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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> Fee for Image on a Commercial Product
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 11/10/2008 09:44:04 PM · #1
I was contacted by the representative of Seventh Generation (they have environmentally friendly cleaning and paper products) and they want to use one of my flower macro shots on a label for their liquid detergent. They are not asking for exclusivity and need to crop part of the image in order for it to suit the size of the label. I have no issues with that but have no idea what to charge. 6 years ago, I was approached with a similar situation and a photo I had taken of a young calf was used on the label of a dried milk product for newborn calves. I was paid 250.00 for that. I signed a permission form and got a check.

They want to use the flower image for a year and may want to renew its use after 2010. The woman who contacted me asked about fees and I'm kind of at a loss as to what to charge.

Anyone else done anything of this sort lately?

THANKS

11/10/2008 10:54:19 PM · #2
By no means an expert, but I'd think some of it would be based on the range of the use - if they're going to use your photo on a million bottles of detergent, that should be worth more than if they're only going to use it on 50k.

And while they might not require that it's exclusive, anyone else who might have been interested in using that same photo (hypothetically speaking) may no longer be when they find out that another company is using it. So I'd keep that in mind as well.

I don't really know what to tell you in terms of a figure, but I think I'd be inclined to quote something near/above $1k, as opposed to a few hundred.
 11/10/2008 10:57:49 PM · #3
Thanks for your input. I know that if you are using something on merchandise versus a single advertisement, the fee goes up.
 11/10/2008 11:13:00 PM · #4
No idea how these things work but I'm curious... Wouldn't a company purchasing an image like this typically come back with a counter offer if they believe the price is too high? I wonder if it's safe to start higher and then be willing to negotiate from there.
 11/10/2008 11:22:36 PM · #5
Originally posted by JMart:
No idea how these things work but I'm curious... Wouldn't a company purchasing an image like this typically come back with a counter offer if they believe the price is too high? I wonder if it's safe to start higher and then be willing to negotiate from there.

I think that's the best way to go. Figure out an average price, jack it up a little, and then negotiate back down if you have to - but don't sell yourself short from the start.
 11/10/2008 11:25:29 PM · #6
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
Originally posted by JMart:
No idea how these things work but I'm curious... Wouldn't a company purchasing an image like this typically come back with a counter offer if they believe the price is too high? I wonder if it's safe to start higher and then be willing to negotiate from there.

I think that's the best way to go. Figure out an average price, jack it up a little, and then negotiate back down if you have to - but don't sell yourself short from the start.


Maybe even try and work out an amount per product sold. Do you know what their sales projections are for the next year?
 11/10/2008 11:26:02 PM · #7
This link was posted in a similar thread a while back - it's not a direct relation, but it can kind of give you an idea, if you figure what type of use is closest, or what size, or the print run.
 11/11/2008 12:17:15 AM · #8
We haven't gotten into particulars yet but I would assume that we are talking hundreds of thousands of bottles. It is an eco-friendly "green" company that sells cleaning and paper products. Target and Whole Foods carries their products as well as many online retailers like drugstore.com. Mine is to be used for a label of 100 oz. laundry concentrate, with a portion of the image at the bottom of the label. Probably similar to the sky here: Laundry Detergent Label It will hardly be recognized as "mine," but still.

Message edited by author 2008-11-11 00:28:42.
 11/11/2008 01:47:49 AM · #9
No idea what to charge, but bitchin' way cool!! Congrats!!
 11/11/2008 01:53:33 AM · #10
Originally posted by cpanaioti:
Maybe even try and work out an amount per product sold. Do you know what their sales projections are for the next year?

Something like this would be great if you can get it -- even a 1/2-cent royalty on 100K bottles is $500 ... make it on units manufactured though, not units sold -- like a recording royalty,
 11/11/2008 02:35:57 AM · #11
//www.cradocfotosoftware.com/fotoQuote-Pro/index.html
 11/11/2008 03:12:40 AM · #12
How cool is that! WTG Judy!!!
 11/11/2008 03:23:25 AM · #13
Originally posted by Jutilda:
I was contacted by the representative of Seventh Generation (they have environmentally friendly cleaning and paper products) and they want to use one of my flower macro shots on a label for their liquid detergent. They are not asking for exclusivity and need to crop part of the image in order for it to suit the size of the label. I have no issues with that but have no idea what to charge. 6 years ago, I was approached with a similar situation and a photo I had taken of a young calf was used on the label of a dried milk product for newborn calves. I was paid 250.00 for that. I signed a permission form and got a check.

