Indonesians snap up digital cameras

Indonesians snap up digital cameras

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The latest camera technology has helped foodie and culinary TV
host Sisca Soewitomo to prepare the materials for her programs
without extra help from others.

"I travel frequently to various places nationwide to search
for 'unexplored' Indonesian recipes," Sisca told The Jakarta Post
over the weekend. "I need a camera that can help me take pictures
of these foods because I'm afraid I will forget all the
ingredients once I arrive back home."

Sisca said she preferred to use a digital camera because she
could see the results immediately after she took a shot.

Speaking during the Sony Cyber-shot Year End Promo at Anyer
Beach, Banten, Sisca said the technology in the camera had
enabled her to make a sequence of pictures into a slide
presentation.

With separate software, a customer could apply editing
techniques to create a video compact disc (VCD) slideshow
accompanied with selected music, she said.

Sisca was not the only happy digital camera user at the
promotion. Marketing statistics show an increasing number of
Indonesians are flocking to buy digital cameras and PT Sony
Indonesia says its sales point to a 20 percent increase for this
year from a 10 percent hike in 2004.

The company's digital imaging supervisor Eanni Adinata said
digital cameras and accessories made up 10 percent of the total
sales of Sony products.

"Sony has provided Cyber-shot in various segments with a price
range of between Rp 4 million (US$435) and Rp 9 million," product
trainer supervisor Heru Hendrawijaya said.

In a bid to boost sales, the firm had a customer-oriented
strategy, Heru said.

"We have routinely reviewed our feedback and complaints from
customers in our weekly internal meeting called the customer
communications marketing meeting."

To lure customers to the brand, the company had provided
discounts and given away free airline tickets. But most
importantly, it had created programs involving customers and
their reasons for buying Sony cameras, he said.

"We create a traveling program with the customers that also
involves professional photographers to teach them how to use the
cameras," Heru said.

Photographer Edward Tigor Siahaan explained the technical
advantages of Sony cameras.

They had a lot of memory which meant they could capture images
in great detail, he said. (004)