[bobmaxja]

John, you understand marketing but best how to get message out without saying anything

[Asahiflex]

I don't see any issue with JC's interview. He couldn't say much, he didn't said much.
I wouldn't be impressed with salesman talk anyway; I'm looking for information, not for fake enthusiasm and nice words.

So giving out non-information with a taste of uninterestedness, boringness and cluelessness is better for Pentax?

[Kunzite]

I believe it's more about this forum not liking him. Why staying in a place where you're not welcome?
FFS, people just suggested he should be fired...

[Docrwm]

I don't see any issue with JC's interview. He couldn't say much, he didn't said much.
I wouldn't be impressed with salesman talk anyway; I'm looking for information, not for fake enthusiasm and nice words.

If you're marketing a product you should at least be enthusiastic about your own product. When you see insiders being apathetic about their products and lazy in how they present themselves, their company, and their product it does NOT instill confidence. You think - maybe he knows something I don't that is making him nervous, depressed, or be on the job market about his company/product.

[Asahiflex]

I believe it's more about this forum not liking him. Why staying in a place where you're not welcome?
FFS, people just suggested he should be fired...

We don't need a Mr. Perfect, but if I fail to do my work right, I'll be fired too. Mr. Carlson's job is to make us enthusiastic about Pentax, making us proud owners. How and where has he done exactly that?

[johnmflores]

John, you understand marketing but best how to get message out without saying anything

I used to work with a woman who, after one of my carefully worded responses to her question, would say to me, "You should be a politician." I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

[Docrwm]

I believe it's more about this forum not liking him. Why staying in a place where you're not welcome?
FFS, people just suggested he should be fired...

Don't know the man, never heard of him before this interview, and merely am commenting on his job performance - which IMHO was horrible.

[Kunzite]

Asahiflex: Are you sure he failed?

Maybe the issue is that I only care about information; nice words with lots of enthusiasm are wasted on me. I rather appreciate pure honesty; as he doesn't seem to know the still in development Pentax Ricoh strategy, no "going head to head with Canon and winning" talk, please. That's a promise he can't make.

[eddie1960]

Asahiflex: Are you sure he failed?

Maybe the issue is that I only care about information; nice words with lots of enthusiasm are wasted on me. I rather appreciate pure honesty; as he doesn't seem to know the still in development Pentax Ricoh strategy, no "going head to head with Canon and winning" talk, please. That's a promise he can't make.

Except the head to head with canon and winning is classic marketing speak, it's like a coach giving a pep talk to his team in the face of overwhelming odds, it can make a huge differrence

[Docrwm]

Except the head to head with canon and winning is classic marketing speak, it's like a coach giving a pep talk to his team in the face of overwhelming odds, it can make a huge differrence

Exactly. Better for a marketing guru to say nothing than to appear apathetic about their product.

[jsherman999]

Let me give it a try...

"We launched some great products under Hoya - the K-x, the 645D, and the K-5 in particular. These cameras really shook up their segments with class leading performance and very competitive pricing. Now with Ricoh, we're doubly excited. No, make that triply excited. They didn't buy Pentax to maintain the status quo. They intend to shake up the market and are willing to invest the time and money to do so, just as they did with copiers, going head to head with Canon and winning.

As you can see by their GRD and GXR cameras, it's in Ricoh's DNA to make quality cameras for serious photographers and are willing to swim against the current to do so. We at Pentax think that's great, because it merges well with our mission to Be Interesting. As far as corporate missions go, it's a great fit for us.

It's early days still, and I know the Ricoh and Pentax teams in Japan are looking for ways to share ideas, product roadmaps, skunkworks and so on. I was at a meeting in Japan last month and MY OH MY don't you wish you were there! I wish I could pull the next Pentax out of my coat pocket right now, but the reality is that we're still whiteboarding and figuring out how to move forward together. And to be honest, I could tell you everything that I know, but then I'd have to kill you. And neither of us want that, do we?

