Tim Blonk's Blog

One of the central goals of marketing is to inform consumers about the product or service offered. Many modern photographers struggle with this aspect of their business as it has become relatively easy for any amateur to buy a high-end camera and start shooting.

Instead of focusing on these struggling photographers, I will discuss the marketing strategies of a photographer that has made it in the industry, Jared Polin. The key aspect of his marketing strategy is this: Life-Time-Value.

Jared “The Fro” Polin

Jared Polin is a relatively young photographer who has made his mark on the photography industry. Though Jared had a successful career, a year ago he decided to ‘give back to the photography community’ following the unfortunate death of his mother. Jared launched the ‘Fro Knows Photo’ site and began with simple camera and lens review videos. As his popularity rose, he expanded the site to include forums and photo critiques. Jared is not looking for clients with his websites; he is simply getting his name out there, in a very successful manner.

Jared Polin in his signature 'I Shoot RAW' shirt. Source: www.froknowsphoto.com

The ‘Fro Knows Photo’ site is very well marketed. Jared’s iconic ‘fro’ has become his brand in the industry, and his slogan ‘I Shoot RAW’ has recently launched a very successful T-shirt line. (RAW is a type of photo format, one that I now use 100% of the time) Also, Jared aims to connect with his fans through personal videos such as a touching ‘Why I Started this Site’, and weekly videos featuring his 101-year-old grandma Lil. Recently, Jared and his co-worker Greg have started a live photography show that airs every Sunday.

The 'Fro' with his Grandma Lil

Jared Polin is not looking for clients with this site. However, through connecting with potential clients on a personal level, Jared has managed to expand not only his own business, but also his internet presence. May marked the first month in which the ‘Fro Knows Photo’ site had over 1 million hits, a great achievement. Also, his increasing fame has led many companies such as Nikon and Black Rapid (camera accessories) to give products to Jared to test and discuss. In a world where marketing is aimed at the masses, Jared has managed to create a personal and interactive relationship with his fans and future clients. He seeks to promote his customer-value-oriented business.

These next two photographers have also put a lot of effort into reaching out to their fans and clients. They each post weekly videos and photo contests, and respond to them personally.

Russell James (Victoria's Secret Photographer) connects with his fans through his Facebook page. He continuously updates his profile, and personally responds to questions.

Chase Jarvis, arguably one of the best photographers in the world, has an online blog visited by thousands on weekly basis. Source: www.chasejarvis.com

Lastly: Each of these photographers shoots with Nikon! Great advertising!

Welcome back to my blog!

This week I am switching things up a little bit, and instead of talking about cameras/etc. I will be talking about music for a change! Now, I have to be honest, Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ is my all-time favorite song, and the band certainly ranks in my top 3. But the southern-rock band NeedtoBreathe is without a doubt the best band I know, and in the spirit of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’, I am arguing that NeedtoBreathe will soon explode onto the international music scene. Why? Taylor Swift.

On her upcoming tour of North-America, Taylor Swift has chosen to include NeedtoBreathe. Obviously, this is a major opportunity for the band to increase its publicity, not simply in the American market, but in the international one. With dozens of concerts across the U.S. and Canada, NeedtoBreathe will be exposed to 100,000’s potential fans.

Source: Needtobreathe.com

How does marketing have anything to do with this?

Well, for starters, let’s attempt to use the ‘product life cycle’ model. In my opinion, this band is still in the Growth phase. Though it has existed for about a decade, the band has not gained international fame yet, but it is being featured in an increasing number of movies and shows. With Taylor Swift at its side, the band will surely be pushed towards the maturity phase.

In anticipation of the sudden boom in publicity, NeedtoBreathe has begun to increase its online advertising. The band is embracing social network platforms unlike it has ever done before. Also, it has partnered with a video-blogging group (named the “Street Team”), that occasionally posts videos of the band. Additionally, the band has begun an online forum that allows fans to interact with it. All in the spirit of advertising. Communicating with customers/fans is essential.

Sources: Taylorswift.com and Needtobreathe.com

Take my word for this: On March 23^rd, 2012, NeedtoBreathe will be an international hit.

I must be honest, I would have loved to write a blog post about the horrible creation that is: Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’. Potentially the worst pop song to have ever gone viral. However, with such a large number of people already covering this topic, I decided to focus back on photography, because after all, what would this blog be without the occasional photography post!

With this post I just want to focus on pricing orientations. Multi-national camera manufacturers and retailers such as Nikon and Canon face heavy competition in the modern market, and hence they need to apply appropriate pricing orientations. In my opinion, Nikon and Canon operate mainly on a competitors orientation.

