Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/07/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Paul Collura wrote: > > Are any LUGnuts impressed by the current ad for the R8(the one in half > shadow or silhouette)? I for one think it portrays the camera in poor > light and makes it look hideous rather than a professional photographic > tool. I clearly prefer the Nikon presentation of their new camera the > F5. Paul, I agree with you. The current R8 ad in the US is a waste of money. When I was at PhotoPlus in LA I ventured to the Leica booth and discussed the advertising with a woman who handles the advertising (whose name I can't remember (I am embarrased to say) and I don't have her card handy, sorry) from Leica USA. She said that new ads were being generated by a German agency and would be out shortly. She said they were very expensive to produce, so they didn't do many. >From what she told me they were paying for one ad from Germany, I could produce at least 3 that would communicate what Leicas are for. At least what I think Leicas are for. But she said the problem was that they consider the main selling feature of Leica for the majority of their sales is the prestige factor, not the quality or the operation/features. I am assuming they have done their homework. But there could be the Wetzlar/Solms hubris in operation here clouding judgement. I have heard that Leica claims to want to go after the professional market, but they won't do it with current ads that say nothing. Non-leica photographers I have spoken to usually just say, "yeah, I heard they had a new camera." End of interest. With C or N they can recite functions. My other complaint is with the brochures and other literature. Obviously they have been produced in German and translated---but poorly, almost as bad as those Korean instruction books for computer motherboards. Well, not quite. But the use of language is awkward and the tone directed to the "prestige" factor for amateurs. Terms such as "dosage" to describe strobe intensity is technically correct, but is not really in the lexicon of English speaking photographers. But I generally feel pandered to with the condescending tone in the Leica Literature, something I don't usually feel about Nikon or Canon literature. That's my not so humble opinion based on years of writing ads that sold a lot of products. But may be what Leica is doing is good for us. If photographers ever got past the ads to the brochures or actually used a Leica, the supply might not be as loose! Donal Philby San Diego