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Interview with Andreas Kaufmann on Handelsblatt.com


redfalo

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Olaf,

 

now there is the follow-up to your Handelsblatt article on Leica/Andreas Kaufmann: same newspaper Handelsblatt/Duesseldorf - co-production - with DW-Germany TV for report "Made in Germany: Leica: Focussing on Profit" (broadcast 18.3.2008 in German/English)

 

News release: ...highly accurate lens made it a highly prized camera for professionals and ambitious hobby photographers...but when digital cameras began their world-wide conquest a decade ago... Leica stuck to film... decision put company in financial difficulties... recently [Leica] entered digital business... owner and CEO, Andreas Kaufmann.. Leica is focussing on new markets and target groups for a profitable future....

 

Did your article for the Handelsblatt serve as the starting-point for Andreas Hewel's updated report on Leica Camera AG's "new markets" and "target groups" DW-Germany TV?

 

Leica: Focussing on Profit | Made in Germany | Deutsche Welle

 

Axel

 

Axel Sanders

 

The header of the article answers the question : "in cooporation with Handelsblatt".....

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...true, and what does royalty herself prefer?...a leica, of course...

 

Well, the topic was the camera used by the photographer instead of the Queen's preferences, Thomas. I'm sure that she loves her State Bentley a lot ... not a fancy car in many drivers' opinion. ;)

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Well, the topic was the camera used by the photographer instead of the Queen's preferences, Thomas. I'm sure that she loves her State Bentley a lot ... not a fancy car in many drivers' opinion. ;)

 

State BENTLEY...?

 

Heavens, man! Have you no standards? Bentleys are for parvenus and scoundrels. Royalty is chauffeured in Rolls Royces, and of course One drives Oneself around Balmoral in One's Land Rover...

 

Regards,

 

Bill

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The header of the article answers the question : "in cooporation with Handelsblatt".....

 

Well, Handelsblatt does have some kind of cooperation with DW TV. But believe it or not, I weren´t aware that those guys were working on the Leica topic as well and had no contact with them. Maybe were either inspired by the article I wrote for our print edition. Or it´s just a weird cooincidence. At least, the only camera which was in operation when I interviewd Kaufmann was my M8 :

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

BTW I recently also visidted Peter Coeln in Vienna since I´m working on a historic piece about the introduction of the M3 in 1954. This was the real reason why I traveld to Solms. The interview with Kaufmann was just a by-product of this. (When I got in contact with Solms in the frist place Lee was still in charge...)

 

 

I made some funny shots at Westlicht showing Peter Coeln and a wodden model of the M3 used by Leica on the Photokina in 1955:

 

Some more shots here:

Leica stuff - a photoset on Flickr

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Olaf,

 

.... - co-production - with DW-Germany TV for report "Made in Germany: Leica: Focussing on Profit" (broadcast 18.3.2008 in German/English)

 

Studio Guest – Christine Schweikert on the oil price | Made in Germany | Deutsche Welle

 

Axel Sanders

 

you can see the interview in english tonight at 23:30h MEZ on the internet via "Octoshape".

You have first to download a little plugin ( Octoshape - plugin ), and than to click on the link "DW-TV" ( Octoshape - Large Scale Live Streaming Solutions ).

 

That's all!

 

 

 

regards

 

 

Grüße

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Olaf

 

With all due respect, I wish to correct you: it is much more than that. Look at LFI Leica magazine from 2/2007 "Alles wird gut"/ "All will be good" by Holgar Sparr (German and international editions). If you have considered the previous M8 article in LFI magazine a "communication desaster" - did your opinion change after Holgar Sparr's piece? ( 6 month time span from Photokina Sept/2006 to LFI 2/2007).

 

 

 

Steven K. Lee

 

In my opinion, he was a visionary manager and had strong ideas about promoting the M8 camera ("product placement" with film stars and TV personalities) - also his creative projects and art events and the whole tie-in with Leica Flagship-stores. Kaufmann hired him for these kinds of ideas...

 

 

 

Axel

 

Axel Sanders

 

 

...imho, ex-ceo lee was on the correct path marketing-wise...for instance, leica could have a field day portraying famous past leica users (e.g., hcb, royalty herself, yul brenner, etc) and tying-in to famous current leica users (of the m8, mp, m7, digi-whatever)...the gist being that "the past defines the future in a sense that the future is the past" using imagery suggesting that a leica lens is nothing but a portal to reality...

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...imho, ex-ceo lee was on the correct path marketing-wise...for instance, leica could have a field day portraying famous past leica users (e.g., hcb, royalty herself, yul brenner, etc) and tying-in to famous current leica users (of the m8, mp, m7, digi-whatever)...the gist being that "the past defines the future in a sense that the future is the past" using imagery suggesting that a leica lens is nothing but a portal to reality...

 

It's absolutely certain Leica don't know how to use their unique extraordinary heritage in that area.

You see everywhere pictures of James Dean in the streets of NY with his Rollei.

You never see the same with Leica.

Why ?

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It's absolutely certain Leica don't know how to use their unique extraordinary heritage in that area.

You see everywhere pictures of James Dean in the streets of NY with his Rollei.

You never see the same with Leica.

Why ?

 

...yes...so true...

 

...in a way, the only real marketing campaign leica has is through its die-hard fans on this website...

 

...it is entirely predictable that an engineering-driven firm with no marketing savy will post financial results worthy of a funeral...imho and regrettably...

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Because James Dean is dead and most of the population don't know who he is ........

 

Dead : true

Unknown : untrue. Every two bit jeans or teenager's fashion shop has posters of Dean on display.

Anyway : if I were PR for Leica, obviously I would use this heritage of rich and famous or "decisive historical moments" pictures to sell cameras which made History and histories

visible.

