iStock Reveals the Visual Marketing Trends That Will Shape SMB growth in 2026

Rhea-AI Summary

iStock (NASDAQ:GETY) on Dec 15, 2025 released its 2026 Visual Marketing Trends, driven by VisualGPS research about authenticity, AI use, and consumer preferences. Key findings: 6 in 10 people distrust ads they suspect are AI-generated, 44% report increased generative AI use year-over-year, 83% say higher-quality images stand out, and 64% prefer real images in advertising. The guidance advises SMBs to balance AI efficiency with real imagery, embrace randomness and texture, and prioritize comfort, restorative visuals, and human candor to rebuild trust.

Key Figures

Use of generative AI 44% of people VisualGPS data using generative AI more often than a year ago

Preference for quality images 83% of respondents Say higher-quality images are more likely to stand out

Preference for real images 64% of consumers Prefer real images in advertising

Share price $1.50 Pre-news current price vs 52-week range $1.25–$3.865

Market cap $636,266,077 Equity value before this marketing trends release

200-day MA $1.84 Longer-term moving average vs current $1.50

Q3 2025 revenue $240.0M Quarterly revenue, essentially flat year-over-year

Q3 2025 net income $21.6M Returned to profit with 9.0% margin

Market Reality Check

$1.49 Last Close

Volume Trading volume 735,929 is below the 20-day average of 1,093,361 ahead of this trends-focused release. low

Technical Shares at $1.50 are trading below the 200-day MA of $1.84 and well under the 52-week high of $3.865.

Peers on Argus

GETY fell 1.96% with mixed peer moves: SSTK -0.95%, CARS -1.24%, ANGI -3.77%, FVRR -0.39%, while TBLA rose 0.25%, indicating stock-specific pressure rather than a broad sector swing.

Historical Context

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 03	Editorial showcase	Neutral	-0.7%	Unveiled 2025 Year in Review visual collection of major global events.
Dec 02	Brand partnership	Positive	+0.7%	New BLACK PEARL Culture@ campaign with Getty Images and Canon collaboration.
Nov 12	Olympics coverage	Positive	-2.4%	Announced large-scale team to document Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games.
Nov 10	Earnings update	Positive	-2.8%	Q3 2025 results with net income, solid EBITDA and updated 2025 guidance.
Nov 04	Litigation ruling	Positive	-9.2%	UK court found Stable Diffusion infringed trademarks and used protected works.

Pattern Detected

Recent ostensibly positive or neutral news (partnerships, legal win, Olympics, earnings) often coincided with negative next-day price moves, suggesting a pattern of weak post-news reactions.

Recent Company History

Over the last six weeks, Getty Images has highlighted several strategic and brand-building milestones, including a Year in Review editorial showcase on Dec 3 and a BLACK PEARL partnership on Dec 2. Earlier, it announced extensive coverage plans for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics on Nov 12, reported Q3 2025 results on Nov 10, and disclosed a favorable UK ruling in Stability AI litigation on Nov 4. Despite these developments, most events saw negative 24-hour price reactions, framing today’s marketing-trends piece within a backdrop of subdued market responses.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights how generative AI and authenticity are reshaping visual marketing, with data points like 44% of people using generative AI more often and 64% preferring real images in ads. For GETY, it reinforces positioning around high-quality, authentic content rather than introducing new financial or regulatory information. Investors may track how such trend reports support product strategy alongside recent earnings, litigation milestones, and merger developments.

Key Terms

generative ai technical

"As generative AI tools accelerate content creation, brands of every size..."

Generative AI is a type of computer technology that can create new content, like text, images, or music, on its own. It’s important because it can produce realistic and useful material quickly, which could change how we create art, write stories, or even develop new products. Think of it as a smart robot that can invent and produce things almost like a human.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iStock, a leading ecommerce platform providing premium content to SMBs, SMEs, creatives, and students everywhere, has released its 2026 Marketing Trends, unpacking the visual and cultural trends that will guide how SMBs create, communicate, and compete in 2026.

As generative AI tools accelerate content creation, brands of every size are under growing pressure to stand out—making visual strategy more essential than ever. According to iStock’s VisualGPS research, six out of ten people now say they distrust the advertising they see, largely because they believe it is AI-generated, manipulated, or inauthentic. For SMBs this trust gap creates both a challenge and an opportunity: audiences are consuming more content than ever, but they’re also demanding greater credibility, originality, and authenticity from the brands they engage with.

