How can Leica Camera Best Spend its Ad Budget?

[b.espahbod]

I hope we will see lecia's 100th anniversary. but this time Maybe on Milan or Paris Catwalks on super model shoulders and celebrity accessories. hey check the new leica "Britney Spears Pink Noct with Barbie-M8 in Hilfiger box and gucci straps oh there is a rayban polarized finder available too. thats what i call a marketing policy!!

 

[chris00nj]

What's Leica's message, and how can they get that message out cheaply?

What's Leica's message, and how can they get that message out cheaply?

The Message

1. Inspire people to take better photos. Send the message that "When the picture really matters, the world's best photographers reach for their Leica." Produce some videos showing a succession of famous photos taken with a Leica and mention that the photographer was using his Leica. i.e., "When Alfred Eisenstadt wanted to take photos of people celebrating America’s victory over Japan, he reached for his Leica ..." (while showing "the Kiss").

2. I've never actually seen an ad except for one on the web saying that the M8 is nearly unbreakable. That's the message you want to send? Is break-ability of cameras such a common problem? I would have thought the reason to buy a Leica is that you get the best pictures. Pictures you cherish forever, that your grandchildren cherish. Remember, products serve a need, and if Nikons breaking isn't a huge problem, then their message is meaningless.

3. The partnership with Panasonic is a good start. However, not many consumers don't understand the importance of lenses. Everyone only thinks about the camera brand and the megapixels. I've seen questions on Yahoo Answers as to whether one even needs a lens to take a photo! They need to raise the importance of lenses to the quality of pictures, by telling the consumer directly. For example, Intel did the very thing with their "Intel Inside" campaign. Before Intel, the computer chip wasn't a valued piece to the computer in the consumers mind.

Where to Advertise

1. Youtube and their own website are free. Produce some videos. An amateur video on the M8 has gotten over 50,000 views on YouTube.
2. There are many video/computer-talented, Leica obssessed users. Have a contest to produce the best video and reward them with a new Leica.
3. Advertise a bit on specialized cable channels. Discovery, National Geographic, etc, can't be too expensive. Maintain the "when the pictures matter" theme.

Remember Leica's Position

1. Leica is a high end camera company and have value in that nitche the same way Rolls Royce is a high-end car. They shouldn't try to directly catch Nikon or Canon. There is a danger in becoming too consumer level as it hurts that high end brand value. Rolls Royce doesn't have a $20,000 car. (This wouldn't have precluded them from what Cosina did... buying another brand name and marketing entry level rangefinders).

 

[fstopstudios]

Like many in the USA, I don't see much of a Adv. based effort. What was nice to see is efforts like the recent "try and buy" program-- I would be interested to see if that generated any meaningful results.

I think in terms of a marketing strategy, what needs to happen is demand generation vs. counting on the same limited population of believers to support the company. They need to attack new users.

How? What better way than to have a grant program for PJ work covering current societal issues and work with galleries to promote the results/photographers/leica? They need to inspire new generations of users to value the process and images over technology.

 

[whitecat]

Perhaps they should apply to thier government for an Economic Stimulus Plan?

 

[FS Vontz]

Maybe things will improve with the M9, there seems to be a lot of demand for it.

 

[Jarle Aasland]

Assuming the pre-announcement M9 leaks and rumours originated from Leica itself, I think they're doing well. (Actually, it probably doesn't matter where the leaks came from).

Viral marketing is cheap and effective for a small company like Leica. In print and on TV Leica don't stand a chance against Canon, Sony and the other big boys. It's all about cost/benefit.

Just my .02 cents.

Jarle

 

[Jarle Aasland]

"When the picture really matters, the world's best photographers reach for their Leica."

Actually - the world's best photographers usually reach for their Canons and Nikons..

And the slogan sound familiar. "When the picture matters". Didn't Nikon already use this one (or maybe it was someone else)?

Jarle

 

[blimey]

im new here and looking to get a drf soon.. just reading and getting a feel.

i know leica advertised in the new chanel no 5 commercial. in the commercial there is no reference of the word leica or Mx(i think it is a M8) other than the "red dot".

 

[matt335]

im new here and looking to get a drf soon.. just reading and getting a feel.

i know leica advertised in the new chanel no 5 commercial. in the commercial there is no reference of the word leica or Mx(i think it is a M8) other than the "red dot".

I remember seeing that also. Was that the add with Audrey Tatou? Qui? Non?

 

[matt335]

Yes its here and I believe its been mentioned before somewhere in this forum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-ngh-9eeMo
1:44 into the video

 

[garyu]

Leica would best use its money but not putting in ads, but in upping its production rate. New Leica equipment is in shortage, at least in this country. And the best promotion for an camera is a happy owner.

 

[dave lackey]

Marketing is great, but so is a real store.

Marketing is great, but so is a real store.

