Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/04/22

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Subject: [Leica] Coenen's interview on Asahi Camera
From: patrick at photo.net (Patrick (Washington, DC))
Date: Fri Apr 22 12:00:13 2005

well, first of all, "arrogance" is not the correct word, utter stupidity 
comes closer to the mark.
needless to say, comments/values like this is what is driving the company 
into chapter 11, which
then will be snatched up by a brand management company that will surely find 
not so flattering
ways to make money of the brand. Shows that Coenen knew precious little 
about marketing/branding,
sales and most importantly the customer.

Joseph?s comment is an interesting one that I think many Westerns, including 
myself, is missing
out on.  To suggest/compare buying used with new is apparently quiet 
offensive (been there, done
that?) in what I suspect to be mainly Asian cultures (I know US, most 
European and Latin American
cultures well and to the best of my knowledge it is not a problem there).  
It just shows the
dangers of etnocentricity and apparently there is/was plenty of that at 
Leica. 

And the lack of innovation around the M is actually quite staggering.  Is 
there anyone that
actually prefers e.g. the bottom-loading vs. a easy swinging-back loading 
with a small window to
show if/what film-type is loaded?

Cheers,

p.



--- Joseph Yao <joseph@yao.com> wrote:
> Little does Coenen know that there is a taboo/stigma associated with buying
> used/second hand in certain cultures.  By not offering (I am not saying 
> they
> should or should not) an entry level model, Leica is turning away many
> potential customers.  This is where Cosina/Voigtlander have succeeded and I
> expect the Zeiss Ikon camera and lenses will accomplish the same.
> 
> Joseph
> 
> 
> on 23/4/05 1:56 am, Douglas Sharp at douglas.sharp@gmx.de wrote:
> 
> > The last answer is SO typical of Leica arrogance.
> > Douglas
> > 
> > MIKIRO wrote:
> 
> >> Asahi: What about small size M cameras?
> >> 
> >> Coenen: Low-cost models are incompatible with our brand image. If you
> >> want something less expensive, you can buy used ones. Current M models
> >> are compact enough as high quality 35mm film cameras.
> 
>  
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 

Replies: Reply from feli2 at earthlink.net (Feli) ([Leica] Coenen's interview on Asahi Camera)
Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Coenen's interview on Asahi Camera)
Reply from michiel.fokkema at wanadoo.nl (Michiel Fokkema) ([Leica] Coenen's interview on Asahi Camera)