Source: yaffeteam.com

Competitor Orientation

In theory there is not a major difference between the products offered by Canon and Nikon. They both provide similar camera bodies, with equivalent mega-pixels and similar lenses. For example, my favorite lens is a Nikon 50mm f1.4g VR , costing around $580. Canon offers a similar model, which is a couple years older and is now priced around $440. The $140 dollar difference may seem large, however, taking into consideration that the Nikon lens is a newer, there is no surprise here.

Both Nikon and Canon price their products in such as way that they are relatively close to the prices of its competitors. In the camera industry this is especially important. Amateur photographers with potential growth can easily be won-over for their life-time value. In my case, Nikon has managed to capture my life-time value, as I won’t be switching to Canon anytime soon. By pricing in accordance to competitors, camera manufacturers stand no risk of losing their entire client base.

Comparing Prices of 50mm Nikon and Canon lenses at Futureshop

It is important to realize that this does not imply that all prices for similar products are exactly the same. As seen above, both companies provide the same product, but with slightly different features and perks.

In conclusion: Most major camera producers such as Nikon and Canon do not have much of a choice when it comes to choosing their pricing strategy. If these businesses do not stay on a relatively equal pricing plane as their competitors, they stand to loose a lot: most of their customers. The marketing departments of such companies pay a great deal of attention to choosing the correct pricing orientation, not simply to make a profit, but also to retail customers.

Want-to-Know-More-Photographer’s-Bonus: I feel that I should explain what a ’50mm f1.4g VR’ lens really is. So if this does not interest you, please skip the following lines! In essence:

50mm = The ‘magnification/zoom’ potential of the lens. In this case, the lens does not zoom and stays constant at 50mm range.

F1.4g = The largest possible aperture (determines depth of field) of this lens is f1.4. Also, the g implies that the lens has an in-built auto-focusing motor.

VR = Vibration Reduction, the lens automatically adjusts for small hand movements and vibrations.

So what kinds of pictures is this lens good for? Anything. Especially portraits!

I'm not sure mom would enjoy this picture here...

Disclaimer: It’s 2 AM and I am watching live BBC coverage of the tsunami to hit Japan. This will be a short post.

Groupon Logo. Source - www.Groupon.com

I was recently hunting down the blogs of my marketing group members and I stumbled upon Ali Birston’s blog post about Groupon. In her post she describes the general gist of the company, its enticing deals, and the creative way it has opened up the market to new deals. She concludes her post by saying that “and if you have yet to jump on this bandwagon I strongly suggest you do before the best deals are gone!”, a statement I very much agree with!

A Typical Groupon Add... not Bad! Source - www.Groupon.com

I must be honest, I am no longer a regular Groupon hunter… in fact, I cancelled my mailing services with them. But no, this is not because I don’t approve of their service quality, it’s because I simply did not enjoy fact that they attempted to get me to go to the zoo numerous times. All I wanted was cheap cameras and lenses… something they sadly do not frequently offer. So why do I still support Groupon? Because it’s marketing department is genious.

Ali paraphrases that Groupon has “accumulated 60 million subscribers within two years”. That’s a lot. In bad English: that’s a whole lot. I greatly respect Groupon for this accomplishment, especially since it essentially solely promotes other businesses.

However, I just want to make a brief comment about the supply chain of Groupon. Yes, I said it, supply chain. You may wonder, if Groupon does not even sell a product, does it even have a supply chain!? Well that’s exactly my question. In my opinion there is indeed a supply chain, though it is a short one. The companies represented by Groupon act as manufactures, they provide the deals offered by Groupon. Then, through an internet provider (distributor?), Groupon is capable of reaching out to its consumers. A short supply chain, but a supply chain nonetheless. Now, from the perspective of other businesses, I would say that Groupon is seen more as an agent; it is company that works independently to provide a product.

Ali is correct; Groupon definitely has much to offer to consumers! Jump aboard!

Recently, Pierre Schifflers decided to write his blog post about a Nikon advertisement. Naturally, the beautiful construction and elegant ‘N I K O N’ stood out to me immediately and I pounced on his blog. Upon having read his post, I decided to reply to his statement that “Nikon tried to make an advertisement that was appealing both visually and aurally, however…this advertisement was amazingly successful for Radical Face, for Nikon, not so much”.

First of all, I must agree with Pierre, the advertisement certainly promotes the band ‘Radical Face’. The abundance of YouTube comments clearly illustrates this. The soundtrack to the advertisement is very pleasant to listen to, and it plays a large role in the overall appeal of the advertisement. However, I do not consider this to solely be a success for the band and a failure for Nikon. Pierre does not provide enough evidence to support that this advertisement was a failure.

