Nikon's Mass Appeal

By Greg Scoblete On Jul 22 2002 - 6:00am

In the land of digital cameras, the 2-megapixel resolution segment is king.

Some vendors, in an effort to gobble up share, brought a number of low-cost models to market, only to get burned on the margins. Nikon had stayed above the scorched-earth pricing fray with two 2-megapixel models in the $700-$800 price range.

But that changed with the CoolPix 775, Nikon's first 2-megapixel camera aimed squarely at the mass digital camera market.

The product has been "a great success," in the words of Nikon's marketing VP, Jerry Grossman.

Instrumental to the product's success was Nikon's "guerilla marketing" campaign surrounding the launch of the CoolPix 775. Nikon sent a van to 12 markets around the country proselytizing the 775's virtues and tapped "Sex in the City" star Kim Cattrall to hawk the product in a New York City promotional party.

The product debuted with a $449 suggested retail price in July 2001, but in October of that year Nikon brought it down to $399.

"We realized that with the competitive landscape being what it was, we needed to get the price down a bit. And when we did, the product just took off," Grossman said.