Leica, the name doesn't exactly roll off the lips of the everyday person. Marketing surely can help, when was the last time anyone ever saw an advertisement on television for Leica? NEVER.

Even more to the point, why is there not even a real store that carries actual cameras in the metropolitan Atlanta area? KEH? Forget it, you can't even go there to look at a used camera let alone a new one if they even have one. Any other store? Nope.

So we resort to online buying without ever seeing a real Leica in person.

I own and use a Leica M3 and a Summarit lens and now a Leica R4 and 50mm Cron lens. Those are the only Leica products I have ever held in my hand except for a IIIf conversion and an M8, both owned by fellow RFF photographers at the first meeting of it's kind in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. Just holding such instruments convinced me that Leica is the way I want to go with my limited dollars.

How are we to know what we even want if we cannot walk into a store and ask to see a REAL Leica?

BTW, are our comments meaningful to Leica? How do they get this information, or do they?

Leica needs to understand that there are millions of Americans who have never heard of Leica, yet have the interest and disposable income to purchase one.🙂 A lot of them reside in Atlanta and the surrounding area.

 

[dave lackey]

Actually - the world's best photographers usually reach for their Canons and Nikons..

And the slogan sound familiar. "When the picture matters". Didn't Nikon already use this one (or maybe it was someone else)?

Jarle

Sounds like a tongue in cheek, which I hope is the case.:angel:

 

[bronney]

For those who do streets, I would like to see a leica ad on tv where the focus of the ad isn't on the leica camera, but on the reaction (or lack of reaction) of the people being photographed. Raw, off the street.

I admit leica glass is top stuff and it gives really nice quality in photos, but the main reason why I use mine has very little to do with the quality. I use it because it feels good, a shutter, an aperture, a photo. I also find it unobtrusive, while at the same time, starts conversations with fellow enthusiast, or anyone who'd shot a leica when they were young but sold it for whatever reason. I find this magical. No one was interested in my plastic D700 (yes it's plastic lol).

 

[ainnocent]

I agree with what folks said earlier -- what advertising?

I think they should grab regular spots in high-end media like WSJ magazine, NYT, etc. I'd also love to see a TV spot on Mad Men for Leica. 😉 Or hell, they should have product placement in that program, maybe have their firm take on the Leica account.

 

[nonot]

There's no real need as I see it for Leica to bother with traditional advertising, ad rates are exceedingly expensive for print and web is a whole other story unless you're looking to really stay on top of monitoring your ads. The argument can be made that it keeps the brand in the forefront of people's minds, but in the camera market they are competing with huge companies in every issue of every magazine with the budgets to eat up prime spots.

There was a thread recently that I think is closed which brought up the mention of Leica re-aligning itself with photography greats (present day ones) to help make strengthen it's appeal to working professionals. I think this makes sense as Leica is an aspirational brand... an anecdote to support this would be that a friend of mine was CONVINCED that his Panasonic lx2 branded with a Leica dot was markedly better than the Panasonic version. Sure, this is due to the success of marketing the brand in such a way that only has an effect on basically the lowest common denominator (I'm not calling my friend an idiot!) But what good is advertising a $7000 camera body to the masses? They've done a great job of keeping the perception of their brand's caché very high among the public who can afford to choose between X & Leica.

Leica should use their ad budget and develop that weather sealed M9 and lenses that Emraphoto was looking for in another thread. Something more useful than the limited edition bookends they've been making lately.

 

[sper]

Why bother making ads for products that are so hard to find in the first place???

But seriously, I think they could do a lot by putting their M9 and S2 in the hands of artists out there and see what they can do. Like commission based work. Partner up with Nat. Geo and do a show, or get guys like Alec Soth to spend a few months with the camera and see what happens.

Their target market doesnt go for bells and whistles they go for reputation and respect.

 

[redisburning]

Im with sper.

Nowadays people find what they want on the internet. Put Leica in the hands of people who can demonstrate how good it is and people will come. Find some artists, give them cameras and tell them to put their work on the site and mention they use leica.

No one is going to spend 5 grand on a camera because of an ad, and people who are going to spend 5 grand on a camera are probably aware of leica because pros use it.

 

[Jubb Jubb]

I am in Australia, and i have never seen an advertisement for a Leica camera ever, not even a product image in a camera catalogue.

I work in Advertising and you'd think Leica would invest some money in advertising here, but nothing. For something like press I realise they'd be targeting a magazine like GQ but it would be nice for them to do something here. However with the power of social media, it is probably a bit more economical for them to advertise through their facebook page or online...

 

[Jubb Jubb]

oh. and PS. normally when you show a 'comparing product' ad, it is for a cheap brand trying to sound as good as the big players. Tacky and aweful. There is no need for leica to do this.

If leica did something like that, it would cheapen the brand, like how Mercedes killed a bit of their brand image when the GFC was in full swing.