Analysis #4--Ethnicity In Stock Images--Popularity of Different Groups

My last two analysis posts discussed ethnicity in stock images.  I have now discussed four of my six conclusions:  1.  People image licenses are dropping as a percent of all images licensed;  2.  Images of ethnically diverse people are growing steadily as a percentage of all people images licensed;  3.  The average license price in the U.S. for ethnically diverse people images lags that of other people images;  4.  Images that contain more than one ethnicity get higher prices than those with a single ethnicity. 

Here are my last two conclusions:

5.  Interest is highest in images of black people.  This is true both in the U.S. and overseas.  It seems blacks have emerged as the most distinct and attractive target for marketing and editorial activity.

6.  Interest in images of people of Hispanic background seems unusually low. The low interest in Asians and Native Americans makes some sense, due to the actual difference in their population numbers in the US and Europe (the largest markets for stock images).  However, the Hispanic market in the U.S. is growing faster than the African American market, as Hispanic population here surges.  There are also major Latin populations in Europe and two continents of interest in South and Central America.  One possible cause for the "Latin lag" may be the many submarkets in Hispanic society.  (See this nice summary of the situation by Ana Torres-Davis.)

Two more conclusions means two more recommendations, and here they are:

1.  Focus on major ethnic groups.  There are many smaller ethnic groups scattered around the world.  Armenians, Parsis, Jains, Mongolians, Kurds, etc.  All are worthy of respect, study, and to be the subject of great images.  But, don't expect to make as much money from capturing their lives as you would from more mainstream and prominent ethnic groups.

2.  Clearly identify your Hispanic (and Asian) subjects by their relavant ethnic group.  Users of ethnic images often have a specific target group in mind.  They do not want to use images of Haitians when they are marketing to Cubans or Chinese people to promote products to the Japanese.  If your models are of mixed heritage, identify as much of their background as you can.  There will probably be a growing interest in these cross cultural mixes, as time goes on.

I'd love to have ideas for how to dig into this topic, further.  We live in a land of diversity, surrounded by rich culstures that we need to understand and appreciate.  Our industry needs to play a more active role in providing accurate and beautifully created images of these cultures.  Please do your part!