Photie is a new South African Stock Image platform for royalty-free photographs, illustrations and videos, and is the brainchild of marketer and business owner Alison Blair.
‘I realised I needed to focus on my creative process and generate something meaningful. Drawn by South Africa’s distinctive culture, Photie aims to be as unique as the country’s stories,’ said Blair.
Marketers and advertising agencies alike know all too well there is a need for real South African stock images to engage local markets. When browsing international sites for South African imagery, search results often yield images that speak to the international version of South Africa and are not a true reflection of what we know and see on a daily basis.
As the Mpumalanga representative for the Businesswoman of the Year Awards, presented by the South African Businesswomen’s Association, Blair is fiercely passionate about entrepreneurship, and with 20 years of diverse marketing experience, she has decided to personally fund the development of the platform. ‘Photie is a valiant step for me as a business owner to create something important for South Africans and the South African creative industry,’ she said.
How does it work?
Photie enables local photographers and creatives who contribute to the platform’s image library to earn a 50% royalty on contribution, compared to other sites that start at 15%. Users get to support local talent and help grow this sector. With a strict approval process in place for all of the content uploaded to the platform, Photie prides itself on offering top quality images to ensure user searches yield the desired results.
As contributors earn a royalty for each image downloaded, they are incentivised to continue adding to their personal portfolios, thereby increasing the image library with photos, videos, illustrations, or designs that will appeal to users. By enabling local artists to earn an income from their contributions, not only will brands and agencies be supporting local talent, but they will acquire content that is relevant to the local market. ‘The content is by South Africans for South Africa, so it is truly authentic and will allow advertising to be more relevant to its audience,’ said Blair.
