offers imagery from their photographers. Jim Erickson is a photographer who balances commissioned shoots and stock imagery exceptionally well.

When in doubt adjust to the market and market yourself so you keep working and keep yourself busy (and with an income).

Advertising and the Economy

So while Wall Street is in a panic and the bailout bill failed yesterday, we sit here and wonder what is going on and what is going to happen, especially in the advertising world.

I want to share a few different reports regarding the economy and the advertising industry. Time to tighten the buckle on your spending and for those who are self employed to keep your heads up.

Suze Ormann was on the Today Show and CNN yesterday urging consumers to cut back their spending on unnecessary products. She stated that consumers need to reduce their debt and stop buying stuff.

AdAge is reporting the AdMarket 50 crashed 6.4% in yesterday's scramble. They're also reporting that McDonald's is getting hit from the credit/banking crisis. But on the upside AdAge has an article that retail brands are already clambering with holiday promotions which means more seasonal work.

Danny Flamberg has an interesting article on Talent Zoo, After the Crash: Rebuilding Financial Services Marketing.

Take a look at how the industry is being affected then take a look at your own marketing plan - how do you rise above others to ensure you get the job?

Tutorial

Åsk over at AdLand has posted an informational (and hysterical) tutorial [here] about how to work with freelancers. It is smartly written and helpful to those on both sides (the actual freelancers and those hiring). Definitely worth 10 minutes of your time to read through and I'm sure there are a few items in there we can all relate to.

Apple iPhone 3G

The new Apple iPhone 3G is officially on the market as of 8 am this morning.
See what AdWeek had to say about the marketing [here].

US economy

AdWeek Nightly News is reporting larger agencies cutting US and North American ad growth [here] in addition, the slowing economy is cutting into online ad growth [here].

We just have to work even harder at our jobs and our creative and to think outside the box.

Image Misuse

I'm still amazed that some people think it's totally fine to use any imagery they want without the proper releases. Another example of a big legal issue (similar to Woody Allen vs. American Apparel) has arisen. This time it's Lindsey Lohan and the American Beverage Institute. The ad above ran in USA Today this past Friday... with her mug shot. And the American Beverage Institute somehow is amazed that her lawyers are filing suit. I looked at this and my first thought was.. duh!

Again it is the issue with an editorial image running in a commercial manner. I am not a lawyer by any means, but my basic understanding is that no matter what, if an image is used in a commercial manner or advertising for a specific product or promotion of a message it needs to have the proper clearances, i.e. talent releases, property releases, photographer approval, etc. Just because it is a google image or an editorial image does not mean that it is available for public use.

Not only does this advertisement have an odd message but the American Beverage Institute claims that they are well within their right to use the image. “People magazine, Smoking Gun and a lot of people have republished this mug shot,” said Longwell. “It was publicly accessible. We’re not using it for any kind of commercial gain. So we’re well within our rights to use it.” (see the full article on msnbc.com here).

While the actual photo may be in public domain because it is a mug shot, she certainly is not especially since her image is so well known.

AT&T : Hands campaign

AT&T Wireless is pushing their new international roaming with a series of fantastic ads. I love the artistic quality brought to this ad with the hand painting as well as the photography. BBDO Atlanta/New York is the agency behind the idea.

Photographer of the entire series is Andric, who is represented by Tim Mitchell, you absolutely have to go and take a look at his portfolio (he's self taught by the way) where he combines shooting and digital retouching (he does all his own post-production).

I think the star of the ad is the body painter who painted all the hands for these concepts: Guido Daniele. An Italian artist, he started his "Handimals" in 2000 which has grown into international interest: with ads not only for AT&T but for El País and World Wildlife Fund.

To see the entire AT&T campaign: Hands, head over to Creativity online

Swedish Fish ads

I couldn't help but laugh this morning when I came across these Swedish Fish ads by New York's JWT. So brilliantly executed, the "A friend you can eat" campaign is bright and colorful featuring your favorite snuggly animals. A bunny waffle, a kitty sandwich and a grilled teddy bear panini are among the executions (to see more head over to Ads of the World.) Under the cuddly animal the copy reads "Nej"... pronounced "neigh" in swedish, meaning "No". And under the swedish fish? "Ja" meaning "yes".... Clever!

The photographer is David Rowland, First Base Digital Imaging U.K. His site has a mix of different genres of photography but his advertising portfolio is the most eye-catching.

American Apparel snafu

AdFreak reports American Apparel has used Woody Allen's image without permission, so he's now suing the cargo pants off them. Reuters is reporting the US company is using his image in print (including the billboard pictured above) and the internet. He has stated that the company never contacted him or compensated him for the use of his image.

Art Buying 101 - ALWAYS get a talent release. I'm pretty sure there was not an art buyer or business affairs person involved in this project. We have to be so meticulous about the imagery - sometimes to the creatives chagrin - but it's part of the job. There should always be written permission for the images - this includes anything from talent, property, name, or logos. Getting clearances covers the client and the agency.

I'm wondering if American Apparel contacted the photographer or the director for usage. The billboards were only posted in California and New York City - Woody Allen filed suit in a Manhattan Court.

Metadata and you

Why should photographers always put metadata attached to their digital images? Because a.) you should anyway and b.) it tells anyone where the image is from and what the precise usage is. Most art buyers/art producers and photo editors know that the metadata is attached to the image. It's as simple as pulling up the file info. But why don't more photographers attach metadata?

There's a great article all about metadata in ASMP's fall 2007 bulletin - Basic Metadata: A Photographer's Best Friend. In this digital age it's important and critical. Most digital cameras record the technical info but in post-production photographers should embed the personal aspects of that image with copyright, contact info, client, usage, etc. The usage is particularly important. Clients are always looking to use the imagery for all sorts of print and web use. The agency that does the print work is not necessarily the same that does the web. So if the client passes the image to the web agency the information should be attached to the image to notify if they can even use it for the web and if so, when does it expire. It would be great if there were one digital asset librarian trafficking and being responsible for the image. But as we all know from the time of the image capture to the actual production, it passes through many hands.

The ASMP article points out that there are templates in programs such as Photo Mechanic, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and Apple's Aperture. I have personally used Adobe Bridge to input the agency's information into the image (info like client, job number, cost, usage, and expiration date). As an art buyer I love when I open up a file and the photographer has tagged everything because that way I know s/he's aware of the usage that was negotiated and can track the image if necessary.

This simple step ensures that all the pertinent information goes with the image through all its travels. Developing a good metadata workflow is like remembering to floss your teeth, it's a good habit to get into.


An exceptionally useful site is the Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines or UPDIG