How can Leica Camera Best Spend its Ad Budget?

[monochromejrnl]

i think you're asking the wrong people... we all have a pretty strong awareness of the Leica brand and most of us seek out information about past, current and future offerings... we're captive... Leica has focused on the pro/collector/wealthy amateur market too much... they need to focus on building brand awareness where it doesn't exist and with those who are likely to buy their plastic fantastic disposable digital cameras...

i've own(ed) 2 M bodies, a 35 summicron, a 50 elmar, a 90 elmar collapsible and not a single dollar of my money went to Leica - even the technicians I use to service the cameras and lenses are independent providers... I suspect the vast majority of Leica users/afficiandos on RFF haven't and will not buy NEW Leica equipment and I suspect that no amount of advertising will change that...

from strictly a business point of view, i think they need to focus on high volume products that are accessible to a wider audience of digital users...

 

[Ken Ford]

I've seen a few ads in National Geographic - they should be regulars there just like Canon.

 

[Toby]

Before they worry to much about advertising leica need to understand that the need to build a camera system that can grow from beginner to professional. I got my first canon when I was in my early twenties and since then I've never changed systems, their system grew with me (Obviously I'm talking SLR's) I'm sure many others are the same. Leica would be better off working with cosina and zeiss so they could market a coherent M-camera system between all three brands then advertise colllectively and share R&D very much like the 4/3rds system does. This would bring the cost of another digital M down hugely and generally help all three companies raise their profile and sales

 

[monochromejrnl]

Leica has been trying to make M profitable for a while now without much luck... (witness M5, CL/CLE, a la carte etc...)... they tried high end SLRs - great cameras but i suspect that they never made a dent in the sales of Canon/Nikon/OM... i think they need to make affordable P&S in the same vein as the D-Lux and market the heck out of them... as much as i hate to think it, Leica needs volume to sustain itself...

use the Porsche model... they've gone from near bankruptcy in the late 80s/early 90s to being one of, if not the most profitable car maker in the world... and they did it by selling volume products that were inferior in many ways to their flagship product (boxster/s, cayenne) - they used that money to improve their best in class iconic 911 and now, they've improved and expanded their line to include another best in class coupe in the Cayman/S...

they need to speak to Porsche AG

 

[icebear]

Hate getting lost in menues ? Get a LEICA !

Hate getting lost in menues ? Get a LEICA !

This is the true essentially only for MP/M7 (or older M's for that matter but these won't be advertised by Leica). What strikes me every time I'm shooting, is the number of people with frustrated faces fiddeling with up/down buttons looking at a screen in front of their eyes rather than the scene they originally tried to shoot.

Highest quality and simplicity to use are USP's (unique selling points) for Leica. I love my MP and M6. They do what I want and when I want it. No blame for the camera when I miss that shot.

Striving for ultimate quality is not really something typical for the current high speed/short lived world. Many consumers will be satisfied with something that just takes a nice picture which they can mail to friends and family. But most of them are frustrated by the complexity of choices most of the products offer.

If Leica can not get the message across to a new consumer base that they offer a product that is high quality, easy and a joy to use, they are in trouble. The fully loaded "1001 feature list" product can be done by the all others and they have much more marketing power and turnover per product than Leica will ever have.

The "Slowfood" initiative comes to my mind, maybe a similar target group for magazine advertisement. Slowphotography [no jokes about min. 1/1000s please 😀 ] with the same mindset is very much in line with things we generally appreciate about Leica RF's.

Pictures shot with a Leica should tell more than a thousand words.

 

[monochromejrnl]

icebear - but i think Leica needs to expand their market beyond the folks that appreciate the M for what it is... there isn't enough of us out there willing to buy NEW products from Leica... i sure don't have the resources to afford it.. hence i, as i suspect the vast majority of Leica users/owners do, go to the used market...

out of curiousity.. did you buy your M bodies and lenses new from a leica dealer? if you did, do you know many others who have? i'm just guesing but i suspect the vast majority of us don't... based simply on economics... they are too darn expensive new

 

[trittium]

I think Leica should remind the world how much easier and better manual photography is. There are only 3 setting needed aperature, exposure, and focus. The should make a comerial called the "A New Revelolution in Photography: Manual Technology". Sell it like it is a new concept; it is for most of the world.

