Maglite LED – Advertising that tells you nothing
I read a full page ad in a local magazine on the introduction of a new Maglite LED. It didn't tell me what LED is. It didn't tell me why it is better, or what it does different from my current Maglite...It told me nothing of any value.
I'm curious. So I go to the maglite website to find out more....yes, a link on the homepage to the a feature page "Maglite LED Technology"...click through and there is an announcement. I have struck out anything that tells me nothing...
Dear Maglite.com Visitor:
Thank you for your interest in Mag Instrument and its products.We are pleased to report that Mag will soon be adding MAG-LED™ flashlights to its product line.
If these products have been a long time coming, it’s because the MAG-LED™ Technology has taken a long time to develop to the point where it is feasible to make an LED flashlight that meets Mag Instrument's high standards of quality, durability, style and function.
Now, after years of research & development, testing and refinement,Mag Instrument is committed to introducing, in early 2006,(note"is committed to" rather than "will")a line of MAG-LED™ flashlights. Like Mag's incandescent-lamp flashlights, these newest members of the Maglite® flashlight family will have the style, performance, benefits and features that both professionals and consumers have come to expect from a Maglite® flashlight, including the fact that they are built for a lifetime of service. The Maglite® design tradition will be instantly recognizable in them, and they will offer the beam-focusing capability that has always been a feature of Mag® flashlights, AND MORE!
Again, thank you for your interest in Mag Instrument and its products. We look forward to the rollout of the MAG-LED™ flashlights in the near future.
Sincerely,
The Maglite Team
I still don't know what it is...
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September 2nd, 2006 - 09:14
I think you should have a whole section dedicated to this issue. Purging the marketing hyperbole (In truth I use more colorful language) from the business dialog is an idea whose time has definately come.
Maybe you could do this for all major programs moving forward.
I know I would sure like to see it.
September 2nd, 2006 - 14:12
Here is what I reckon has happened; people have been told that you shouldn’t focus on features because it’s the benefits that sell.
So now we have pages of benefits that could apply equally to a torniquet, a law firm (how did that association happen?) or a software application. Bring back features, so I can at least independently evaluate what I buy. Especially in the age of consumer power, this style will go the way of the dinosaur.
On second thought, it might just be laziness; how much easier is it to fill a page with jargon rather than going through the often considerable effort to clearly describe what you offer, how it differentiates and why it is remarkable?
September 2nd, 2006 - 14:33
Update: I’ve just written some feedback on the Maglite.com website…lets see what happens!
August 28th, 2008 - 00:05
I think that you are all rushing to critisism and missing a bit of background on LEDs and on maglite’s new offerings to the market. Maglite, though a main leader in the flashlight industry, was fairly late to offer flashlights with LED technology. LED flashlights have been on the market for the last 8 to 10 years or so and offered by many other flashlight makers for a while now. Most consumers of the flashlight market have already been informed about what LEDs are and why they are better because of the offering from other flashlight makers in the years past. This is the reason for maglites lack of information about LEDs. They know they were late to offer it and figure that you likely already know what LEDs are. All they are saying is that: “you’ve known and used maglites for years, and we now offer an LED”. That’s all.
August 28th, 2008 - 09:01
Kev,
Thanks for your contribution! There is a very big assumption in your argument, and that is that “Most consumers of the flashlight market have already been informed about what LEDs are”.
I’ve never had any other flashlight apart from a Maglite. I love that brand. Assuming that I have been educated by the competition is very, very risky, without any real benefits. Why not tell me how it improves my beloved maglite? in the space that they used for “marketing hyperbole” (as Scott described it in his comment) they could have told me exactly why this is a better MAGlite than the one I have.