Photoclubalpha

Another example of Sony marketing: From the LATEST ISSUE of Amateur Photographer, advertising the "Biggest Range, Best Advice", using a camera that is no longer in that range. (It's either an a850 or a900). It isn't a brand new ad, but it has only been in use since both those cameras were discontinued.

David Kilpatrick wrote:... that Gustav Kibert (the kingfisher man) ...

David

Kiburg

I've not really seen many Sony ads of late.
I do know that where I am just about all the Sony Centre's have shut down (there might be 2 left in Eire) They shut their flagship store in Dublin I know that.
Not surprised because their prices sucked pretty badly.

I think in the UK a lot of them have shut too

I think they were trying to do an Apple store type thing but it clearly didn't work out that way.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/1 ... n/?ref=rss
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/fou ... nds/030002
http://www.newsrt.co.uk/news/jobs-at-ri ... 26263.html


I know the retail sector is getting a hammering due to the recession/economic climate. But the Sony stores were never likely to survive it would make no sense to walk in and buy something when you can get the same product for less online.

I simply find it amazing that Sony would release an add sporting a discontinued camera. It must show a disconnect between technical and marketing departments.

Sorry, should be "ad" rather than Add.
Who would be believe "biggest range"?

bakubo wrote:

Heidfirst wrote:that's not really Kodak though - they have licenced their brand name to a 3rd party.

As I said, it is the "new" Kodak. If you know of another Kodak then let me know.

the "old" Kodak is still around http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Home.htm

bfitzgerald wrote: I do know that where I am just about all the Sony Centre's have shut down (there might be 2 left in Eire) They shut their flagship store in Dublin I know that.
Not surprised because their prices sucked pretty badly.

I think in the UK a lot of them have shut too

I think they were trying to do an Apple store type thing but it clearly didn't work out that way.

At least in the UK most (if not all) Sony Stores are franchises rather than part of Sony.
In Scotland too their nos. have been thinned but that is because the high street is being hammered by both the general downturn in spending & online.
The Glasgow Sony Stores went down when their parent company (which had been in radio/hifi etc. sales for decades) went into administration & they at least had been open to doing deals.

The feedback that I have read about Focus this years hasn't been great - seemingly it is becoming skewed to lighting, printing etc.. & certainly not consumer orientated.

I know the Sony stores are a franchise but still they're fast disappearing.
I heard the show was pretty good with a big number of people turning up.

I think it's important makers turn up there, not just Sony but other too.
Personally I don't mind other stuff like lighting and other accessories it's all part of the game

bfitzgerald wrote:
I think they were trying to do an Apple store type thing but it clearly didn't work out that way.

The Apple store in Peterborough has closed, so maybe it did work out that way after all! Cameras were only a small part of the Sony stores' range, and in the smaller branches they seemed pretty clueless about photography.

Pure speculation, but maybe Canon can use their 'muscle' to force favourable terms from Focus which Sony and other smaller camera manufacturers cannot get.

That ad! Quite astonishing both in the use of a discontinued camera and the completely spurious claim about range. And what is the photographer doing - half looking at LV? But there is no LV on the 850/900. Just who do they think they are fooling?

They’ve got a built-in disclaimer, just read the line under the Sony logo, (top left) after you take that on board you are obviously meant to take anything that follows with a grain of salt.
Looking at the photo of the photographer it doesn’t look like he’s looking at the rear screen too me and he’s not looking through the viewfinder either, maybe he’s just realized the lens cap is still on or the camera isn’t turned on or something, hard to say, maybe it was going to be one of those ‘no idea’ adverts and got diverted into a ‘make.believe’ advert instead, what a hoot.
Ah poor old Sony, we should stop picking on them and cut em some slack….one day…maybe, it’s just that they make it so darn easy.
Greg

Some sad news!
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/05/31 ... to-a-close

The show is no more. Sadly this seems the trend nowadays everything is shutting down from high street shops to trade shows.
One wonders where we'll be in 20 years time with photography/shows and if we even have a high street any more.

Things are changing. Maybe 2014 will bring some good news, but I suspect the photo industry as a whole is going to decline for some time.

bfitzgerald wrote:Some sad news!
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/05/31 ... to-a-close

The show is no more. Sadly this seems the trend nowadays everything is shutting down from high street shops to trade shows.
One wonders where we'll be in 20 years time with photography/shows and if we even have a high street any more.

Things are changing. Maybe 2014 will bring some good news, but I suspect the photo industry as a whole is going to decline for some time.

What is missing from your post is that, in retrospect, Sony made a wise decision not to put a lot of effort into something that was on its way to cease to exist. Apparently they had a good understanding of where things were going. Reminds me of several things in photography like OVF and DSLR, I wonder why?

I can't agree honestly because if all makers took that view then we would not have any shows at all on a global level. What happens after this who knows. But the general problem for Sony as far as I can see is a simple one. They're not very good at engaging with potential buyers, not great at taking feedback either. Attending events like this are quite important, and relatively low cost too in the greater scheme of things.

Last year I was invited to a show in my local region, unfortunately I was not able to attend. A smaller scale affair no doubt, but I noted the list of makers there, and it seems Canon and Nikon felt it was worthy of putting some effort in, I see no reason why Sony should be so laid back and hands off with events such as this. It's not as if they have a lot of shelf space in shops, just the odd alpha model here and there, little in the way of lenses or other accessories. IMO it's even more important for Sony to attend events than it is the top 2 makers.

They don't seem to be doing a lot of advertising either

bfitzgerald wrote:I can't agree honestly because if all makers took that view then we would not have any shows at all on a global level.

Well, as was to be expected, you are not getting the point, stuck in your own *&!?#. It's not about attending every single show, it is about attending the shows that matter. Sony needs to decide between a dying Focus on imaging and another show in a country where people actually like EVF's and mirrorless camera's. In other words, you are not the centre of the universe. I visit the Photokina show every two years and I don't care about any other show. Does Sony have to spend thousands of dollars for a show to make three people in Wales buy an A58? I guess not. It would be nice but they're not going to make any profits of that. Get real. People buying camera's because they saw a TV commercial, that is outright sad...

I'm not going to argue with someone who feels shows/advertising is a waste of time. Maybe you should email Canon and tell them to cancel all their adverts because obviously it doesn't help them sell products at all.

So you suggest Sony put their resources into a country that likes' EVF's and mirror less cameras, and which country would that be then? I'm all ears...maybe Palau?
Did it ever occur to you that Sony are stuck in third place and with a fairly weedy market share because they're not really engaging with people enough? It did me.
There are other forms of advertising not just TV. If Advertising never worked for any company then I would imagine they would not waste their money on it. So I conclude that advertising has to be effective in a broad sense otherwise there would be nobody doing it!