Also, here in the US, no one knows about the Leica Brand unless they are seriously into photography (I don't know how it is in other places around the world). I have seen ads in National Geographic, but lets face it, most of the US doesn't read, especially my generation. They need to advertise on TV if they are going to make it big. In the US they have a unique opertunity to create a public brand image from scratch. They could do anything, but it needs to be marketed.

I wonder how panasonic would like it if Leica started making consumer cameras? I mean panasonics have "leica" lenses right? I don't think they will end up making leica p&s in mass quanites unless panasonic manufactures it.

Another cash cow leica could work on, are producing a line of high end lenses for digital slr's. They could become the bently of 3rd party lenses.

 

[icebear]

nope ... used

nope ... used

out of curiousity.. did you buy your M bodies and lenses new from a leica dealer? if you did, do you know many others who have? i'm just guesing but i suspect the vast majority of us don't... based simply on economics... they are too darn expensive new

Yes you are right monochromejournalist, I'm a shooter and don't care if it's used but working. Everything I have in my bag was bought pre-owned but the 5.6/12 CV and this was sitting on the shelf at a dealer for quite a while and I got a good deal. I couldn't afford new either - even if I could I would buy used I guess ...😉
Icebear

 

[BillBingham2]

Back when I was a DINK (Double Income, No Kids) I got my Ms new from a dealer. Having become a SITK (Single Income, Two Kids) that would be harder. But if Nikon made an SX, that was a user (read not 2000 of them for collectors), I would line up to buy one from a dealer. Now I have to admit, that dealer I would prefer (as he stands behind his stuff so well) might be gray market, but the short list after him are not. Cosina came close, but I want a longer RF base length. I bought both my Ts and a couple of Ls from a dealer new. I got my sons (offically mine, but it's really his, don't tell his mother) R new from a dealer. I think it's mostly because buing a used Leica is much more of a sure thing that buying a used car. Leicas do not depreciate as quicly, if at all.

I really like the idea of "A New Revelolution in Photography: Manual Technology". Sell the sizzzle of control, creativity and not having to worry about which program you are picking to get that picture.

I disagree that Leica will ever be in the same market perspective as Canon. They are selling to upper middle and upper class folks. Heck, even the CM is expensive compared to the alternative PHd (Press Here Dummy) that were out there three years ago. I'm not sure where the D-Lux systems fit in the market, but I think they are a bit high in price.

I would forget print adds, go Internet. While I would love to see them bring some money here, we are the converted (perhaps perverted) so I'm not sure what value it would truely bring.

B2 (;->

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[wilt]

Not only product planning, but also product development. For example, there must be plenty of good programmers that also are leicanistas: get them involved in developing the M8 firmware.

Or for that matter, use RFF as their focus group and product planning. Get us involved in products we want. Put us RFFers on their payroll and we can probably sell a Leica mousepad or two to start...

 

[rpsawin]

The first approach is to leverage the old Leica School of Photography. Make a web-based course that covers all of the topics in this great program. It is 30 years old, so it needs some updating for new technologies (metering in the M, AE, yes you must include the R system in it). You might want to develop sections on other families of Leica photo products, but focus on the M and the R first. Make it web technology based so it can run from your site, be downloaded completely to a server in a school or burned to a CD (perhaps DVD) of a user for free. Do not focus on selling your products. Focus on how to use your products better and how to use other people products better. Make better photographers and tell them why Leica is better while you do it.
B2 (;->

Bill,

I agree with all your comments especially this one. I attended a one day Leica Academy here in Seatlle a few years ago. It was excellent and it really got the whole class enthuised. There was supposed to be a follow up meeting and more classes, but they did not happen. I found a great deal of value in the one day event and think the idea of doing something similar on-line is a terrific idea. It also would allow Leica access to a target market with not alot of cost.

