[regken]

Let's say, for the sake of argument, the K20D is all that the rumor mill says it's going to be. The advertising budget for Pentax is no where close to what the big 2 can afford. The question then is how does Pentax get the most bang for their buck as quickly as possible. There are less than 20 top notch internet photographic review sites. All of these sites are looking for something to bring readers to their domain. The PMA show gives them plenty to write about but not much leading up to the show. I would think someone like The online photographer would jump at the chance of trying out the K20D equipped with a DA 40 and a DA 50-135 for a week prior to the SMA show. I'd bet that Pentax could have 10 to 20 reviews up on the net just as PMA is opening if they were willing to spend less than $10,000 on loaned equipment.

The same goes for the print media. If Pentax got the 20 kits back before the PMA they could redistribute them to the top magazines for review in their next issue. I'm out of touch with the cost of print advertising but I would be very surprised if $10,000 would buy you much space. These people are used to dealing with NDA's and the marketing people at Pentax should know which ones they can trust. From what I have read over at DPreview Phil has a heck of a time getting test units in a reasonable amount of time from the big 2. He and others would jump at the chance of being ahead of the curve. I've used this approach with tools for years and am always amazed at how much free publicity you can generate.

Regards,

Ken

[Tom M]

The new camera has already been in the hands of some photographers - each has only good to say about it, without saying anything about it..

And, let's be realistic here, IF Pentax had the cameras ready, they'd be on store shelves. There is no benefit to 'holding out' - the quicker you get the product to market, the quicker you start earning on your investment and the longer you're exposed to new buyers before the 'other' guys introduce their new gear..

As far as 'online' reviewers - It's a shame that companies have to send their gear to a bunch of fools to test the new gear. Especially when these fools can't put aside their love affairs for 'other' manufacturers and apply a curve to their grading because it's not from their favorite mfg..

What's making Pentax popular now is the fact that they have a great product at a great price and folks like us are talking them up. I'm likely responsible for a $20,000 in K10D sales alone for Pentax from all the positive reviews I give..

[regken]

The new camera has already been in the hands of some photographers - each has only good to say about it, without saying anything about it..

What's making Pentax popular now is the fact that they have a great product at a great price and folks like us are talking them up. I'm likely responsible for a $20,000 in K10D sales alone for Pentax from all the positive reviews I give..

Tom,
Of course you are right but I am talking about stretching the advertising budget. Even with the bias some reviewers have for the big 2, remember the old saying, "Talk about me, even if it is bad." At this point Pentax needs more brand recognition.

Ken

[clawhammer]

The other week in the Photographic Industry Reporter (an industry newsletter for photo retailers) they announced their pick for retailer of the year. All the camera and lens companies took out ads saying 'congratulations.' Pentax had one of the best, IMO. The full back cover (the newsletter is printed similarly in size to a newspaper) was a pentax ad- showing a picture taken by a 'Pentaxian.' The next best were Nikon's, showing the parts of a D40 and some point and shoot, and Olympus', showing an ice sculpture of an Olympus DSLR. The rest were pretty lame. I think this latest 'Pentaxian' campaign is the best move from pentax marketing wise in a long time.