They want to use the flower image for a year and may want to renew its use after 2010. The woman who contacted me asked about fees and I'm kind of at a loss as to what to charge.

Anyone else done anything of this sort lately?

THANKS


$1000 + a years free supply of detergent..
 11/11/2008 04:55:46 AM · #14
The last image I sold for a product label was 2500.00 for the first year and half that for following years. They had the rights to use the image on the packaging and promotion of that product. This was for a livestock feed that was sold regionally, not nationally.

If the product will be sold nationally, you should get more than 2500.00 Also you should gain monitary value for a much more common product than Livestock feed. Don't sell yourself short. Also keep in mind that in one year they can print enough labels for many years of product sales. Be sure to ask them how long they intend the image to be seen in public and not for just how long they will be using/printing it.

Hope that help you get a more solid idea.
 11/11/2008 08:49:45 AM · #15
Cristy - thanks for the tip. I guess I'll wait and see what happens. It's pretty exciting to think that every time I do laundry, I can also be looking at one of my flowers. LOL
 11/11/2008 09:14:27 AM · #16
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!
I have no idea what to tell you to charge though.
But that is sooooooo awesome!
11/11/2008 10:06:44 AM · #17
Tell them 10 grand. See what they say.
 11/11/2008 10:13:32 AM · #18
Judy, that's great news. I'm so happy for you :)
I use their products.

Sign it at Alamy and Getty and pick an RM image, pretend you want to buy and RM image and their calculator will pop up. Fill in the fields and see what $ number pops up. So you can at least get an idea of how it might be priced if they where to go buy and image there. And the free version of fotoQuote might have something you might find interesting.
 11/11/2008 11:13:40 AM · #19
Originally posted by Techo:
Judy, that's great news. I'm so happy for you :)
I use their products.

Sign it at Alamy and Getty and pick an RM image, pretend you want to buy and RM image and their calculator will pop up. Fill in the fields and see what $ number pops up. So you can at least get an idea of how it might be priced if they where to go buy and image there. And the free version of fotoQuote might have something you might find interesting.


Yeah, I tried but you have to go through an elaborate "join" procedure, so I'll probably just figure it out. I've found two online calculators and I'm finding everything from 800.00 up to 2500.00+.
 11/11/2008 12:28:43 PM · #20
Originally posted by Jutilda:
I've found two online calculators and I'm finding everything from 800.00 up to 2500.00+.

Maybe you should pick an intermediate figure ... I wonder if it would help or hurt if you made it an odd number, like $1,684 ...
 11/11/2008 02:22:56 PM · #21
One technique I have used in giving quotes is to sign on to one of the stock sites- not as a photographer but as a potential client. It shouldn't cost you anything.

Find a photograph not unlike your own, select it and fill in the usage details that are as close as possible to the one you're trying to quote. You should end up with a price, at which point you can "empty your cart" and be on your way.

11/11/2008 02:34:22 PM · #22
One steadfast rule of negotiation is to have the other party make the first quote. That way you will avoid undercharging but also avoid potentially losing the client. Ask them what they think is fair. If they lowball you and say $50 you can of course negotiate from there, but if they offer you $5000 and you were only going to ask for $2000, then you've made $3000. If they offer $250, you know they are unlikely to be prepared to spend $10,000 and if you ask for it they'll simply go somewhere else.

You don't have to look naive when you ask. Just say something like, "based on your projected use, volume, and profit, I think it's valuable to know what you think is a fair price"...

Message edited by author 2008-11-11 14:35:11.
 11/11/2008 02:44:36 PM · #23
Originally posted by Jutilda:
They want to use the flower image for a year and may want to renew its use after 2010.

I don't know how these things work either, but this sounds like it could work in your favor. Maybe you could aim for a dollar amount safely in the middle range (however you establish that range), with an understanding that if they renew the price will rise to nearer the top of that range.
 11/11/2008 05:26:49 PM · #24
Congrats!!
I put the details you provided through Alamy, and they would charge US $ 1415.00 for 1 year. For 3 years it would be US $ 1770.00.
 11/11/2008 05:26:50 PM · #25
Double post.

Message edited by author 2008-11-11 17:27:10.
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