Hasselblad (without having PS cameras to sell) did it for years with the first moonwalks…

 

We had a project with a french producer about Leica history during the war, for instance (Leica Freedom train, etc.).

The image potential of that company is huge and remains untrodden territory.

I know a few PR companies I'm related with who would do a huge blitz with that.

And it's not a matter of cost : intelligent PR does not cost that much, and I'm sure

many photographers or collectors or museums etc. would be glad to lend their works

free or for a minimal fee.

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Andreas Kaufmann interview in Handelsblatt (redfalo) and yesterday on DW-Germany TV:

 

(redfalo) and (sthan): Andreas Hewel's updated reportage on Leica Camera AG's "new markets" and "target groups" on DW-Germany TV (as stated in their news release) - was in reality only about "Leica for 5 minutes"... (i.e. Leica produces 1,000 M8 digital cameras per month and 500 film cameras per month...). This "update" was squeezed between news of Germany's SAP in Israel and briefly J. Rakete in Berlin (I assume to help promote/sell his newly published photo-book).

 

(sthan) wrote): "...Leica doesn't know how to use their unique heritage... . You see everywhere pictures of James Dean...with his Rollei [camera]...".

 

(aXs): "In his book, J. Rakete uses Leicas/Hasselblads to photograph filmstars".

 

Nothing interesting for Leica's "new markets" and "target groups".

 

 

Axel

 

Axel Sanders

 

Olaf,

 

now there is the follow-up to your Handelsblatt article on Leica/Andreas Kaufmann: same newspaper Handelsblatt/Duesseldorf - co-production - with DW-Germany TV for report "Made in Germany: Leica: Focussing on Profit" (broadcast 18.3.2008 in German/English)

 

News release: ...highly accurate lens made it a highly prized camera for professionals and ambitious hobby photographers...but when digital cameras began their world-wide conquest a decade ago... Leica stuck to film... decision put company in financial difficulties... recently [Leica] entered digital business... owner and CEO, Andreas Kaufmann.. Leica is focussing on new markets and target groups for a profitable future....

 

Did your article for the Handelsblatt serve as the starting-point for Andreas Hewel's updated report on Leica Camera AG's "new markets" and "target groups" DW-Germany TV?

 

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,3199404,00.html

 

Axel

 

Axel Sanders

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Thomas,

 

as I've previously stated, former CEO Steven K. Lee - did in fact have a marketing vision - and was doing a good job - promoting the M8 camera with product placement activities/events with filmstars and TV personalities (also Leica's former PR head, Gero F. was involved with such arthouse projects).

 

Steven K. Lee also sponsored and promoted art projects/installations for Leica's Flagship-stores.

 

Kaufmann hired Lee for these kinds of ideas...

 

...Steven K. Lee was on the correct path marketing-wise...Leica could have a field day portraying famous past leica users... and...famous current leica users..."the past defines the future in a sense that the future is the past"...

 

However, Andreas Kaufmann also likes to promote art exhibitions and he recently presented vintage works by a Magnum-photographer for his newly openned photo-gallery in Salzburg (just down the street from Austria's most famous contemporary art gallery, representing photographic works from the Estate of Andy Warhol).

 

Axel

 

Axel Sanders

 

---

Interview with Andreas Kaufmann on Handelsblatt.com

Originally Posted by aXs

 

Olaf (redfalo)

With all due respect, I wish to correct you: it is much more than that. Look at LFI Leica magazine from 2/2007 "Alles wird gut"/ "All will be good" by Holgar Sparr (German and international editions). If you have considered the previous M8 article in LFI magazine a "communication desaster" - did your opinion change after Holgar Sparr's piece? ( 6 month time span from Photokina Sept/2006 to LFI 2/2007).

 

Steven K. Lee

 

In my opinion, he was a visionary manager and had strong ideas about promoting the M8 camera ("product placement" with film stars and TV personalities) - also his creative projects and art events and the whole tie-in with Leica Flagship-stores. Kaufmann hired him for these kinds of ideas...

 

Axel

 

Axel Sanders

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It's absolutely certain Leica don't know how to use their unique extraordinary heritage in that area.

You see everywhere pictures of James Dean in the streets of NY with his Rollei.

You never see the same with Leica.

Why ?

 

Well, there was all the stuff with that guy Seal which went off like a damp firework as well as the bubblehead from the Spice Girls who left the lens cap on. That sort of publicity Leica can do without.

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Because James Dean is dead and most of the population don't know who he is ........

 

I respectfully disagree that the majority of people in the demographic likely to pay Leica's prices for a Leica camera don't know who James Dean was. Or confuse him with Jimmy Dean the singer-turned-sausage mogul. Who is also dead. But if Leica wants to make use of product placement and celebrities, they have two choices: find someone whose image is in keeping with their image (quirky yet ecclectic) like, say Johnny Depp. Or go for the mindless-bling crowd and pay Flavor Flav to hang an M8 around his neck along with the clock. If some rapper used an M8 to bludgeon somebody to death I bet Leica's sales figures would go up overnight. Using celebs like John Mayer isn't going to be that effective, because half of his fans can't afford a Leica and 99% of the other half wouldn't want one even if it was the same price as a D40x or Rebel Xti because they want a "modern" camera, not something there dad (or grandpa) would approve.

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I respectfully disagree that the majority of people in the demographic likely to pay Leica's prices for a Leica camera don't know who James Dean was. Or confuse him with Jimmy Dean the singer-turned-sausage mogul. Who is also dead. But if Leica wants to make use of product placement and celebrities, they have two choices: find someone whose image is in keeping with their image (quirky yet ecclectic) like, say Johnny Depp. Or go for the mindless-bling image and pay Flavor Flav to hang an M8 around his neck along with the clock.

 

Agree.

Or Julia Roberts, who shoots an M6.

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