“SMBs today operate in a landscape where content volume is exploding, but trust is shrinking,” said Dr. Rebecca Swift, Senior Vice President of Creative for iStock. “Consumers aren’t just scanning visuals, they’re scrutinizing them. They want to feel a human touch, a point of view, a sense of truth, and something that feels real. These emerging trends show where audience expectations are heading and help businesses create visuals that feel personal, unexpected, and genuinely relatable. When SMBs understand these shifts, they can cut through the digital noise and build stronger, more meaningful connections with their customers.”

Here are iStock’s key marketing trends for SMBS in 2026: 

1.   The Risk of Visual ‘Sameness’

As generative tools become embedded across everyday marketing, from presentations and emails to websites, pitch decks and social posts, brands are creating more visuals than ever. VisualGPS data shows that 44% of people are using generative AI more often than a year ago, because it is easy to produce fast, polished content. The downside: a lot of content looks and feels the same.

In a sea of look-alike visuals, standing out requires intentional differentiation. VisualGPS image testing revealed that 83% of respondents globally say higher-quality images are more likely to stand out, underscoring the importance of clarity, realism, and craftsmanship – whether content is AI-generated or not.

For SMBs, the opportunity lies in balancing smart use of AI with authenticity. Generative tools can help customize tone, color, composition, while real images add credibility – especially given that 64% of consumers say they prefer “real” images in advertising.

2.   Designing for Randomness

Randomness is what drives in-person shopping, serendipitous discoveries, and that feeling of stumbling onto something new, both in visuals and in brand storytelling. VisualGPS research shows that skin that appears too smooth, hyper-symmetrical, or clinical; uniform lighting, are some of the biggest visual giveaways that make people think an image is AI. And once an image feels generated, trust quickly erodes.

Algorithmic precision is driving a renewed appetite for materials, textures, and naive, childlike art, anything that feels and –looks- unmistakably human. For SMBs, this means leaning into simplicity, embracing the kinds of visuals that show process, not perfection and that prioritize candor over staging. In a world dominated by artificial and polish, it’s the “happy accidents” that signal authenticity —and that authenticity is exactly what audiences are now seeking.

3.   Comfort is Everything

VisualGPS reveals that consumers’ top concerns today include world peace, inflation, and healthcare costs. In a landscape shaped by economic pressure, job anxiety and ongoing global crises, research shows that what people want most in the next three years is to focus on their physical health, financial security and mental health.

This collective desire for personal wellbeing is pushing a broader shift toward pause, reset and regeneration. Within this context, comfort becomes the new aspiration: comfort in how we travel, how we work and how we spend time with the people who matter. Visually, this means showing restful, restorative experiences and capturing social moments that reflect “slowness”: small gatherings, meaningful interactions, and friendships that grow over time. Consider imagery that communicates growth, repair, balance, and renewal, signaling the grounded, restorative future audiences want to see.

To inspire and elevate your visual marketing strategy ahead of 2026 with related imagery and videos, visit https://www.istockphoto.com/.

Image credit: FOTOGRAFIA INC./ iStock

Media contact:

Ilse Noguez

ilse.noguez@gettyimages.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ac7e3e71-9e71-4672-b687-208435e84915

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3d92b708-3656-4cc2-ba1e-331e5b356052

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/808171dc-c501-4008-bb9f-c173807ff9bc

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6b007513-c2a6-4d13-8f22-7f256ed4160b

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dda11a9d-eeb4-424c-b427-02136d9cbaf6

 

FAQ

What are iStock's main 2026 visual marketing recommendations for SMBs (GETY)?

Balance generative AI with real images, prioritize authenticity, embrace randomness and texture, and show restorative, comfort-driven visuals.

How widespread is distrust of AI-looking ads according to iStock's VisualGPS research?

VisualGPS found that 6 out of 10 people say they distrust advertising they believe is AI-generated or manipulated.

What percentage of consumers said higher-quality images help brands stand out (GETY report)?

83% of respondents globally indicated that higher-quality images are more likely to stand out.

How many people reported using generative AI more often compared with a year ago in iStock's findings?

44% of people said they are using generative AI more often than a year ago.

Why does iStock recommend showing "real" images in 2026 marketing for SMBs?

Because 64% of consumers prefer real images in advertising and real visuals help restore credibility and trust when AI usage is high.

Where can SMBs find imagery and videos recommended in iStock's 2026 trends?

iStock directs users to its site at https://www.istockphoto.com/ for related imagery and video resources.