Zeiss - Giving in to Antis

[rookhawk]

Looks like an intelligent position for a company with such a broad product base at stake in a woke, and more importantly, cancel culture world (they make a lot more than scopes and binos). They also sell worldwide, not just where the camo is cool crowd is found. I am frankly encouraged that they still embrace "traditional" hunting where even that is under fire in so many places where their products are sold.

They have to tread very lightly due to the shared naming with their parent company Zeiss Wetzlar.

Zeiss makes glass for tens of thousands of applications and customers. They aren’t going to allow their financially “small potatos” sport optic division, nor their private label manufacturing for every other sport optic company to jeopardize the larger glass company with right-wing signaling.

 

[Nevada Mike]

Then Zeiss would probably rather that I did NOT include their products in hunting photos, or perhaps blacked out any of their logos?

I do not hear this kind of stuff from Leupold...

 

[rookhawk]

Then Zeiss would probably rather that I did NOT include their products in hunting photos, or perhaps blacked out any of their logos?

I do not hear this kind of stuff from Leupold...

Correct. Because Leupold's primary source of revenue is hunting with a lot of market share in the tactical "modern sporting" category.

That is not remotely the case with Zeiss where scopes of any sort are an irrelevantly small drop in the bucket of a multi-billion dollar company's holdings.

To run a business, you often have to make policies that ensure someone "doesn't stand too close next to you". I'm sure Purdey and H&H have similar policies. Orvis would not advertise any center-fire rifle in their advertisement nor would they consign them in their gun room for many decades until recently. Similarly, Orvis will not advertise or endorse non-wingshooting related hunts because they don't want the bad PR from greenies that evidently hate birds but love mammals?

 

[DieJager]

For an European company it is not a strange position. Almost no European countries allows minors with guns. Semi-auto are not a big thing in much of Europe and the trophies are likewise marketing wise a wise decision.

They do not promote them is another thing to as being against it. I do not see the problem here.

 

[rookhawk]

For an European company it is not a strange position. Almost no European countries allows minors with guns. Semi-auto are not a big thing in much of Europe and the trophies are likewise marketing wise a wise decision.

They do not promote them is another thing to as being against it. I do not see the problem here.

The only part of their policy that bothers me is the no youth advertisement policy. I think they are the future and to show a pre-teen with a kipplauff, wearing a tyrolian hat, hunting chamois would be tasteful and send all the right messages.

 

[DieJager]

I think they are the future and to show a pre-teen with a kipplauff, wearing a tyrolian hat, hunting chamois would be tasteful and send all the right messages.

I hear you but the minimum age in for example Tirol (i.e Austria) for having a hunting firearm is 18 years. Same in most of the EU. So that would be a bad idea for a marketing campaign...

 

[reineke]

A company has to accept reality- if you try to educate potential customers you might
easily lose more than you gain.
Over all I find these principles understandable and acceptable. Especially if your core market
is Europe and not Leupold-country. An when I consider some of the positions brought forward in some of these forums you'd find not many people outside the Republican Universe that can agree to them....

 

[JPmbogo]

Maybe they read the settlement in the Sandy Hook/Remington lawsuit. The plaintiffs' lawyers got around the ban on such suits by claiming that Remington improperly marketed the product. As an aside, I wonder where the $73 million is coming from?? Also, as I have commented before on this forum, the gun culture/industry in this country is its own worst enemy. Promoting "black guns" with ads showing macho looking men in camo and with a three day stubble holding such guns in an aggressive manner is not good PR with the general public, woke or not. I hasten to add that I am in no way against ownership of ARs or similar guns, but much of the US citizenry probably is, so those that enjoy owing same would be well advised to tread lightly these days.

 

[JPmbogo]

I hear you but the minimum age in for example Tirol (i.e Austria) for having a hunting firearm is 18 years. Same in most of the EU. So that would be a bad idea for a marketing campaign...

However, the Europeans in general tend to have more liberal attitudes towards sport shooting, like beer at schuetzenfests. Try doing that here!

 

[BRICKBURN]

Having the authorities on one’s side is never a bad thing

This brings to mind a another situation a while back…

A sponsor and I’m guessing another one of your “friends” actually threatened (not with death or anything crazy like that but with a physical altercation, a threat nonetheless) another member.

Now you would think that something like that would result in a banning but it didn’t. It probably would have if it were someone else but I’m not sure.

Nobody try to find it. If memory serves it was deleted as well.

AH is definitely a tight knit community. Impartial? I’m not so sure

The fact that I assist @Red Leg with the occasional typo is the actual assistance I provide him after his 30 minute window is closed and he can no longer get at them himself. A polite request and expression of genuine appreciation is his super power. Anyone is welcome to try it.
edit (I made the modifications you just politely requested. Watch out, someone will say we are friends. LOL)

The off topic personal attacks usually get my attention, no matter the author.

Apology accepted. If you'd like to discuss your insinuation you know how to find me. PM sent.

 

[Tra3]

I’m late to this thread, the 8 pages of reading have been insightful.
I agree with Zeiss in their social media policy. It makes complete sense to me.
Is boxing advertised with bloody faces? There are some images many people don’t want to see.
My family members support hunting, but don’t like dead animal photos.
Much of the imagery used with other high-end companies also focus on a live animal, nature, friendship, and rustic living. It has broad appeal. We like all of that too.

How to portray youth? We see a lot of adults holding the rifle, a youth along side. Or youth involved, but no gun in sight. The idea of the hunt is clear, but the access to the firearm is avoided. Makes sense to me. It still is a nice image that works broadly.

I am not a fan of tactical, high capacity mag hunting. It gives an idea of shooting fish in a barrel and doesn’t seem skilled.

The small company that does only firearms/hunting related products has a greatly reduced concern about broad appeal. Nightforce doesn’t have to give us any feel-good family photos. Just the name clarifies what is going on.

the fact that big companies like Zeiss continue to advertise ethical hunting is really good for hunting, even if it is intended to be so broad based.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

the fact that big companies like Zeiss continue to advertise ethical hunting is really good for hunting, even if it is intended to be so broad based.

Simple, profound, and true. Zeiss markets all their products to a wide array of people in many different professions, and countries. That they chose a family friendly theme for their hunting optics products is good business. Otherwise they might need to consider re-branding their Riflescope to a name other than Zeiss. Or worse, drop their riflescopes as did Nikon.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The fact that I assist @Red Leg with the occasional typo is the actual assistance I provide him after his 30 minute window is closed and he can no longer get at them himself. A polite request and expression of genuine appreciation is his super power. Anyone is welcome to try it.
edit (I made the modifications you just politely requested. Watch out, someone will say we are friends. LOL)

The off topic personal attacks usually get my attention, no matter the author.

Apology accepted. If you'd like to discuss your insinuation you know how to find me. PM sent.

@BRICKBURN
You are very easy to find mate, no trackers needed,
not much required in the brains depth either.
To find you just look on the AH forum you will be found reading another interesting subject
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bob