Secaucus, N.J. — Panasonic’s lineup of digital still cameras will get a promotional boost from a company-wide ad blitz centered around its plasma-TV sets and DVD recorders.
At the company’s line show, held here, today, Burt Desmond, optical group VP, said that the ad blitz — which the company described as the “strongest and most comprehensive” in its history — will show how still photography plays into each product category.
The television ad for the DVD recorder, for instance, will showcase how DVDs can be used to store and view digital still images and home movies. Digital still cameras will also benefit from their own 30-second spot, directed by Andrew Douglas, the director of all of Panasonic’s new television ads and most recently, the director of the “Amityville Horror” movieremake.
Panasonic is aggressively seeking to expand its distribution and its market share in digital still cameras to meet the corporate goal of ten percent share in all of its product categories by 2006.
For the still camera division to attain what Desmond acknowledged would be a significant feat, Panasonic is emphasizing its optical image stabilization technology, which it has incorporated in every camera in its 2005 lineup, from entry level models with 3x zooms at $249 to high-end, 12x optical zoom cameras. It will also seek to build its channel partnerships, including the cultivation of electronics superstores and independent photo dealers.
“When I took over the division in January, we didn’t have a strong presence in retail, and we have to be competitive in each market,” Desmond said.