Radical Face _ Promoted By Nikon : Source: www.jpgmag.com

Yes, Nikon did promote this band, but in doing so it created a very effective advertisement. The COOLPix S3000 product (the camera promoted in this advertisement) has been a top-seller for Nikon, and hence it becomes apparent that it was advertised adequately. I feel that the background song to this specific advertisement is not its primary strength everywhere in the world. Let me explain, I believe that the song was probably the main strength in North American markets, but the appearance of Robbie Williams must have proven to be a selling point to many Europeans. Robbie Williams is considered one of the most famous musicians to ever come from Europe, quickly reaching international fame with his songs ‘Angels’ and more recently ‘Bodies’. However, due to some irresponsible comments, Robbie was denied access into the American market, a market he would most likely have conquered.

Robbie Williams Picture in Nikon's Advertisements

Now what does Robbie Williams have to do with Radical Face and Nikon? Geographic and demographic segmentation. By using Robbie Williams, Nikon reaches out to an older age demographic in Europe that grew up with Robbie William’s songs. Simultaneously, the catchy music appeals to a younger, more modern demographic.

In conclusion:

– Yes Nikon promoted ‘Radical Face’

– Yes Nikon created a great advertisement

– No Nikon did not do a bad job with this advertisement

– Though this ad was beneficial for the band, Nikon was capable of reaching a wide demographic and hence successfully promoting its product.

– “Nikon succeeded in making an advertisement that was appealing both visually and aurally, however…this advertisement was also amazingly successful for Radical Face,  as well as  Nikon”.

The day has come: A blog post that is not about photography!

I was recently going down the list of “Top 42 Content Marketing Blogs” and I stumbled across Brian Solin’s ‘Defining the Convergence of Media and Influence’ blog. After taking a quick glance at his site, it did not surprise me that he was in the top 5 of the top 42 blogs.

As I have been researching Starbucks quite a bit over the last month, one of his posts immediately stood out to me: The Interest Graph on Twitter is Alive: Studying Starbucks. Now, before I continue to praise the content of this blog post and its inherent importance to marketing, I would like to state one thing: I despise Twitter. But that’s another topic for another blog post.

Geographic Locations of Starbucks Followers - Source: http://www.briansolis.com/

Brian Solin describes the use of an ‘Interest Cloud’, a visual display of information gathered from ‘followers’ on Twitter. The cloud is capable of representing user information by “sorting activity by demographics and psychographics, sentiment, bio data, profession etc.” Solin states that “interest graphs represent a potential goldmine for brands seeking insight and inspiration to design more meaningful products and services as well as new marketing campaigns.” I fully agree.

The interest cloud is capable of doing what many companies invest millions into doing: clearly defining consumer demographics. The cloud allows companies such as Starbucks to get a clear image of their customers in terms of psychological needs, attitudes, perceptions, lifestyles, and social circles. These simplistic displays of information have tremendous impacts on the marketing strategies of companies.

The Interests of Starbucks Followers - Source: http://www.briansolis.com/

In the case of Starbucks, the interest cloud displays that many of its ‘followers’ greatly value: love, life, friends, music, and the world. With this information, the marketing department of the company can aim its efforts towards satisfying these consumer-interests.

For example (mind you, this is an over-exaggerated example): Starbucks could attempt to develop an in-store service that allows groups of customers (friends or couples) to buy music for $0.50 per song, and donate half of this money to a charity of their choice. For single consumers, the company could charge $0.60 in order to promote ‘meeting new people and socializing’.

Gender of Starbucks Followers - Source: http://www.briansolis.com/

Brian Solin clearly illustrates the future of marketing research and consumer profiling. His blog post describes how the international-giant Starbucks can make use of its Twitter followers to more precisely analyze and predict its consumer’s behavior.

 Brian Solis: http://www.briansolis.com/

Article: http://www.briansolis.com/2011/02/the-interest-graph-on-twitter-is-alive-studying-starbucks-top-followers/ 

Date Written: February 8, 2011

Welcome back to my blog!

Disclaimer: Yes, this is yet another marketing post about photography, that’s just the way the blog functions! 

But wait, don’t worry, this time I will not be advertising any brands/stores/cameras or people! Instead, this post will focus on a more technical aspect of commercial photography that is frequently used in marketing; the “The Rule of Thirds”. If any aspiring photographers are reading this, I hope this will be both a lesson in photography as well as an insight into marketing.

