I was at my son's soccer tournament today (check out pics HERE on their team site if you're interested), and there was something there I'd never seen before.

Sony had an SUV all tricked out with a big flat screen in the back and LOTS AND LOTS of their new alpha SLRs.

They'd let parents borrow a camera w/a pretty good lens for an hour (just have to leave a driver's license), and when you bring back the camera, they'd burn all your shots onto a CD for you, plus add them to the running slideshow they were showing on the big flatscreen.

I've seen Canon do this for CPS members at some events, but I've never seen a company go after the parent market like this -- brilliant move if you ask me! They're aiming to get a slice of the market, and they're going for one of the biggest demographics. Pros spend a lot of $$ on gear, but they're a relatively TINY %age of the population. Parents are spending a lot of money on good camera gear, and they're a HUGE part of the population -- especially the parents who pay to have their kids in club soccer. So, having their SUV there today was really neat to see.
I don't think they'll get a huge slice of the Pro SLR market, but they're doing good things to get a bigger slice of the enthusiast-with-disposable-income market!

Here are some shots:

one of the moms on our team with her loaner:


The back of the SUV:

interesting.....not sure how i feel about this....not sure i should feel anything about it.

just sayin'

thanks for posting it up

Definitely a better PR move than Nikon's ad with Ashton K showing how easily a D60 can take wedding pics.

At least Sony isn't encouraging folks to be wedding photogs (did anyone see a pro photog at the "wedding" in the Nikon commercial?)

They are brilliant. And I don't think it's a threat to our livelihoods, either.

My mom was one of those soccer moms back in the 80's & 90's, and dad bought her a pretty great Minolta complete with a sweet lens. (Film, of course.) She never even CONSIDERED becoming a pro photographer... she just wanted good photos of us in sports, on vacations, and so on.

damn clever markting....

Friggin' brilliant! Had that been at a game my kids were at when they were five (before I got a DSLR) it would have sold me...

Lol I would have been over there grabbing me a camera. I loooove getting to play with different cameras! I probably would have gotten a funny look considering I'd have a good bit of canon gear all hanging around my neck though. Lol.

Somebody at Sony's getting a raise!