Pentax = All Weather.

johnmflores · 08-21-2009, 09:17 AM

[Others may have mentioned this before, but I'm bored. And it's Friday.]

Dear Pentax, please make every single one of your cameras and lenses and accessories weatherproof. Own this space like Subaru owns All Wheel Drive. Other companies make all-wheel-drive vehicles, of course, but Subaru dove whole-heartedly into this space and made all their cars All Wheel Drive. They lived it and breathed it. And marketed the hell out of it. So now, whenever anyone is considering a rural and/or snowy weather car, Subaru is always mentioned.

Do this with All-Weather. Dive in headfirst. Market the hell out of it, so that two years from now, when someone wants:

A camera to hike with
A camera to paddle with
A camera to go mountain biking with
A camera to take pictures with at a rainy children's soccer game
A camera to take to the beach
A camera to take to the pool
A camera to take to the water park
A camera to use in a tornado
...

People think "Pentax". There is a lot of potential for differentiated brand campaigns and product campaigns with such a singular focus.

Thank you for your time.

rormeister · 08-21-2009, 10:13 AM

John, I'd have to second that wholeheartedly. If the US roadshow is going to be the only "marketing campaign", particularly for the K-7, all I can say is ouch. Pentax has great products, but are totally lacking marketing. Product differentiation is the only tool for this commodity item.

Dom · 08-21-2009, 10:28 AM

Don't forget.

A camera to send in to space!

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/31970-pentax-k10d-space.html

RoxnDox · 08-21-2009, 11:08 AM

Originally posted by Dom

Don't forget.

A camera to send in to space!

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/31970-pentax-k10d-space.html

And

A camera to send to the bottom of the sea!

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/everything-else/69905-pentax-cameras-not-...ghlight=pebble

Jim

Eruditass · 08-21-2009, 11:16 AM

I agree, it would make Pentax stand out wonderfully. And I would love it if my K2000 was weatherproof. Free upgrade please?

ktwse · 08-21-2009, 11:47 AM

Originally posted by johnmflores

[Others may have mentioned this before, but I'm bored. And it's Friday.]

Dear Pentax, please make every single one of your cameras and lenses and accessories weatherproof. Own this space like Subaru owns All Wheel Drive. Other companies make all-wheel-drive vehicles, of course, but Subaru dove whole-heartedly into this space and made all their cars All Wheel Drive. They lived it and breathed it. And marketed the hell out of it. So now, whenever anyone is considering a rural and/or snowy weather car, Subaru is always mentioned.

Do this with All-Weather.

I've been thinking along the same lines. I actually wrote a long-winded, rambling post about that in the thread about Hoya statements and the future of Pentax but not nearly as distinctly as you did in this post.

The thing is, a brand needs to stand for something in consumers' minds, and right now, Pentax (as most camera brands!) doesn't stand for anything special. All-weather is a brilliant, simple and quite compelling position to own. The good thing is that "rugged" means a lot of things besides just where you can bring the camera, it says a lot about reliability, durability and quality. Values now intrinsic to Subaru's brand thanks to their clear positioning.

But yes, just like Subaru, they need to commit 100% to it. Should be fairly easy to update some lenses (10-17, 17-70, 55-300) with weather sealing. The DA Ltds you probably wouldn't have to (they're a different proposition). The 12-24 should really be a DA* (they need a "pro grade" UWA zoom, either that or a version of the Tok 11-16).

However, they need to do the same with their compacts... And they need to bring out accessories that support the claim (look for example at how Olympus has a broad range of underwater housings and accessories that help give an idea of a brand for people who want to bring the camera anywhere).

Thomas

johnmflores · 08-21-2009, 12:17 PM

Thomas, I just (re)read your post in the other thread. We are very much on the same page! Come on Pentax!

DavidWasch · 08-21-2009, 01:28 PM

I would also agree. I can just see the ads featuring people at X-games, etc. It would make the camera appeal to a new and young crowd. Pentax as the Apple of DSLRs (although they shouldn't try to integrate a phone just yet) ;-)

GerryL · 08-21-2009, 03:35 PM

Originally posted by rormeister

John, I'd have to second that wholeheartedly. If the US roadshow is going to be the only "marketing campaign", particularly for the K-7, all I can say is ouch. Pentax has great products, but are totally lacking marketing. Product differentiation is the only tool for this commodity item.

..advertising is more like it.
It may be a part of marketing but advertising makes a whole lot of difference as it is exposure for the product.

ktwse · 08-21-2009, 04:27 PM

Originally posted by GerryL

..advertising is more like it.
It may be a part of marketing but advertising makes a whole lot of difference as it is exposure for the product.

