Todd Warnke
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: On
|
 p.1 #7 · Nikon's new strategy....sounds good to me... | |
Some folks over at NR are criticizing Nikon for being late with this, but I actually think they are ahead of pack with this level of deep reflection. The camera market has been in dramatic flux for 15 years, flux that has scrambled model lines, profits, market share and long term strategies, while leaving little time to reflect.
From the boom and subsequent bust of compacts, to the boom in DSLRs to their own bust, to the addition of video to still bodies, and on to the introduction and flat market of the mirrorless camera, mainstream imagining looks nothing like it did in 2000. And of course the biggest disruptor is the cameraphone, that carved away the profitable, low-hanging model lines for everyone.
Over all this time the old line companies have followed market share. Adding compacts, then expanding their DSLR lineup, then adding video, then making larger sensor compacts, and finally adding mirrorless. But with the bust in almost every segment, they no longer have the market to lead them. Nikon, sensibly, is rethinking their place in this environment. Good!
Ok, Fuji and the m4/3 group has rethought this as well, but they have decided to live in one small but steady part of the market. In addition, those folks are almost all parts of much, much larger companies, and so imaging is not an existential question for them like it is for Nikon.
So, Nikon's retreat to re-think their role is wonderful. An integrated, market leading viewpoint will make a world of difference. Nikon has traditionally been an aspirational brand. Bring that back! They have an image (sorry for the pun), of rugged, dependable, innovative and high-end equipment. Bring that back! Make Nikon special. Make Nikon stand out.
DSLRs? The D5, D8XX and D7XX FX lines please. The D5XX and a hybrid D7XXX/D5XXX DX line please. And, perhaps, add a video oriented camera to each as well. If not, make video a co-equal feature with every camera. Make sure connectivity is seamless.
Mirrorless? Two RF type models, one FX and one DX. Add FX versions of the D8XX and D7XX. Then make a DX version of the low end DX DSLR. Make sure video works great on all of them. Connectivity as well
That's 10 bodies, 6 FX, 4 DX. 5 DSLRs, 5 Mirrorless. Throw in a DL type line of 1" compacts, perhaps a couple of high-end bridge models (P900 type), and that's it. If it isn't class leading, don't make it. Let trickle down cover the bottom of the market by selling the old models for 2-3 years (a la Apple iPhones).
Lastly, market the hell out of them. Start by licensing "Kodachrome" by Paul Simon. Get some one like Justin Timberlake to remake it! Then make sure every ad has one of the Nikon Ambassadors in it, telling us why only Nikon can let them make their images. And end by telling us how we can build our legacy using Nikon, just as Joe McNally, Moose Peterson, Ami Vitale, Dave Black, Joel Sartore, Vincent Versace, Lynsey Addario and Bambi Cantrell have.
Peace,
Todd
|
