By Patrick Avenell (Follow me on Twitter)
SYDNEY, NSW: Olympus may have missed out on the opportunity to showcase its new PEN range of compact system cameras at PMA, but it is not missing any opportunity to promote its new releases, with the official campaign launch this afternoon (Thursday) in Sydney.
In one of the most bullish announcements of the year, Kristie Radtke, Olympus PEN product manager, took aim at the Samsungs and Sonys of the world, saying that only Olympus is truly focused on imaging technology.
“We don’t make fridges or phones,” she said, “we are not a Jack of all trades, master of none.”
Although Radtke did admit that Olympus dabbles in Dictaphones, she stressed that Olympus heritage and future is in improving image quality.
Also a target for Olympus were the two leading DSLR brands, Canon and Nikon. Olympus GM, overseas sales planning department, Harry Matsushita, said that consumers in his native Japan were rapidly moving away from DSLR, with compact system cameras (CSC) seriously challenging their perceived dominance.
Click here to read all about the new Olympus PEN range.
Matsushita showed a slide that listed four CSC cameras in the Top 5 interchangeable lens camera models sold in Japan, by units sold. Two of these four were PEN models.
In addition to targeting these imaging brands, Olympus is also waging guerrilla warfare against the mobile phone handset makers. In a brandless ambush marketing campaign, Olympus will use outdoor advertising to communicate anti-phone, pro-camera imaging messages. These include “Are you a real photographer or a phoney?” and “If your camera also sends text messages, that will explain why your photos are rubbish”.
Click here to sign up for our FREE daily newsletter
This ambush campaign will form part of Olympus’ three-stage “Anything by Ordinary” marketing agenda. The first, beginning in August, is a print and outdoor campaign merging both branded and brandless creative.
The second will utilise as yet unknown Olympus photography ambassadors. Radtke said her team is currently speaking with “around 50” photographers for this campaign.
The third will be the use of large scale billboards to showcase the best works from these ambassadors. All three campaigns will direct users to Olympus unified website: getarealcamera.com.au.
As for the target market, Olympus is set to challenge Leica as the hipster brand of choice. Radtke said this campaign is being directed squarely at 25-34 year olds who wear vintage clothing and attend music festivals.