Advertising is only part of the story. If Pentax is going to be the All-Weather Camera Company (that does sound good, doesn't it?) they're going to have to prove that commitment through the product first. Being in advertising, I'm always wary of brands who want to push claims they can't back up 100% - that almost always backfires. There's a lot of half-arsed attempts at driving a certain positioning, and right now you have to wonder why Pentax has launched two WR kit lenses. Are they planning on upgrading their entire range or is it just a gimmick to highlight the AW/WR features of the K-7? I certainly hope it's the former...

I do think that if they are committed, you could do really brilliant advertising without it costing an arm and a leg. I can think of a number of ideas on how to activate such a proposition in both broad media and more viral ways.

John - that's what I felt as well. Hopefully at least someone at Pentax reads these pages...

Thomas

MRRiley · 08-21-2009, 05:49 PM

I would also agree that this would be a great place for Pentax to position itself. However you are talking to the air. Pentax just aint listening and neither is Hoya. I can't even get the courtesy of so much as a cough in reply to my question (in another thread) about why the K-7 Road Show jumped right over the mid-Atlantic states.

Mike

johnmflores · 08-22-2009, 06:44 AM

Originally posted by ChrisPlatt

Yeah, that would be really handy, but Pentax would never do this if they felt it would put their already small market share at risk.

Several camera manufacturers have all-weather, submersible and shock resistant cameras, yet none has commited to making only such models.
These cameras cost considerably more than similar standard models, and appeal only to a small segment of consumers.

As long as Pentax subscribes to the "make them cheap and sell as many as possible" business model this will never happen.

Chris

I'm no expert in this, but I'm not sure it's that much more expensive. The all-weather Pentax dSLRs are price competitive with the offerings from Canikon et. al. And the new 18-55 WR kit lens (launched with the K7) costs the same as the non-WR 18-55 on Adorama, et. al. And part of diving 100% into this would presumably involve innovation - figuring out better ways to make a camera All-Weather, as well as more cost-effective ways to do so.

Originally posted by MRRiley

I would also agree that this would be a great place for Pentax to position itself. However you are talking to the air. Pentax just aint listening and neither is Hoya. I can't even get the courtesy of so much as a cough in reply to my question (in another thread) about why the K-7 Road Show jumped right over the mid-Atlantic states.

Mike

I understand your frustration Mike. I've been in the web business for a long time, and for years have counseled clients on getting involved in online discussions. My argument has always been, "You can no longer control your brand image like you did 20 years ago. People are talking about you on the Internet. You might as well get involved - not to control the conversation, but to engage your customers. Transparency is good."

The problem is, most marketing departments are designed to broadcast messages out, but not to listen (aside from research like focus groups and surveys) and respond in real time. Things are changing though. Companies are now monitoring online groups like this, even paying agencies to do the monitoring. The more progressive companies are also deploying their customer service teams to respond - I love how Adorama reps chime in from time to time on Photo.net.

So that was a long-winded way of me saying, "There's a decent chance that Pentax is listening but not responding."

**Ash** · 08-22-2009, 07:36 AM

Originally posted by ChrisPlatt

As long as Pentax subscribes to the "make them cheap and sell as many as possible" business model this will never happen.

Chris

Chris, this sounds a little simplified.
Selling gear cheap doesn't necessarily mean making 'cheap' gear (in quality).
If Pentax were out there to sell 'as many as possible' there would be a lot more marketing going on, which would definitely boost their sales.

The K-7 appears on a single page spread advert in only 2 August edition magazines in Australia (that I've seen) amidst the plethora of D3X, D300, D700, 5DMkII and 500D ads all over the place.

People who do their research will come to know the value of the gear, and find prices considerably lower as an added bonus...

lithos · 08-22-2009, 07:52 AM

Which magazines, Ash?

Much as I like weather sealing, it ain't no substitute for a dive housing.

geauxpez · 08-22-2009, 08:55 AM

Originally posted by johnmflores

So that was a long-winded way of me saying, "There's a decent chance that Pentax is listening but not responding."

Really too bad. I don't think B&H or Adorama have suffered by having an active presence here.

