Gallo Images and the Loeries say that it is time to '#GetReal' through real stories from real women. Individuals are encouraged to share a picture of themselves, or of a woman in advertising that they admire, along with a 250-word explanatory story to join this movement.

Swift's research has focused on commercial creativity and her work has received more than 30 international awards including a Glass Lion. Besides serving as a visual brand consultant to global corporations and lecturing at universities, she has served on judging panels for photography, design and advertising at a number of European awards.

Particularly passionate about evolving visual representation, Swift aims to drive change in visual language depicting women and girls. As such, she has rewritten the Getty Images visual standards for commercial imagery submitted by contributing photographers.

Listed among the 20 Women to Watch in 2020 by AdAge, she is also Campaign magazine's Female Frontier Award honouree. 

Robyn Terbrugge, Gallo Images general manager sales and marketing, says it is hoped that the Creative Week session will inspire brands and agencies to access content from gettyimages.com that authentically reflects woman's lives and experiences.

"Our customers increasingly want more authentic content. Imagery that everyone can easily relate to because audiences respond best to visuals that resonate. Notably, the image search term 'real people' has increased by 192% over the past year; 'diverse women' by 168% and 'strong women' by 187%. [This is] clear evidence of a demand for a more realistic portrayal of women," says Terbrugge.

"As we gear for the COVID induced 'new normal', we are introducing the '#GetReal' session as added value. We want to create awareness, share creative insights and identify regional nuances," adds Terbrugge.

"Besides steering our photographers to produce relevant content, we want to empower African and Middle Eastern creatives to respond to the global demand for brands that commit to change," Terbrugge says.

Terbrugge also acknowledges the importance of taking client budgets into account, while providing content that resonates with today's brand audience. "This is why we are dedicated to producing content that marketers can use to address the cultural and socio-demographic differences that abound on our great continent and in the Middle East."

Loeries CEO Preetesh Sewraj, says that the Gallo creative focus on women achievers is an innovative initiative with strong potential for societal change.

"Images are not only a powerful tool in capturing the human experience but can also serve to challenge stereotypes. The '#GetReal' campaign will allow us to work with Gallo Images to unlock inspirational stories from women across Africa and the Middle East," says Sewraj.

"Through this, we will ensure that creatives, and broader society, will be exposed to real stories and real images from real women. This should serve as an important step in promoting representation in a world that needs it now more than ever," concludes Sewraj.

For more information, or to submit a story, visit www.loeries.com. You can also follow the Loeries on Facebook or on Twitter.