So please, when you publish this interview, tell Pentaxians around the world to hold on tight, the big show's about to start!"

You're hired.

.

[glanglois]

I used to work with a woman who, after one of my carefully worded responses to her question, would say to me, "You should be a politician." I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

From her, probably an insult. From your peers, a compliment.

Running for office (and they never stop running) is only marketing. As we know, marketing is communication in an attempt to drive action - near term or long term. Voting and buying - same action. Someone makes a choice.

BTW, that was very nicely written. I used to write material like that during one of my lifetimes and fancy I can recognize good work. That's good work. And as we know, it does not take weeks of pounding and polishing to create. On a good day, ten minutes will get one 85% of the way if the skill is there. A CES/PMA interview deserves, maybe, 70%. And Pentax deserves better than they got.

[cali92rs]

Some of you folks won't be happy until Pentax becomes.... Nikon. Or Canon. Anything but Pentax.

Seriously, why are you folks choosing to live with constant and repeated disappointment? Swallow hard and pay the price to switch. Leave the sentimentality at the door. Get the camera system that fits your photographic needs and take some photos already.

Pentax is a camera company, not a puppy or high school sweetheart.

Now where's my coffee?

[end rant]

How dare you try and interject rationality here! *tongue firmly in cheek*

Seriously, we pay thousands of dollars to these companies. We owe them nothing. We can come and go as we please Once you become brand loyal, then you give them the leverage.

[monochrome]

Let me give it a try...

"We launched some great products under Hoya - the K-x, the 645D, and the K-5 in particular. These cameras really shook up their segments with class leading performance and very competitive pricing. Now with Ricoh, we're doubly excited. No, make that triply excited. They didn't buy Pentax to maintain the status quo. They intend to shake up the market and are willing to invest the time and money to do so, just as they did with copiers, going head to head with Canon and winning.

As you can see by their GRD and GXR cameras, it's in Ricoh's DNA to make quality cameras for serious photographers and are willing to swim against the current to do so. We at Pentax think that's great, because it merges well with our mission to Be Interesting. As far as corporate missions go, it's a great fit for us.

It's early days still, and I know the Ricoh and Pentax teams in Japan are looking for ways to share ideas, product roadmaps, skunkworks and so on. I was at a meeting in Japan last month and MY OH MY don't you wish you were there! I wish I could pull the next Pentax out of my coat pocket right now, but the reality is that we're still whiteboarding and figuring out how to move forward together. And to be honest, I could tell you everything that I know, but then I'd have to kill you. And neither of us want that, do we?

So please, when you publish this interview, tell Pentaxians around the world to hold on tight, the big show's about to start!"

Contrary to conventional wisdom and opinion stated on this thread, the USA is still the world's largest consumer market, still the world's free-est economy, still the workd's economically strongest trading area and still the world's most optimistic, creative and forward thinking people.

The world's turnaround growth opportunity is here, rather than Asia.

JC seems not to want to do the hard, creative work to exploit that opportunity.

Yah think maybe he hears footsteps?

[Fontan]

Don't know the man, never heard of him before this interview, and merely am commenting on his job performance - which IMHO was horrible.

Ok, let me get this straight.

1) You don't know the guy
2) You never heard of him
3) Is it safe to assume that you do not know his exact job description is, correct?
4) Is it safe to assume that you do not know what his constraints are within his job description, correct?
5) And in your "humble" opinion, you think he sucks


Yeah, he may well suck badly, and I don't know where you live, but it is a free country in America, and yes there is a thing called freedom of speech and all that. But I see no "humbleness" in you opinion though, not that I was expecting much of it around here. All this trash talk about JC just flabbergast me. If this is the kind of crowd that Pentax has to cater to in order to achieve success, I see nothing good in Pentax's future endeavors.

Maybe it makes complete sense that they don't spend a whole lot on advertising. It is a lost cause.