UK embarks on ‘Capture & Keep’ campaign

An initiative being launched by PMA in the UK called ‘National Photography Month‘ is being held for the first time this month, June 2012.

It is borne out of research that shows that while the Brits are taking more pictures than ever before, the throwaway nature of digital photography means they are printing even fewer pictures and are in danger of losing images that are special to them.

As such the traditional family album is in danger of being replaced by hundreds of pictures forgotten in the oversaturated world of cyberspace and computer hard drives. While this no doubt sounds familiar to you, and not too dissimilar to our local situation, the specific details of the new findings (revealed for the first time in the report) underline just how significant the marketing opportunity is:
• Photography is one of our most powerful connections to our shared memories, emotions and self-expression: 83 percent of UK consumers use photos to connect with past memories;
• UK consumers now take more photographs than ever through mobile phones and affordable digital cameras but 64 percent of consumers do not print out and keep hard copies of photographs;
• The days of the family album being the responsibility of the mother of the family are in decline, as the survey revealed 77 percent of people now don’t make albums because they think it would be too time consuming, complicated or are ashamed of the quality of their pictures;
• The survey also demonstrated that 37 percent have lost important images that are special to them;
• This figure is worse for younger photographers reliant on technology, almost 70 percent of the age group 16 – 24 have lost treasured pictures due to their reliance on modern digital technology.

From a marketing perspective any of the themes in these findings could easily be adapted to make consumers in your local market far more aware of the emotional and physical loss they face should they not at the very least print their photos or better still be shown the benefits of making a photo-book, calendar or an archival DVD of their precious memories.
– Peter Budd, Photo Direct 
(Reprinted from HP Newsbrief Vol. 40)

What is National Photography Month?

National Photography Month 2012 (note they didn’t call it ‘National Digital Month’) is the UK’s first nationwide month-long celebration of photography. The Photo Marketing Association (UK) and Photo Imaging Council are behind this new initiative to help the public understand and appreciate the importance of photography as a medium to ‘capture and keep’ their treasured memories and life’s most important moments.

Backed by companies and organisations across the photographic world including National Geographic and the Royal Photography Society, June 2012 in the UK is a month-long celebration of the excitement and value of photography. Leading photographers and other high-profile figures have joined the campaign to highlight the intense personal importance of photography – why it’s a unique and vital part of human culture and family histories.

Novices and keen photographers alike will be invited to take part in activities and events across the UK where they will be encouraged to develop the skills to capture and preserve our personal histories for future generations.For more information, click here.