Sandals Jamaica - Source: www.sandals.com/jamaica

Rule of Thirds? What?

This rule is one of the first things that any photography course will teach you (I’ve never taken one, but I have watched ample online-lectures to know). The rule of thirds is essentially the number-1 guideline to succesful composition, the way in which the photograph is placed within the picture’s frame. The rule states that the photographer must place an ‘imaginary grid’ over their image. This grid should resemble the simple 4-lines structure of a Tic-Tac-Toe game, resulting in 9 equally-sized squares (hence splitting the image into thirds). From there, the subject of the picture should be placed on one of the 4 central intersections, or anywhere along one of the lines.

The Grid - Source: www.betterphoto.com

This composition method allows the viewer to navigate the photograph instead of quickly focusing on the centre of the image. The viewer is driven to explore the frame. Both mathematicians and psychologists have concluded that the human brain ‘appreciates’ images more when they are not centered. Some mathematicians have even gone so far to prove that the ‘golden ratio’ plays a role in this effect, the rule of thirds accentuates true beauty.

Now why should marketers pay attention to this? Simple: Posters, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, website-backgrounds, promotional videos, tourist-portraits, lobby-wallpapers, name-tag designs, etc. I think you get the point: advertising is centered around visual displays, and visual displays require composition. Watch this:

The horizon is perfectly aligned with the lines; this photographer knew what he was doing. Need more proof? Here’s another one!

The butler seems to dominate the left third while the guests are placed in the right-third - Source: www.sandals.com/jamaica

The rule of thirds has helped marketers attract guests to resorts such as this one for many years. And it is really that complicated? No! This basic rule has enormous marketing effects! If a picture can draw the attention of the viewer, than that same picture has massive advertising potential.

One of my own pictures illustrating the Thirds Rule.

In the interest of reader-appreciation, I find that it is time for a post that is not as intensely Nikon-related as the previous ones. In that spirit, the following 280-odd words will attempt to move the ‘consumer decision making process’ from a theoretical model to a realistic example. I will briefly explain the steps I took to end up with a camera that has taken over 8,000 photos in 11 months.

I. Realize a Need

For many years I had been interested in taking pictures, however, a small Kodak point-and-shoot really did not get me very far. In February of 2010 I decided that it was enough. The money I had saved up for over 5 years seemed to finally have found its purpose: a camera.

A decent lacking-an-awesome-camera picture.

A nicer post-awesome-camera picture.

II. Search for Information

The next step was obviouslyto gather some information about the type and brand of camera that I wanted. Hours of youtube-ing and google-ing combined with random trips to shady downtown Vancouver camera stores provided me with ample information to work with. I figured out that certain cameras were good for potraiture, others for landscape, and yet others for both. I needed the latter. One day, after having debated with a rather grumpy-camera-salesman in his small camera store, I was directed to ‘Lens and Shutter’, a camera store on Vancouver’s Broadway (to me, this store resembles The Grand Canyon, a tub of cookie-dough-ice-cream, a sunny day, and a gorgeous girl all combined; it’s beautiful, my favorite store. Anywhere.) Upon visiting the store I confirmed the various cameras I had been thinking about.

Source: http://www.lensandshutter.com

III. Alternative Evaluation

Having collected a 30-page document worth of information I settled with several cameras: the Nikon D5000, Nikon D90, and the Canon T1I Rebel. In order to evaluate which of these cameras I wanted, I visited a number of ‘photography’ blogs and ‘youtube camera comparison channels’. In the end, I chose the Nikon D5000 based on my budget and the camera’s flexibility.

IV. Purchase

This segment of the ‘Photographers Process’ is rather quite bland. I had made my decision and the following day, at 8AM I headed off to Lens and Shutter. by 9AM I had the camera in my hand, and by 9:30AM I was in class, utterly un-focused. About 60 minutes later I was unpacking the camera; slowly, carefully, and filled with awe.

V. Postpurchase

This phase of the process is often described as the ‘consumers remorse’. I did not experience this feeling. Yes there were several times when I wished I had purchased a different kit lens, but in the end I really felt that this purchase was a good one. And to this day I would agree.

In order to expand on my previous post, I will discuss some of the means by which Nikon strives to maintain its current market share and consumer base. Through a series of marketing campaigns, Nikon is successfully advertising its products to two distinct consumer groups. Though the company is clearly ‘camera and optics’ oriented, it does serve various market segments. Its main product categories are: DSLR’s and Point-and-Shoot (referred to as PHD’s: Push-Here-Dummy).

