Hasselblad Lunar : they go defensive

[Shashin]

From the release link:

This Lunar first look video pretty much describes the target audience: "this is a camera for the person who appreciates that getting there in style can be more important than getting there the fastest"

That about sums it up. They are looking for "slow" customers.

 

[Stefan Steib]

Ha - this video is priceless.

"The lunar has Decadence - the kind of french Riviera and full body massage decadence......"

Huaheheheh :ROTFL:

Is it possible to give an award for these marketing people for the BS of the century ?

Lets sum it up. I take a medium class compact, put a grip on it and 2 "Titanium buttons!" stick a brand on it and some premium bubble around and by this raise the price by 5x.

Hmm. I would propose this business model to other branches. VW which is also holding the Bugatti brand takes a Golf GTI, attaches a winered special colour and gold covered bumpers , put some bugatti stickers on, calls it Premium-the new small Bugatti "Golfron" and sells it for 150k €.

Ridiculous ? :loco:

Greetings from Germany
Stefan

 

[jotloob]

. . .
Huaheheheh :ROTFL:

Is it possible to give an award for these marketing people for the BS of the century ? . . .

:thumbup:

Stefan

Are you thinking of BS AWARD in Silver , Gold or Platinum .

 

[Stefan Steib]

:thumbup:

Stefan

Are you thinking of BS AWARD in Silver , Gold or Platinum .

Of course Platinum with Diamonds. I mean this really needed some Chuzpe.
But as always I fear Heroes die first..........

Stefan

 

[ShooterSteve]

Very very sad to see a company like Hasselblad lower themselves to a stunt like this. I started my career in New York when Hasselblads were the icon of a real pro photographer. Owning your first Hasselblad was a major step forward in your career. How embarrassing to see a company with that kind of reputation sink to this level. They will never ever attract 20 year olds with a repackaged $1000 Sony. If anything, the youngest generations are less affected by brand names than anyone. Cheap DSLRs, iPhones, and Holgas are what they like to shoot with. I really hope Hasselblad comes up with a new revolutionary MF system.

 

[Shashin]

Ha - this video is priceless.

"The lunar has Decadence - the kind of french Riviera and full body massage decadence......"

Huaheheheh :ROTFL:

Is it possible to give an award for these marketing people for the BS of the century ?

Lets sum it up. I take a medium class compact, put a grip on it and 2 "Titanium buttons!" stick a brand on it and some premium bubble around and by this raise the price by 5x.

Hmm. I would propose this business model to other branches. VW which is also holding the Bugatti brand takes a Golf GTI, attaches a winered special colour and gold covered bumpers , put some bugatti stickers on, calls it Premium-the new small Bugatti "Golfron" and sells it for 150k €.

Ridiculous ? :loco:

Greetings from Germany
Stefan

Stefan, you are just jealous that you did not think of it first for your H1 camera. A little leather and some diamond studs and you will see an instant impact in your sales. You just need to start hanging out with Johnny Depp.

 

[Stefan Steib]

You are sooo right Shashin......... I´m green of envy.......
I just think they could have done even better with the choice of materials.

Like Polarbear penis leather, or petrified mammoth tree wood grip or buttons made from the wreck of James Deans Porsche. It´s a missed chance and they could have raised the price 10x !

:facesmack:

Stefan

 

[PeterA]

Porsche
Levi
Harley Davidson
Apple
News Limited
and ( even)
Warren Buffett


These are just fa few companies/brands in different industries off the top of my head that have made huge strategic errors based on poor product strategy and or business decisions over the last 3 decades - all of whom suffered and bounced back when they corrected...

I could add to the list but my simple point is that every company in business makes errors - even huge errors

Success always has a thousand fathers - whilst failure is always an orphan.

I wouldn't write off Hasselblad too soon chaps - this 'move' regarding re-badging Sony Nex no doubt is an insult to the heritage and the brand and more importantly to photographers of all persuasions - it will be corrected.

All the best
Pete

 

[Vivek]

You are sooo right Shashin......... I´m green of envy.......
I just think they could have done even better with the choice of materials.


Stefan

Nothing tops the Contax T in terms of the choice of materials!

Shutter release is Ruby. Housing is Titanium. Expensive camera when it debuted. Still going strong like an energizer bunny. Looks and feels classy as well.

 

[Shashin]

Minolta was ahead of the game:

Minolta: Courreges AC 101 Price Guide: estimate a camera value

Kind of wonder why they went out of business...

 

[Stefan Steib]

The idea of special editions is OK overall. The problem and the main point of criticism is that there is no mystical standard edition with a 100 years old history !

I think Hasselblad did not understand the principle ! If they would have done a 553cx last edition with a CFV50 and maybe the quality and the look of this
(maybe in a more decent color.....)
Dinosaurs and Robots: NASA Hasselblad on eBay

it could have been a base of discussion. But even this approach is beyond their understanding. I think the Ferrari edition never sold well (after 3 years there are still some left so.....) - why- because there never was any logical and historical connection between the both.

Now they talk about the moon , name the product after it and present it with an Astronaut, but the damn thing doesn´t have ANYTHING to do with this heritage ?

The missing term is : "Authentic"

.

Stefan

 

[Vivek]

Moon had been exploited to sell products. Google Tang.

At least this time around, one astronaut is getting paid!

 

[GrahamWelland]

Maybe Hasselblad is hoping to make a killing with this in China where bling, or more importantly name brand bling, sells at a premium and they just need to get a buzz on that this is the must have 2013 thing to own.

