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Sankei had a new article in the Panasonic Lumix S9. Panasonic's launch of the Lumix S9 camera hit some problems recently and has faced criticism for a marketing blunder that has cast a shadow over the launch.
The controversy is centered around the S9's promotional images on Panasonic's Japanese website for the S9. After the Lumix S9 was announced, photographers in Japan noticed that the Japanese Lumix S9 product page featured numerous photos that weren't captured with the new camera. This included a photo of a dog running across a field of grass that could be found on Shutterstock. Beyond that, one of the several stock photos seen on the page was captured by a Nikon Ambassador. Ouch, Panasonic, the least you could have done is use images taken by your cameras.
Not surprisingly, these photos have since been removed.
We have seen this with various promotional materials, especially in the smartphone genre, but it's been a while since a major camera company has been caught doing this.
Panasonic offered a detailed response for the stock photo. In a press release, they acknowledged the mistakes and apologized for misleading consumers. You can view the original pdf press release here. They attributed the missteps to an “outdated marketing mindset,” referencing a video camera advertising from over 20 years ago that used non-product footage. Panasonic has promised a complete review of its marketing materials and a stricter process to ensure all future promotions accurately reflect the capabilities of its products. Maybe using the camera to take the pictures would be a good start, but a marketing wizard I am not.
The Lumix S9 will be a fantastic camera, but Panasonic's marketing missteps have created a hurdle the company didn't need. Other vendors, such as Canon, have quickly looked through their promotional materials for stock photo usage, and according to Sankei;
Canon said that it has used paid images when presenting examples of situations in which the camera can be used, but added that “photos to promote sample images and performance are taken with the actual product.
I still think the S9 will be a fantastic product for Panasonic and I may still get one myself but this was certainly an unforced error. The S9 is available for preorder for $1497 from B&H Photovideo.
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