08-21-2009, 09:17 AM	#1
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361	Pentax = All Weather. [Others may have mentioned this before, but I'm bored. And it's Friday.] Dear Pentax, please make every single one of your cameras and lenses and accessories weatherproof. Own this space like Subaru owns All Wheel Drive. Other companies make all-wheel-drive vehicles, of course, but Subaru dove whole-heartedly into this space and made all their cars All Wheel Drive. They lived it and breathed it. And marketed the hell out of it. So now, whenever anyone is considering a rural and/or snowy weather car, Subaru is always mentioned. Do this with All-Weather. Dive in headfirst. Market the hell out of it, so that two years from now, when someone wants: A camera to hike with A camera to paddle with A camera to go mountain biking with A camera to take pictures with at a rainy children's soccer game A camera to take to the beach A camera to take to the pool A camera to take to the water park A camera to use in a tornado ... People think "Pentax". There is a lot of potential for differentiated brand campaigns and product campaigns with such a singular focus. Thank you for your time.

08-21-2009, 11:16 AM	#5
Eruditass Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,207	I agree, it would make Pentax stand out wonderfully. And I would love it if my K2000 was weatherproof. Free upgrade please? Last edited by Eruditass; 08-21-2009 at 11:56 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Pentax DA 40mm is it weather resistant?	Elfanger	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	7	06-25-2010 08:22 AM
Pentax K7 really is weather resistent	Sakura	Pentax DSLR Discussion	2	05-11-2010 07:18 AM
Pentax Weather Sealed Flash!	HermanLee	Pentax News and Rumors	16	05-07-2009 08:06 PM
Weather sealed non-Pentax* lenses	Spex	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	7	08-29-2008 10:29 AM
Pentax DA* weather sealing. How good is it?	yeedub	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	8	02-18-2008 03:53 AM

08-21-2009, 10:13 AM	#2
rormeister Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 626	John, I'd have to second that wholeheartedly. If the US roadshow is going to be the only "marketing campaign", particularly for the K-7, all I can say is ouch. Pentax has great products, but are totally lacking marketing. Product differentiation is the only tool for this commodity item.

08-21-2009, 10:28 AM	#3
Dom Guest	Don't forget. A camera to send in to space! https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/31970-pentax-k10d-space.html

08-21-2009, 11:08 AM	#4
RoxnDox Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Gig Harbor, Washington, USA, Terra Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,494	Originally posted by Dom Don't forget. A camera to send in to space! https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/31970-pentax-k10d-space.html And A camera to send to the bottom of the sea! https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/everything-else/69905-pentax-cameras-not-...ghlight=pebble Jim

08-21-2009, 11:47 AM	#6
ktwse Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 57	Originally posted by johnmflores [Others may have mentioned this before, but I'm bored. And it's Friday.] Dear Pentax, please make every single one of your cameras and lenses and accessories weatherproof. Own this space like Subaru owns All Wheel Drive. Other companies make all-wheel-drive vehicles, of course, but Subaru dove whole-heartedly into this space and made all their cars All Wheel Drive. They lived it and breathed it. And marketed the hell out of it. So now, whenever anyone is considering a rural and/or snowy weather car, Subaru is always mentioned. Do this with All-Weather. I've been thinking along the same lines. I actually wrote a long-winded, rambling post about that in the thread about Hoya statements and the future of Pentax but not nearly as distinctly as you did in this post. The thing is, a brand needs to stand for something in consumers' minds, and right now, Pentax (as most camera brands!) doesn't stand for anything special. All-weather is a brilliant, simple and quite compelling position to own. The good thing is that "rugged" means a lot of things besides just where you can bring the camera, it says a lot about reliability, durability and quality. Values now intrinsic to Subaru's brand thanks to their clear positioning. But yes, just like Subaru, they need to commit 100% to it. Should be fairly easy to update some lenses (10-17, 17-70, 55-300) with weather sealing. The DA Ltds you probably wouldn't have to (they're a different proposition). The 12-24 should really be a DA* (they need a "pro grade" UWA zoom, either that or a version of the Tok 11-16). However, they need to do the same with their compacts... And they need to bring out accessories that support the claim (look for example at how Olympus has a broad range of underwater housings and accessories that help give an idea of a brand for people who want to bring the camera anywhere). Thomas

08-21-2009, 12:17 PM	#7
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361 Original Poster	Thomas, I just (re)read your post in the other thread. We are very much on the same page! Come on Pentax!

08-21-2009, 01:28 PM	#8
DavidWasch Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Connecticut, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 167	I would also agree. I can just see the ads featuring people at X-games, etc. It would make the camera appeal to a new and young crowd. Pentax as the Apple of DSLRs (although they shouldn't try to integrate a phone just yet) ;-)

08-21-2009, 03:35 PM	#9
GerryL Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: CA Posts: 2,731	Originally posted by rormeister John, I'd have to second that wholeheartedly. If the US roadshow is going to be the only "marketing campaign", particularly for the K-7, all I can say is ouch. Pentax has great products, but are totally lacking marketing. Product differentiation is the only tool for this commodity item. ..advertising is more like it. It may be a part of marketing but advertising makes a whole lot of difference as it is exposure for the product.

