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![[Future Prospects] What new value will the GXR provide?](gxrinside/gxrfut1/cts_top_02.jpg) |
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Communicating the appeal of the GXR
The GXR has been on sale in stores for about two
months. To get an idea of how it has been received by the market, we
visited several high-volume camera retail stores. There the GXR was
displayed not only in the compact camera section but also in the SLR
camera section and the new digital camera corner. A landmark year in
camera history for new digital cameras, 2009 saw the appearance of
several new mirror-less digital SL cameras (Micro Four Thirds*
standard). As one of the new products of 2009, the GXR attracted
strong attention as a totally new camera system in which lens, image
sensor, and image processing engine are integrated into a single
unit that is interchangeable.
*Micro Four Thirds
A new standard
for interchangeable lens digital cameras those are thinner and
smaller, and therefore more portable, than SLR digital cameras. By
eliminating the mirror box found in SLR cameras, this standard
features a reduced flange back distance (from lens mount plane to
image sensor surface). |
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"We gave the most thought to
having people experience for themselves the appeal of the
GXR." (Mitsuaki Wakumoto) |
"The important
thing is to communicate the merits of this new system to many
people. Our sales staff have been racking their brains to figure out
how to go about doing this," said Mitsuaki Wakumoto, a member of the
Sales Strategy Group in the Personal MultiMedia Products Company ICS
Sales Office. "In addition to strongly communicating the GXR's
appeal in the catalog and on the website, we felt that the most
effective method would be to have people actually hold a GXR in
their hands, so we put the GXR on display in stores nationwide on
November 27, well ahead of the sales kickoff date of December 18,
2009," added Wakumoto. This was the first time that Ricoh has had a
product on display in stores before the actual start of sales.
The aggressive effort made to showcase the GXR in
magazines and on websites has also been unprecedented. Before the
start of sales, we had professional photographers try out prototype
GXRs and post their impressions and images in blogs. By enabling
interested camera users to get their hands on a GXR in stores, we
made it possible for them to verify for themselves its actual size
and texture as well as the operational feel of unit
attachment/removal. "We received many comments, such as 'I did not
realize it was this small' and 'I like the click-in feel when
mounting,'" Wakumoto recalled. Photographs were also printed in
large size and displayed in store camera corners to demonstrate the
GXR's superior imaging power.
Sales opportunities created with a reservation campaign
"I also wanted to try a totally new tactic for
the sales campaign. We knew there would be people who would want to
buy a GXR after trying it in the store before the start of sales. So
we prepared a special GXR logo strap that was not sold but rather
given as a present to motivate people to immediately reserve a GXR,"
said Wakumoto. For the campaign item, there was a desire to create
something people would want to use as a tool and something that they
would enjoy more and more the longer they used it. "There were even
reservations made at the same time that the GXR was announced. It
really made me happy to see the strong feeling of trust that people
have for Ricoh digital cameras," Wakumoto said, recalling his
surprise. |
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| The campaign present was
this genuine leather strap with a GXR logo. (Not offered for
sale) |
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This GXR reservation
campaign continued until the start of
sales. |
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