Re: [Leica] M Campaign

[4season <4season@boulder.net>]

"B. D. Colen" wrote:
> 
> Jeff - If that brochure is intended to appeal to the under-40 crowd, why is
> a goofy guy with a beard and funny hat featured on the cover? Yes, I know
> it's Che, but that's because I'm 53. Anyone who is 40 or under was BORN in
> '59 or later...Most of they haven't the vaguest idea who Che was.
>
Surely you jest-you've never seen a college student in a Che t-shirt? 
Some of those other images? Icons of an era, and definitely something
that a person might expect to find within Microsoft Encarta, right along
with JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you..." and MLK's "I
have a dream..." sound bites. Images of individuality and revolutionary
thinking can be real crowd-pleasers, particularly with younger
audiences:

Nike used The Beatles' "Revolution" in their commercials
Apple tells us to "Think Different"
Hollywood gives us The Matrix

> 
> Rob Schneider pointed out in a recent post that many major manufacturers -
> including Haselblad, Mamiya, etc. - give students steep discounts. To carry
> that idea a step further, if I were "Herr" Cohen, I'd ask my bean counters
> if there is any reason why the company can't offer to sell - AT COST - an M
> body and 50 Summicron to any student majoring in photography in a recognized
> BFA or MFA program. THAT's how to introduce Leica to a new generation of
> photographers, a new generation who otherwise won't ever shoot with anything
> that isn't an autoeverything reflex. But I guarantee you, once these kids
> hold and shoot with an M, they'll sell the VCR to buy additional lenses and,
> eventually, additional bodies.

I think Leica needs to concentrate on brand recognition and image first!
My observation has been that Leica's brand recognition has been terrible
for some time, and Mr. Cohn seems well aware of it. In any event, the
Leica M may not be an ideal student's camera, because rangefinder-type
cameras may not meet certain class requirements.
- -- 
Jeff Segawa
Boulder, Colorado
www.boulder.net/~4season