This launch is tied to Land O'Lakes' Modern Rural Collective (MRC) efforts, which is a network of storytellers, marketers and brands working to inspire a new narrative for both urban and rural communities rooted in mutual aspiration and authentic representation.
Getty Images' global insights platform, VisualGPS, reveals surging demand for visuals of rural America, with customer searches for this content up 22% in 2024 and 8% to-date in 2025. Yet accurate representation of these communities falls short, with 2 out of 3 Americans in rural communities say advertisers simply don't understand them1.
"In the United States, visuals depicting rural communities have long been oversimplified, or are simply inaccurate. When it comes to advertising and marketing, the visuals that do focus on rural places oftentimes do not represent the complexity and diversity inherent to these communities," said Tristen Norman, Head of Creative for the Americas at Getty Images. "Through this initiative, we are empowering those people who shape our visual culture – media outlets, publishers, brands and ad agencies- to use visuals that reflect the richness of rural life today in ways that paint a more accurate picture while meaningfully connecting with communities across the country."
Alongside the playbook, Getty Images and Land O'Lakes Inc. have developed a dedicated library of visuals to support media outlets, publishers, brands and ad agencies in more accurately representing rural communities. Comprised of imagery and video from Getty Images' creative collection, alongside newly commissioned images via Getty Images Custom Content, the library is designed to fill representation gaps highlighted by VisualGPS research.
"As one of the largest farmer-owned cooperatives in the U.S., telling authentic rural stories has always been core to who we are and was the impetus for convening the Modern Rural Collective – to help others do the same," said Heather Malenshek, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer of Land O'Lakes, Inc. "That's why we're excited about this work with Getty Images to launch Repicturing Rural — a concrete, actionable playbook that gives the tools necessary to tell more authentic, modern stories that reflect the true value of rural communities and the role they play in shaping our shared future."
The playbook and curated visuals dive into themes often oversimplified or overlooked, including the rural demographics, workplaces, healthcare, education, everyday family life, and even the livestock and landscapes that shape these communities. It challenges media outlets, publishers, brands and marketing agencies to ditch outdated stereotypes and capture the vibrancy of rural life.
Through tools and collaboration with organizations like Getty Images, MRC is helping to shape the portrayal of rural America, reflecting both its value and values.
To download the playbook, view and license the collection, and learn more about the initiative, see http://reports.gettyimages.com/VisualGPS-Repicturing-Rural-Playbook.pdf.
A selection of images will also be made available on Unsplash.
About Getty Images
Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace that offers a full range of content solutions to meet the needs of any customer around the globe, no matter their size. Through its Getty Images, iStock and Unsplash brands, websites and APIs, Getty Images serves customers in almost every country in the world and is the first-place people turn to discover, purchase and share powerful visual content from the world's best photographers and videographers. Getty Images works with almost 600,000 content creators and more than 355 content partners to deliver this powerful and comprehensive content. Each year Getty Images covers more than 160,000 news, sport and entertainment events providing depth and breadth of coverage that is unmatched. Getty Images maintains one of the largest and best privately-owned photographic archives in the world with millions of images dating back to the beginning of photography.
Through its best-in-class creative library and Custom Content solutions, Getty Images helps customers elevate their creativity and entire end-to-end creative process to find the right visual for any need. With the adoption and distribution of generative AI technologies and tools trained on permissioned content that include indemnification and perpetual, worldwide usage rights, Getty Images and iStock customers can use text to image generation to ideate and create commercially safe compelling visuals, further expanding Getty Images capabilities to deliver exactly what customers are looking for.
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About Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations that span the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2024 annual sales of $16.2 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 245 on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 100 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands in agribusiness and food production including Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods, Animal Nutrition and WinField United. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries. Land O'Lakes, Inc. corporate headquarters are located in Arden Hills, Minnesota.
About MRC
The Modern Rural Collective (MRC) is a network of storytellers, marketers and brands with a shared mission. Convened by Land O'Lakes, Inc., MRC is working to inspire a new, shared narrative for all Americans -- one rooted in mutual aspiration and authentic representation.
Through tools and strategic collaborations with Getty Images and Imagine Entertainment, MRC is helping to shape the portrayal of rural America, reflecting both its value and values. By elevating the truth and potential of rural communities, MRC fosters cultural understanding and connection across geographies.
1 YouGov https://commercial.yougov.com/rs/464-VHH-988/images/WP-2024-04-US-Rural-Representation-Report.pdf
SOURCE Land O'Lakes, Inc.
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