08-21-2009, 04:27 PM	#10
ktwse Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 57	Originally posted by GerryL ..advertising is more like it. It may be a part of marketing but advertising makes a whole lot of difference as it is exposure for the product. Advertising is only part of the story. If Pentax is going to be the All-Weather Camera Company (that does sound good, doesn't it?) they're going to have to prove that commitment through the product first. Being in advertising, I'm always wary of brands who want to push claims they can't back up 100% - that almost always backfires. There's a lot of half-arsed attempts at driving a certain positioning, and right now you have to wonder why Pentax has launched two WR kit lenses. Are they planning on upgrading their entire range or is it just a gimmick to highlight the AW/WR features of the K-7? I certainly hope it's the former... I do think that if they are committed, you could do really brilliant advertising without it costing an arm and a leg. I can think of a number of ideas on how to activate such a proposition in both broad media and more viral ways. John - that's what I felt as well. Hopefully at least someone at Pentax reads these pages... Thomas

08-21-2009, 05:49 PM	#11
MRRiley Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sterling, VA, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,275	I would also agree that this would be a great place for Pentax to position itself. However you are talking to the air. Pentax just aint listening and neither is Hoya. I can't even get the courtesy of so much as a cough in reply to my question (in another thread) about why the K-7 Road Show jumped right over the mid-Atlantic states. Mike

08-22-2009, 06:44 AM	#12
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361 Original Poster	Originally posted by ChrisPlatt Yeah, that would be really handy, but Pentax would never do this if they felt it would put their already small market share at risk. Several camera manufacturers have all-weather, submersible and shock resistant cameras, yet none has commited to making only such models. These cameras cost considerably more than similar standard models, and appeal only to a small segment of consumers. As long as Pentax subscribes to the "make them cheap and sell as many as possible" business model this will never happen. Chris I'm no expert in this, but I'm not sure it's that much more expensive. The all-weather Pentax dSLRs are price competitive with the offerings from Canikon et. al. And the new 18-55 WR kit lens (launched with the K7) costs the same as the non-WR 18-55 on Adorama, et. al. And part of diving 100% into this would presumably involve innovation - figuring out better ways to make a camera All-Weather, as well as more cost-effective ways to do so. Originally posted by MRRiley I would also agree that this would be a great place for Pentax to position itself. However you are talking to the air. Pentax just aint listening and neither is Hoya. I can't even get the courtesy of so much as a cough in reply to my question (in another thread) about why the K-7 Road Show jumped right over the mid-Atlantic states. Mike I understand your frustration Mike. I've been in the web business for a long time, and for years have counseled clients on getting involved in online discussions. My argument has always been, "You can no longer control your brand image like you did 20 years ago. People are talking about you on the Internet. You might as well get involved - not to control the conversation, but to engage your customers. Transparency is good." The problem is, most marketing departments are designed to broadcast messages out, but not to listen (aside from research like focus groups and surveys) and respond in real time. Things are changing though. Companies are now monitoring online groups like this, even paying agencies to do the monitoring. The more progressive companies are also deploying their customer service teams to respond - I love how Adorama reps chime in from time to time on Photo.net. So that was a long-winded way of me saying, "There's a decent chance that Pentax is listening but not responding."

08-22-2009, 07:36 AM	#13
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	Originally posted by ChrisPlatt As long as Pentax subscribes to the "make them cheap and sell as many as possible" business model this will never happen. Chris Chris, this sounds a little simplified. Selling gear cheap doesn't necessarily mean making 'cheap' gear (in quality). If Pentax were out there to sell 'as many as possible' there would be a lot more marketing going on, which would definitely boost their sales. The K-7 appears on a single page spread advert in only 2 August edition magazines in Australia (that I've seen) amidst the plethora of D3X, D300, D700, 5DMkII and 500D ads all over the place. People who do their research will come to know the value of the gear, and find prices considerably lower as an added bonus...

08-22-2009, 07:52 AM	#14
lithos Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brisbane, QLD, AUS Posts: 3,261	Which magazines, Ash? Much as I like weather sealing, it ain't no substitute for a dive housing.

08-22-2009, 08:55 AM	#15
geauxpez Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Atlanta Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,196	Originally posted by johnmflores So that was a long-winded way of me saying, "There's a decent chance that Pentax is listening but not responding." Really too bad. I don't think B&H or Adorama have suffered by having an active presence here.