Since 2008, Nikon has employed actor Ashton Kutcher to be the company’s spokesperson for the point-and-shoot products. This product line is named COOLPIX, a suitable name for Kutcher’s public image. Nikon realizes that one of the psychological needs of its consumers is to ‘fit in’ or simply: be cool. As most amateur photographers do not need high-end cameras, the COOLPIX series has been designed for them specifically. Through a series of television and multi-media advertisements, Nikon links Kutcher with the COOLPIX series, in essence, putting the ‘cool’ back in COOLPIX. Using the actor as their spokesperson, the company successfully shapes the consumer’s perception of what it means to be cool.

 In order to address the DSLR-consumer, Nikon has used the ‘I am Nikon’ campaign to promote a sense of individuality and customization. The ads illustrate the ways in which people can express themselves with a Nikon camera. There is a Facebook group for this campaign where its creators regularly post intersting facts/techniques to keep the consumers interested. (76,362 members… myself being the 76,362th)

One of the famous photographers working with Nikon is Chase Jarvis (http://www.chasejarvis.com/), a commercial photographer with international fame. Jarvis, the creator of ‘IPhone as Art’, has always striven to interact with his fans on a regular basis. Through a multitude of YouTube-videos and blog posts, Jarvis keeps his fans updated with the gear he uses, the techniques he implements, and the campaigns he is involved with. Personally, I greatly enjoy watching his videos, and they have certainly affected my decision to go with Nikon. Jarvis uses and tests cameras given to him by Nikon, and his reviews are watched by many. An effective marketing method.

In essence, Jarvis and Kutcher are not much different, they simply appeal to different market segments.

 Jarvis is the Kutcher of Serious Photography; Kutcher is the cool in COOLPIX.

Combined, these proponents of Nikon present a formidable opposition for any of Nikon’s competitors.

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog! 

In February of 2010 I bought my first DSLR camera (a Nikon D5000, often referred to by others as ‘Tim’s Child’), since then, many people have started identifying me as ‘that Nikon guy’, photo-Blonk’ or simply: ‘that guy who loves to take pictures’. I prefer to go by the last title, as it most accurately describes me. Therefore, when it came to writing a marketing blog, it seemed natural for me to start with a post about photography. So here we go! (I will keep this blog mostly professional, but I realize that a bit of humor never hurt anyone)  

Now I would like to start by adressing the issue of the barbed wire in the header of this blog. I took this picture three days ago while on a retreat in Hope, British Columbia. I consider it to be one of my best photos of the weekend; it is incredibly simple, there is really not much to it aside from a really large aperture setting on my Nikon Lens. However, I still really like it. Wondering how others felt about it, I asked several friends what they thought of it. The result: 12/20 did not like it very much, 4/20 thought it was interesting, and 4/20 really liked it. 

Perspectives Differ, So Do Consumer Wants

 Main Point: People have different tastes in what they like, what they want, and how they perceive the things around them. In this case, my taste in photography varies from that of most people, in essence I can represent a niche-market of ‘odd-picture-consumers’. 

Marketing is all about finding these different trends in consumer’s wants and desires; adjusting products and advertising to maximize the consumer desire for one’s goods. In the field of photography, marketing is impossible to miss. Take into consideration the two largest competitors in the DSLR-camera industry: Nikon and Canon. 

 

In essence, both companies produce very similar goods; both have 18-55mm lenses, both sell 12.3 mega-pixel camera bodies, both continuously improve their products in response to customer feedback. However, I will never buy a Canon camera. Why? Effective Marketing. 

Nikon and Canon market their products in very different ways, and I will be sure to adress the specifics of their marketing strategies in a future post. But for now I would like to conclude this post with several things I have observed:

– Consumers want to be different, but they also want the products that will serve them best. The result: a fierce marketing battle between companies that can both provide quality and individualized products.

 – Marketing breaches all areas of society, from blatant billboard ads, to the subtle ‘this famous photographer uses our cameras, if you want to be as good as him, use our cameras aswell’. 

-Marketing strives to create a loyal-customer base. In the photography industry, marketing to amateur photographers is of utmost importance. The first brand a photographer buys, will most likely be the brand he/she will stick with for the rest of their life. (very high life-time values for companies such as Nikon and Canon)  

– Sadly, not everybody enjoys pictures of barbed wire. 

I hope you enjoyed this initial post! 

In case you want to see how I have been using my Nikon camera, feel free to look at some of my pictures here. 

Final Note: I have use the name ‘Nikon’ 8 times in this blog post. Is subliminal messaging acting as marketing? Yes.