IMPORTANT NOTES
It is important that you understand the terms of use of this site. If you would like to reproduce any of the images for books, booklets, brochures, maps, exhibitions, newspapers or other commercial applications, you will need to obtain a reproduction license from us.
License fees vary with the use; examples of typical fees can be found here.
If you don't have a project at the moment, you can bookmark this page and come back to make a selection at a later time. If you would like to order any of these images, please use the Contact page, and tell us the details of your intended use.
Although we don't yet have a ‘lightbox’ facility, we have tried to make ordering online easy for you. If you have any comments or feedback, by all means contact us.
REGISTER WITH US
Would you like to receive advance previews of the latest additions to our Stock Library? Simply register with us via the Contact page and be the first to hear about new releases.
STOCK LIST
We have a library of over 15,000 tightly-edited stock images. You can find out what subjects are in the library by browsing through this alphabetical TEXT-ONLY listing of subjects. If you have a specific use in mind, we can submit a selection of images via this site. This service is free to qualified photo buyers. Just contact us to outline your request and we will respond promptly. We'll be updating this list as images are added to the library, so be sure to check back often.
LATEST RELEASE Stock Library: Cute & Furry
Animals sell. At least, the cute and cuddly ones do.
Optus, the Australian telecommunications company, has been successfully selling its message for about five years now, using nothing but nature in all its advertising and promo. I admire Optus because they’ve stretched the traditional boundaries of advertising. It used to be all lions, tiger and eagles, those typical euphemisms for corporate strength and power. But the creatives behind the Optus ads use ladybugs, butterflies, terns and ants. And the messages are getting lighter every year, saying things like persistence, innovation and, of course, communication.
Strangely, by using animals and nature, they are humanising themselves as a company. They’re saying we have a soft spot. We care; we’re in touch with our feelings. I’m sure there were many boardroom battles when the concept was first flown because of this very fear—that they wouldn’t be taken seriously in the marketplace. Well, time has taken care of that issue, for the ads just keep coming.
Animals represent many things. We associate butterflies with higher aspirations, frogs with innocence and bees with hard work. But what of the Australian mammals? What do we associate with them? We don’t have hulking bears to represent strength or huge carnivores to say “king”. Instead, we have lots of cute hippity hoppity things. Most of them are so shy they can’t even be seen except at night by torchlight, or so tiny they could be engulfed by a flower.
I think it’s time to speak up for our unique Australian wildlife. They do have messages that are relevant to the new corporate repositioning. They can help advertisers promote some of the new corporate ethics like teamwork, lateral thinking, technological innovation, efficiency, speed and adaptability. What could say “technological innovation”—the hallmark of Australia's GNP—better than the kangaroo? (Well, perhaps the platypus can.)
The well-known kangaroo says “speed” and “surmounting obstacles”. Those cute little joeys peeping out of the pouches make us think “love”, “safety” or “security”. Gliders say “mysterious”, wombats say “take it easy” but the koala—the king of the Australian icons—says it best: “she’ll be right, mate”—supreme confidence.
If you represent an Australian company, why not consider using some of our “cute and furry” stock photos in your next marketing project?