Bob

 

[triplefinger]

the FILM leicas would sell themselves if they we're
1. easier to use (see film loading) and
2. less expensive.

I can assume the m8 is easier to use, as film loading is not an issue and everyone is familiar with navigation menus.

also, the idea of associating them with CLASSIC things is a good idea for sales. people like the cool of classic, unfortunately they also like the modern conveniences. say for example a 17th century french villa in the middle of a vineyard, with central air and wireless internet.

 

[ferider]

There is something seriously wrong with Leica branding and this thread shows it. While the brand is associated mostly to the Leica M, Leica Camera AG in 2005 made only a 3rd of its revenue with M bodies and lenses. I don't think numbers for 2006 are out yet.

Suppose the M line will fail ... this does not imply that Leica will be out of business - just not build RFs any more.

Before you worry about advertising define a strategy, then advertise accordingly, and only if for brand adjustment purposes.

Anybody knows where Leica is headed ? How important are Lumix bodies, etc.

Roland.

 

[rxmd]

Also, product placement, the way Apple did in Hollywood (lots of Apple computers appearing in movies etc.). People have to recognise a Leica at first sight.

Also, it would have been good if it had been Leica to produce a sub-$1000 entry-level rangefinder camera instead of Cosina. They missed the whole rangefinder renaissance and instead raised their prices by a factor of three or so. I guess this market niche is pretty much filled now.

 

[Xmas]

Stephen

One option is to remanufacture the M2, no timer, button rewind, in the stroke it chip it black paint, if they only made 500, there would still be a demand.

And not advertise it, I dont mind the mag they send me for free.

Noel

 

[peter_n]

I don't think I've ever seen a Leica ad here in the US. In Europe I used to see lots because I had a subscription to Leica Fotografie. 😉 Their stuff is ridiculously expensive (and about to get more so) so they should perhaps think about advertising in magazines/journals/programs etc. seen by people with loads of dosh. A subset of those people might be those who have loads of dosh and support the arts; classical music, opera, drama, dance, art galleries or museums etc. If they want to sell new they have to work the high end of the market and stop listening to groups like the LHSA.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

Buy Cosina and make an entry level M, or get Cosina to make it for them like they do the Zeiss Ikon.

And an entry level M digital too using Cosina body and Epson electronics.

 

[bob cole]

: How can Leica Camera Best Spend its Ad Budget?

: How can Leica Camera Best Spend its Ad Budget?

I also have not seen any Leica ads in a long time but if Leica has an ad budget, I believe it should concentrate its funds with Leica dealers around the world, commensurate with the amount of money each dealer spends with Leica... I believe it's called cooperative advertising, where Leica kicks in some funds with top dealers.

Dealers know best what products are moving in their area and -- assuming Leica helps -- they can promote what they can sell...

Another promising market, I feel, because of the high cost of new Leica products today, is repair work...Leica itself has suggested in the past that it stands ready to rebuild used Leicas...

As for where to place its advertising, the best print markets are those being read by upscale readers -- The New York Times, The New Yorker, National Geographic, The Economist of London, The Financial Times of London and some specialty magazines like Yachting, others read by doctors, dentists, lawyers and other weathy people plus a few others I would have to research...

Other strong markets are the Internet camera sites, like the Rangefinderforum, the LUG, the MUG, I.D.C.C., photonet and a few others...

As it has in the past, Leica also might lend for extended periods, offer at deep discounts-- and in a few instances give -- Leicas to photographers who are getting their photographs into major publications...Leica would require only that photographers give credit to Leica for each photograph published.

Moreover, ads do not have to be full-page illustrations... Small ads also work...

 

[BillBingham2]

Roland,
1/3 of the profit came from Ms is just part of the picture (remember, puns are the lowest form of humor). How much of the cost for running the company comes from the M group? Also, how much does the R, compact and Digital families produce for Leica?

Run a contest for Universities & Colleges and have a free one day Leica Academy seminar (hands on) for every enterent. Pervert, no, Convert the young minds into quality, control and delivery. Have one day classes for the general public for $150 and give out a $200 certificate for a new lens or body good for one year from the class.

B2 (;->