Nikon: Earning Loyalty the Hard
MKG-300 Module 3 Nikon: Earning Loyalty the Hard Way Ken Wright Colorado State University Global Campus
In 1985 the F2 camera was Nikon Corporation’s flagship model. Quite basic in design and function, yet perfectly designed and somehow exuded a sense of professional legitimacy when it hang from my neck. Though my feeling of legitimacy was premature, my desire to live up to a professional standard as profoundly important to Nikon, as it was to me. In the fall of 1985 I was issued an F2 and three lenses when I arrived at my first duty station as a photographer in the U.S. Air Force. I had heard of Nikon before, but didn’t know anything about their products. Yet from the first moment I brought the camera to my eye, it felt like it belonged there; like an extension of my hands and vision. The sum of that experience with Nikon’s products, and all that followed in the 28 years were synthesized into my unwavering loyalty to their company. When Nikon Corporation introduced their first camera in 1948 (Nikon, 2013), “Made in Japan” was virtually synonymous with “junk” in the minds of many Americans. As if that were not enough, Japan was still struggling to recover from the destruction of World War II, and most Americans harbored bitterness toward their former enemies and anything that reminded them of their losses. Nevertheless, through determination and commitment to quality, Nikon’s leaders helped reshape opinions about Japanese products and the future of 35mm photography across the world and developed a line of professional cameras and superior service that many professional photographers, American and otherwise, now consider their only choice when making purchases (Nikon, 2013). The physical and technical qualities of Nikon cameras and lenses are among the highest I experienced during my career. The optical quality was consistently excellent, no
matter the focal length or age. Furthermore, the durable build of Nikons protected me from equipment failure, even
In 1985 the F2 camera was Nikon Corporation’s flagship model. Quite basic in design and function, yet perfectly designed and somehow exuded a sense of professional legitimacy when it hang from my neck. Though my feeling of legitimacy was premature, my desire to live up to a professional standard as profoundly important to Nikon, as it was to me. In the fall of 1985 I was issued an F2 and three lenses when I arrived at my first duty station as a photographer in the U.S. Air Force. I had heard of Nikon before, but didn’t know anything about their products. Yet from the first moment I brought the camera to my eye, it felt like it belonged there; like an extension of my hands and vision. The sum of that experience with Nikon’s products, and all that followed in the 28 years were synthesized into my unwavering loyalty to their company. When Nikon Corporation introduced their first camera in 1948 (Nikon, 2013), “Made in Japan” was virtually synonymous with “junk” in the minds of many Americans. As if that were not enough, Japan was still struggling to recover from the destruction of World War II, and most Americans harbored bitterness toward their former enemies and anything that reminded them of their losses. Nevertheless, through determination and commitment to quality, Nikon’s leaders helped reshape opinions about Japanese products and the future of 35mm photography across the world and developed a line of professional cameras and superior service that many professional photographers, American and otherwise, now consider their only choice when making purchases (Nikon, 2013). The physical and technical qualities of Nikon cameras and lenses are among the highest I experienced during my career. The optical quality was consistently excellent, no
matter the focal length or age. Furthermore, the durable build of Nikons protected me from equipment failure, even
References: Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2009). Marketing Management. (13th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Nikon, (2013). Service & support. Retrieved from: http://www.nikonusa.com/en/ServiceAnd-Support/index.page