johnbuckley Posted November 8, 2013 Share #1  Posted November 8, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) So Leica has announced a marketing partnership with Red Bull Illume (see:Leica announces partnership with Red Bull Illume | Leica News & Rumors)  Before the jokes start about how it would have been better to team up with (fill in name of favorite liquid), this one strikes me as odd conceptually, apart from what Red Bull is.  The announcement states that "Leica is pleased to announce their official partnership with Red Bull Illume - the world’s largest international photography competition dedicated to action and adventure sports."  Leica offers many advantages to the photographer, but surely not action and adventure sports photographers. Yes, the S is a great camera. But is this really where Leica's marketing alliances are most beneficial? Just seems a bit far afield... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 8, 2013 Posted November 8, 2013 Hi johnbuckley, Take a look here Leica's Partnership With a Red Bull. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
k-hawinkler Posted November 8, 2013 Share #2 Â Posted November 8, 2013 Maybe there is an Austrian connection? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted November 9, 2013 Share #3 Â Posted November 9, 2013 I can only think that if the high build quality of the M240 is true Leica need more repair work for the Service Department. Â It makes sense to strap your M240 or S into your handlebars as you rocket downhill, offering plenty of opportunity to press the shutter button with your chin as you arc through the air on your way to scoring full marks for the best photo of a face plant. Â Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 9, 2013 Share #4  Posted November 9, 2013 Strange…Leica is commonly associated with dentists and Red Bull (along with Coca Cola) is your teeth’s worst enemy. Maybe they want to drum up some business for us to be able to buy more Leicas. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 9, 2013 Share #5 Â Posted November 9, 2013 Agree, it does seem an odd partnership given the subject matter and demographic, but then again it gets the Leica brand in front of a new audience I guess. I'm just not sure that that audience would want to buy a Leica camera! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted November 9, 2013 Share #6 Â Posted November 9, 2013 Agree, it does seem an odd partnership given the subject matter and demographic, but then again it gets the Leica brand in front of a new audience I guess. I'm just not sure that that audience would want to buy a Leica camera! Â I'm not so sure it's all that odd. Photography is photography and I guess the "Red Bull Illume" attracts the attention of many serious photographers, many of whom will have photographic interests wider than just the action sport genre. Besides the "action sport" genre itself incorporates a wide range of activities like snowboarding, climbing, etc.(and the associated lifestyle shit that goes with that territory) whose participants are often incredibly brand obsessed and not necessarily short of a bob or two. That said, I'm not sure that this rather naff looking contrived monstrosity is necessarily the right way to find favour with that demographic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 9, 2013 Share #7 Â Posted November 9, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) Ah, that camera is exactly right! The entrants will already know Leica. The Red Bull customer is generally young and trendy and sporty. They like music festivals and sports events. sell em a DLux! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted November 9, 2013 Share #8 Â Posted November 9, 2013 Ah, that camera is exactly right! The entrants will already know Leica. The Red Bull customer is generally young and trendy and sporty. They like music festivals and sports events. sell em a DLux! Â Why not? Â Leica D-Lux 5 Red Bull Illume limited edition | Leica News & Rumors Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted November 10, 2013 Share #9  Posted November 10, 2013 Strange…Leica is commonly associated with dentists and Red Bull (along with Coca Cola) is your teeth’s worst enemy. Maybe they want to drum up some business for us to be able to buy more Leicas.  I understood that when dentists want a new Leica they just put another zero on the end of the bill? Three zero's if its a new Porsche!  Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted November 10, 2013 Share #10 Â Posted November 10, 2013 :D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted November 11, 2013 Share #11 Â Posted November 11, 2013 Years ago, when helping establish a dental clinic at a medical center we went around to the local dentists surveying prices for virtually every procedure. With one exception we found the prices to be in a tight range. The exception? Braces. We jokingly surmised that to get the lowest price you had to arrive in raggged clothes driving a clapped-out older car with bondo and primer in many places. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angora Posted November 14, 2013 Share #12  Posted November 14, 2013 The old and venerable Leitz is partnering with the young, dynamic Roter Stier. Why so? Voyons voir. Refresh its image. Because its core customers are, well, aging. Gotta ensure a steady supply of buyers over the generations. Increase its visibility towards the youth. Potentially push for its S2, as posited earlier, and its rumoured rebadged µ4/3 cams too (remember the recent Panasonic deal?). And also that Austrian connection, yeah... making each other a favour is how networking works. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 14, 2013 Share #13  Posted November 14, 2013 The old and venerable Leitz is partnering with the young, dynamic Roter Stier.Why so? Voyons voir. Refresh its image. Because its core customers are, well, aging. Gotta ensure a steady supply of buyers over the generations. Increase its visibility towards the youth. Potentially push for its S2, as posited earlier, and its rumoured rebadged µ4/3 cams too (remember the recent Panasonic deal?). And also that Austrian connection, yeah... making each other a favour is how networking works.  Well, if they want to appeal to 'youth' buyers then they need to offer products for that market, which they don't, and are not likely to either.  Even a special edition Dlux will be unlikely to appeal to the typical Red Bull target customer (extreme sports/music event customers I mean, not the drink).  It would be a bit like Morgan sponsoring the next MAX POWER event! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angora Posted November 14, 2013 Share #14  Posted November 14, 2013 Well, if they want to appeal to 'youth' buyers then they need to offer products for that market, which they don't, and are not likely to either.  Even a special edition Dlux will be unlikely to appeal to the typical Red Bull target customer (extreme sports/music event customers I mean, not the drink).  It would be a bit like Morgan sponsoring the next MAX POWER event!  The µ4/3 would do the trick, but I think Leica doesn't even aim for that. They want to "shoot wide", showing those "trendy" youngsters that even a brand looking old fashionned actually may be interesting and worth a second look. Brand that most of them probably don't even know.  Just like most young adults aren't into analog watches, preferring Casios or increasingly their mobile phones, there is still a subgroup that does appreciate (and buy) analog models. And these persons susceptible to buy "retro" objects don't necessarily know their taste until they've been exposed to it. That's where marketing comes in. Educating targetted customers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted November 14, 2013 Share #15  Posted November 14, 2013 Well, if they want to appeal to 'youth' buyers then they need to offer products  GoPro is the thing here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 14, 2013 Share #16 Â Posted November 14, 2013 GoPro is the thing here. Â Not heard of them before but that's exactly what would fit with Red Bull. Â I'd quite like one myself! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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