On Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 08:40:26AM -0600, Tom C wrote: > > From: Rick Womer <rwomer1...@yahoo.com> > > Pentax is in an unenviable spot, being widely perceived as a bargain > brand. That's of course good for those that either can't or don't wish > to spend more money. It's not so good for Pentax (Ricoh). When a > brands customer base consists largely of people who want a lot for a > little, it's like tying the corporate hands behind the corporate back. > Having capital to invest in developing new products is achieved > largely by selling current products at a decent margin. > > Notice the trend of so many to say what they have is 'good enough'? > Pentax loses. Notice the trend of so many to wait a year or more until > there's massive price cuts on the newest model Pentax camera? Pentax > loses. Notice the trend of so many to purchase used gear as opposed to > new? Pentax loses. Then there's those that put there money elsewhere > because they're not getting what they want from Pentax. Pentax loses. > There's nothing wrong with any of those actions and all are > justifiable. Still - Pentax loses. > > So collectively, many of those people that love their Pentax gear > because of the perceived value are the same people who, in essence, > are limiting the profits and therefore the ability to produce > meaningful new and better products. It's a gradual slow downwards > spiral.
I don't think the problem is quite as bad you you think. Yes, people who know that Pentax exists, or even still exists, and who pay attention, recognize it as a bargain brand. However, I think that half of the 87 people that even know that Pentax cameras are still being made are on this list. If and when Ricoh puts some effort into actually making the Pentax brand known, it will pretty much be the first time most people under 40 are even aware of the brand. Also, I don't think that being known for giving good value for the money is that bad in this position. It's kind of tough if everyone knows about you, and all of your customers are tightwads, but having a reputation for good value among people looking to buy their first DSLR is generally a good thing. You aren't going to get a lot of people with thousands of dollars invested in a system switching brands. Most new customers will come from people getting their first DSLR, or who only have an entry level DSLR and a kit lens. -- Larry Colen l...@red4est.com http://red4est.com/lrc -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
