GERMANY. For a small manufacturer, taking on the big camera brands in retail is no easy task. But Germany’s Minox refuses to be lost in the obscurity of the photo retailer’s vast shop window.
Since the 1940s, Minox has been known for its spy cameras, famously featured in various thriller movies. Over the past decade, however, the Japanese brands, with their know-how of chips, compact processors and their commercial acumen, have come to dominate a market which now favours digital data capture.
“People know Minox for our small and compact cameras,” said Thorsten Kortemeier, Managing Director of Minox. “But nowadays it is difficult for a small company like ours to compete with Sony and Canon to manufacture the smallest camera in the world.”
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Left: Managing Director Thorsten Kortemeier puts our writer under his Macroscope; Right: The gold-plated diamond-studded DC 1011 Carat. “You’ll pay more for a ring with ten diamonds,” says Kortemeier | |
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The miniature Leica M3 with 5 megapixel resolution, showcased at the TFWA Cannes show recently. The Leica miniature is popular with male, 50-plus travellers with higher incomes | |
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Minox offers two types of packagings for the Leica: metal and wooden. Plastic foil is used for security to deter thefts or minimise damages onboard the airlines Photos by Salina Christmas | |
“Our response is to be different. Minox has always been different. Our approach is to have unique products,” he says.
Minox’s strategy is to offer a variety of outstanding designs on top of its standard compact digital models and MP3 players, coupled with a highly flexible packaging service. It means a partnership with Volkswagen Design – a design outfit recognised not only for its automotive achievements – and also with supply chain partners outside Germany that can fulfil flexible orders at the right price.
The distribution channels targeted in travel retail are airport stores and airlines.
The move to “lifestyle” items started a decade ago. In 2000 there was the release of the miniature Leica analogue model. A digital model was released in 2002. The latest miniature model, the Classic Leica M3 with 5 megapixel resolution, was showcased at the TFWA Cannes show recently.
Spurred by the success of the Leica line, Minox introduced the DD1 – a digital camera that resembles a disc (US$249). The diamond-studded version, the DD1 Diamond featuring eight diamonds, was released in 2003. Arguably, it’s the first Minox model that left a lasting “bling” tag in the minds of photo enthusiasts.
The DD1 Diamond is currently being offered on our sister website, DutyFreeShoppingIndex.com, as the prize for our photography competition.
“This is an impulse buy because you either like it or you don’t,” explained Kortemeier. “It looks fancy. Ideal if you are looking for a gift for a business partner or your daughter.” And as for the round shape? “It’s about taking pictures differently.”
An excitement was created recently with the Minox DC 1011 Carat. Released in September 2006, the model is in effect the DC1011 digital model but in a 24-carat gold-plated body, a lens decorated with ten 0.03-carat diamonds and a slightly higher photo resolution (10.1 megapixel). It comes at a domestic price of US$1500.
“You’ll pay more for a ring with ten diamonds,” Kortemeier said. “With this price, you get the 24-carat gold, the diamonds and a free camera with 10.1 megapixel resolution.”
First shown at Photokina – a major photo imaging show based in Cologne, Germany – in September, the reputation of the DC1011 Carat exceeded that of an earlier gold model, the DC 4211, showcased in Cannes in 2004.
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Clockwise from top left: Minox DMP 3 multimedia player; Minox DC 8122, one of the standard digital models on offer; the Minox 6011 slim camera; Minox TLX, one of several spy cameras produced by Minox | |
Kortemeier and colleagues arrived at the idea of gold-plated cameras after a return trip to Frankfurt on Cathay Pacific Airways. Having spotted a Royal Brunei Airlines craft flying alongside them, they wondered about the kind of camera that would end up on the sales trolley of that carrier.
“It’s a small market for people who have everything but we think that there is a demand,” said Kortemeier. “We have sold quite good quantities in different markets, mainly to Macau, China of course, but also the US and other markets such as the Middle East.”
Apart from these upscale models, Minox also offers other travel items such as the Minox Macroscope (US$200). Listed under its Hunting Optics range, the model offers 8x magnification, and is ideal for bird- or wildlife-watching and landscape surveillance for backpackers, trekkers and architecture fans.
The company offers a flexible packaging service to suit different airlines and requirements. “Onboard sales market requires a special kind of flexibility in terms of packaging or trading conditions,” Kortemeier explained.
“The packaging, in particular, has to be small and transparent for customer’s inspection. For this purpose, Minox has created a special box for the miniature Leica which has a window on top, and a set of instructions at the bottom. It also accommodates the accessories and a cable. The packaging is covered with a plastic foil for extra security. A wooden version of the box is also available.
“We have different requirements from several clients. In terms of flexibility, we can offer a better service than the mega brands. Over the last ten years, we think that we have figured out the needs of the travel retail market. We try to offer the right solution.”
For details, contact Andrea Schmidt-Agel at Minox GmbH Optische & Feinmechanische Werke, Walter-Zapp-Straße 4 • D-35578 Wetzlar, tel: +49 (0) 64 41-917-613; fax: +49 (0) 64 41-917-612; e-mail: info@minox.com; website: www.minox.com
MORE STORIES ON MINOX
Minox goes for gold image at Cannes – 04/10/06
New Minox pocket camera offers sharper images – 12/01/06