Maybe ...

 

[Vivek]

Have you read about the total destruction of some of the pricey cars such as Maserati, Lamborgini, etc in China, out of total disgust over repairs and customer service? They may have some very wealthy people but not complete morons.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Porsche
Levi
Harley Davidson
Apple
News Limited
and ( even)
Warren Buffett


These are just fa few companies/brands in different industries off the top of my head that have made huge strategic errors based on poor product strategy and or business decisions over the last 3 decades - all of whom suffered and bounced back when they corrected...

I could add to the list but my simple point is that every company in business makes errors - even huge errors

Success always has a thousand fathers - whilst failure is always an orphan.

I wouldn't write off Hasselblad too soon chaps - this 'move' regarding re-badging Sony Nex no doubt is an insult to the heritage and the brand and more importantly to photographers of all persuasions - it will be corrected.

All the best
Pete

I don't think they will be able to correct it. It's not their first mistake:
When Hasselblad changed their H-series cameras into a proprietary system, closing other back suppliers out, it was an understandable, although heavily critisised decision. But they didn't only lock others out. They made a system so complicated that for one who looks for a second hand camera and back, finding out which camera is compatible with which backs and lenses is much more complicated than figuring out relations between other vendors that aren't really connected in any formal way.

As one who is on my way into digital MF, Hasselblad was the brand I looked at first, but the confusion made me skeptical. Then came Lunar, and I just had to conclude that Hasselblad is a company out of touch with their potential customers and probably some existing ones as well. Not only would I never buy a Lunar, but I won't buy into any of their systems (unless I get it very cheap), simply because I fear similar customer-unfriendly decisions coming up in the future as well.

Hey... their most attractive model to many (most?) potential buyers, the H4X, is only available if you are willing to trash an existing H1 or H2. It's like buying methadone: You have to prove that you're a heroin addict first :loco:

Why go with a company who is diverting into silly luxury gadgets when there are dedicated suppliers like P1, Mamiya and DHW around? I think most of those participating on this forum will agree that expensive gear is much more than what's in the box when you open it. Even Leica during their worst Limited Edition years showed a firm dedication to their heritage and concentrated on cameras that they had actually made themselves and made well. Hasselblad haven't even been able to sell the very limited numbers (100 and 500 if I remember correctly) of their Ferrari and Stainless Steel editions, even if those don't cost much more than a normal Hassy. And now they are going to sell a 2 year old Sony for 6 or 7 times it's initial value?

Had they known anything whatsoever about disaster management, they would have pulled the thing after Photokina, but I think they still see a profit potential. I wouldn't be surprised if they can sell enough of it to make it pay as an isolated case, but their reputation as a camera supplier to professionals and serious amateurs is probably damaged beyond repair. Then the remaining question is: Will the value of the brand name last long enough for the owners to get their investment back. The way this seems to be going, I hope not. They don't deserve it.

Hopefully, there are some skilled enthusiasts left at their offices up north who can pick up the wreckage when the ship sinks, like DHW did with Rollei. It would indeed be sad to see one of the greatest camera brands go under this way.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

I didn't know that they are going to manufacture the Lunar in Australia. This must be the factory, right? :ROTFL:

http://www.getdpi.com/forum/517350-post5909.html

 

[Steen]

Hasselblad Lunar: they go defensive


In a recent interview with Oliver Laurent from the British Journal of Photography, Hasselblad’s Luca Alessandrini & Peter Stig-Nielsen make the following comments about the launch of the Lunar.

“We realize it’s difficult to explain what we’re trying to do when we launch something for the first time, after a little while, when you come out with more products, then people will start to understand.
But in the beginning, when a product is coming out of the blue, it’s a hard one”

The above is from Hasselblad Lunar or Lunacy? Leo Edwards Photography two months ago, as is this quote later on in the British Journal of Photography interview:

"What we’re doing is designing three cameras – a compact camera, a DSLR and a mirrorless – with the same style,”

So apparently more similar products are on the way.

 

[Vivek]

If any news breaks out that because of this Habbelsad debacle, Sony's release of new products are facing delay, it will bite them big time.

Sony should bear some responsibility for this fashion disasters. They made this happen.

 

[jotloob]

Re: Hasselblad Lunar: they go defensive

In a recent interview with Oliver Laurent from the British Journal of Photography, Hasselblad’s Luca Alessandrini & Peter Stig-Nielsen make the following comments about the launch of the Lunar.

“We realize it’s difficult to explain what we’re trying to do when we launch something for the first time, after a little while, when you come out with more products, then people will start to understand.
But in the beginning, when a product is coming out of the blue, it’s a hard one”

The above is from Hasselblad Lunar or Lunacy? Leo Edwards Photography two months ago, as is this quote later on in the British Journal of Photography interview:

"What we’re doing is designing three cameras – a compact camera, a DSLR and a mirrorless – with the same style,”

So apparently more similar products are on the way.

HASSELBLAD can design and produce whatever they want .
They have lost me as a customer and that is for sure .

 

[T.Karma]

Re: Hasselblad Lunar: they go defensive

"What we’re doing is designing three cameras – a compact camera, a DSLR and a mirrorless – with the same style,”

So apparently more similar products are on the way.

No, that's it.

The Lunar is:
- compact
- a dslr : do not start splitting hairs there is no mirror, because it is
- mirrorless

That is why Hasselblad is so genious and why it is like
"The lunar has Decadence - the kind of french Riviera and full body massage decadence......"

:ROTFL: