Steve Gibby
April 23rd, 2006, 10:29 AM
Why is RED listening to us?
I think it’s wisdom for manufacturers to listen closely to the front line shooters as they do the R & D on a new camera system. The unusual aspect of RED's development process is that they've involved the convergent cinematographer and videographer communities in the thought process of what the RED camera should be like. They've actively sought input on what we, the front-line shooters, feel are the key features, technology, ergonomics, and utility of the camera. Even more peculiar, is that they’ve sought that input from every strata of the shooting community, from prosumer shooters all the way up to the most seasoned DP's. What a novel concept in this industry - enlist the suggestions of all potential users of the camera throughout the development process!
Anyone who has known Jim Jannard for any length of time shouldn't be surprised in the slightest by this type of product development strategy. The same strategy has been enormously successful for Oakley. If I could point to two core items that have been the key to Oakley's success, they are: 1) they have listened closely and consistently to their target market, and given them what they want 2) they are masters of viral marketing and getting their target market buzzed about their products. The same guy that successfully pioneered that strategy with Oakley, is now the founder of RED - Jim Jannard.
A significant portion of my international and national television background since the early '80's has been as a producer, director, and DP for the televising of multiple action sports world tours. Oakley has developed and thrived in that same industry over that same time span. Oakley has been a key sponsor for many of the professional sports tours that I've been involved with televising. They have consistently listened to their core audience, given them what they crave, and created a buzz for their products. It's a simple, but wildly successful strategy, and I'm not the least bit surprised to see RED go down a similar path – and why shouldn’t they?
As a near 30-year veteran producer, director, and DP, I'm tired of having limited options for camera systems, and quite frankly I've grown very tired of the customary R & D process by some large camera manufacturers who feign listening to their users, and then quite often produce overpriced, low utilitarian value, feature-crippled cameras that have limited use in today's convergent production environment. If RED succeeds with their new camera system, the dynamic of the R & D and marketing paradigm for the overall TV/film camera industry will have irreversibly changed.
I hope this insight into the roots of RED will help everyone understand that RED didn’t just pull their R & D and marketing strategies out of a hat. It’s been a thoroughly successful approach in the sunglass industry, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t be just as successful in the convergent motion media production industry. The people at RED, including Jim Jannard, are hands-on shooters. Don’t let the billionaire tag obscure the reality that Jim’s favorite pastime has always been to simply take a camera out and shoot some great images. He hangs out in jeans and T-shirts. He’s one of us…someone who is passionate about shooting.
I hope this personal insight into Jim Jannard helps you understand why RED listens to us…
No, I’m not an employee of RED, and nobody has asked me to write this post. I’m just someone who has some unique insight into how RED was born.
I think it’s wisdom for manufacturers to listen closely to the front line shooters as they do the R & D on a new camera system. The unusual aspect of RED's development process is that they've involved the convergent cinematographer and videographer communities in the thought process of what the RED camera should be like. They've actively sought input on what we, the front-line shooters, feel are the key features, technology, ergonomics, and utility of the camera. Even more peculiar, is that they’ve sought that input from every strata of the shooting community, from prosumer shooters all the way up to the most seasoned DP's. What a novel concept in this industry - enlist the suggestions of all potential users of the camera throughout the development process!
Anyone who has known Jim Jannard for any length of time shouldn't be surprised in the slightest by this type of product development strategy. The same strategy has been enormously successful for Oakley. If I could point to two core items that have been the key to Oakley's success, they are: 1) they have listened closely and consistently to their target market, and given them what they want 2) they are masters of viral marketing and getting their target market buzzed about their products. The same guy that successfully pioneered that strategy with Oakley, is now the founder of RED - Jim Jannard.
A significant portion of my international and national television background since the early '80's has been as a producer, director, and DP for the televising of multiple action sports world tours. Oakley has developed and thrived in that same industry over that same time span. Oakley has been a key sponsor for many of the professional sports tours that I've been involved with televising. They have consistently listened to their core audience, given them what they crave, and created a buzz for their products. It's a simple, but wildly successful strategy, and I'm not the least bit surprised to see RED go down a similar path – and why shouldn’t they?
As a near 30-year veteran producer, director, and DP, I'm tired of having limited options for camera systems, and quite frankly I've grown very tired of the customary R & D process by some large camera manufacturers who feign listening to their users, and then quite often produce overpriced, low utilitarian value, feature-crippled cameras that have limited use in today's convergent production environment. If RED succeeds with their new camera system, the dynamic of the R & D and marketing paradigm for the overall TV/film camera industry will have irreversibly changed.
I hope this insight into the roots of RED will help everyone understand that RED didn’t just pull their R & D and marketing strategies out of a hat. It’s been a thoroughly successful approach in the sunglass industry, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t be just as successful in the convergent motion media production industry. The people at RED, including Jim Jannard, are hands-on shooters. Don’t let the billionaire tag obscure the reality that Jim’s favorite pastime has always been to simply take a camera out and shoot some great images. He hangs out in jeans and T-shirts. He’s one of us…someone who is passionate about shooting.
I hope this personal insight into Jim Jannard helps you understand why RED listens to us…
No, I’m not an employee of RED, and nobody has asked me to write this post. I’m just someone who has some unique insight into how RED was born.