Do You Like This Manufacturer Ad?

JH
John Honovich
Feb 05, 2014
IPVM

I found this to be one of the more eye popping ones I've seen in surveillance, because it used one powerful image with minimal text.

What do you think?

U
Undisclosed #1
Feb 05, 2014

ICRealtime - get your Dahua with a human support person....

LR
Larry Renaud
Feb 05, 2014

I in no way would ever compare my business to people who put their life on the line.

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #2
Feb 05, 2014

Agree with Larry first off

Second, it's confusing unless you know the brand. Are they selling fire monitoring?

No? then the visual imagery is supposed to convey their tech support will "rescue you"

That's great, but it also conveys the message their product will "need rescuing"

Avatar
Marty Major
Feb 05, 2014
Teledyne FLIR

I think we can all understand the obvious visuals.... I 'liked' the ad because I think it will be effective - as the bulk of their customer base is consumer/street level dealer. This demographic has a demonstrated need for technical assistance for anything not explicitly covered in the manual picture pages. So they should respond to the 'warm fuzzy' the ad is intended to impart. I like it because it is targeted at their type of customer.

That said, if this ad ran in SSN or SIW (or any industry publication that takes advertising), the message (and value) is weakened. Integrators don't need manufacturer support to 'put out fires'. They are the ones doing that. An ad targeted to increase the value of manufacturer technical support to integrators should target their particular pain points.

Example: An ad, a la Jimmy John's, that focuses on the speed with which my call will be answered by your manufacturer technical support staff while my customer breathes down my neck would be far stronger.

Also, not to nit-pick, but according to their own visuals, I'm not too confident in their choice of 'fire-fighting' tools. An axe and a claw-thingy, a protective suit and breathing apparatus (and a helmet). Which one puts out that gargantuan wall of flame? :)

JH
John Honovich
Feb 05, 2014
IPVM

FYI, this ad ran in Benchmark Magazine, a UK trademagazine, presumably for installers / integrators.

"Integrators don't need manufacturer support to 'put out fires'. They are the ones doing that."

Disagree. Poor support is one of the top complaints integrators make, only second to the related point of poor reliability. To that end, that is what I think is strong about the ad (though I agree about the issue comparing themselves to firefighters).

btw, I really like the Jimmy John's commercial, though it's hard to compare a print ad to a 30 second video...

Avatar
Marty Major
Feb 05, 2014
Teledyne FLIR

I am speaking directly to the suggested message of the visual only. The 'putting out fires' suggestion... not whether or not their support is 'good' or 'poor', per se - on the whole.

I agree that 'poor support' is a huge liability and all integrators hate it. But how does someone craft an ad that represents 'good' in relation to their support efforts? Good is relative. Tough to do - without showing them alleviating common pain points that resellers of their equipment have.

JH
John Honovich
Feb 05, 2014
IPVM

"But how does someone craft an ad that represents 'good' in relation to their support efforts? Good is relative. Tough to do - without showing them alleviating common pain points that resellers of their equipment have."

It's an ad, Marty. The goal is to express an emotion / concept. I don't think greats ad need to be literal.

For example:

AB
Alain Bolduc
Feb 05, 2014

That was one epic Apple ad. It definitely got the point across that people weren't locked into the PC and DOS anymore. And the timing was impeccable.

I can't say I would consider ICRealtime's in the same league, but it does get you attention, which is was a good ad is supposed to do, although I do agree that the imagery has nothing to do with the product being offered and that is a minus.

Avatar
Michael Budalich
Feb 05, 2014
Genetec

Using a firefighter triumphantly walking into a blazing inferno to represent dedicated support for Video Management Software....

I get the message but its a bit of a stretch.

JH
John Honovich
Feb 05, 2014
IPVM

IC Realtime is not really a VMS company. They are more of a kit provider for trunkslammers.

U
Undisclosed #3
Feb 05, 2014

U
Undisclosed #4
Feb 05, 2014

The imagery is very powerful, so powerful it overshadows the message that's trying to be conveyed.

Also, the tag line is very lacking. As an example, I created a rough excerpt of who else could be advertised with this ad.

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #2
Feb 05, 2014

LOL - Mom isn't the only one who can lend support....

 

CP
Carlton Purvis
Feb 05, 2014

The ad actually works better for Under Armor than it does for IC Realtime or Moms.

CE
Cynthia Ezell
Feb 05, 2014

The ad gets your attention and possibly evokes an emotional response, but it has nothing to do with the product.

JH
John Honovich
Feb 05, 2014
IPVM

Cynthia, I think it's more for the integrator who is less concerned about product (i.e., "all those cameras are the same") than support ("i don't know what i am doing, hopefully the manufacturer will save me from my incompetence").

That said, does anyone know if IC Realtime's support is good or bad?

JH
John Honovich
Feb 05, 2014
IPVM

FYI, of the votes so far, only 15% of integrators like it while 33% of manufacturers do. [Update Feb 9th, now it's 22% integrators, 42% manufacturers - overall improvement but gap remains]. Considering integrators are their target market for this, that's not a good sign. On the other hand, IPVM integrators may not be interested in IC Realtime regardless.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #5
Feb 10, 2014

I have installed half a dozen, or so, systems using IC Realtime equipment. I have had one camera failure out of the box, and one camera that died after about six months duty. No trouble getting an RMA for the failures. I have had no DVR or NVR failures. Several times I have had to call tech support from the job site because I was having programming problems with a DVR or an NVR (One of their problems is that their manuals are not written well). If you can get tech support on the first call, that's great. What usually happens, though, is the receptionist will check with them, because there is no direct line, and she will come back and tell you that tech support is with other clients, and will call you back. There is no option to be placed on hold.

Sometimes, it may be a while before they call back. Meanwhile, you're stuck doing nothing and maybe feeling foolish in front of your client while waiting for their call. Occasionally, the call may not be returned until the next day. IC Realtime has two locations in the US, Arizona and Florida. I think there are two techies at each location. They are knowledgeable enough if you can get to them in a reasonable time.

So, the reason I don't like the ad is because I don't believe their tech support is always there when you really need them. Besides, it looks like the fireman got there too late, anyway. I see nothing in the picture left to save.

JH
John Honovich
Feb 10, 2014
IPVM

Undisclosed, thanks for the feedback!

That reminds me :)

In a discussion about support, we noted IC Realtime's somewhat ridiculous policy:

"IC Realtime officials have devised a question and answer booklet that contains the 30 most asked questions when an integrator calls in with a particular need. Operators are not trained techs, but with the booklet, they can assist many of the callers. If the questions become more detailed, a trained tech takes over to answer questions and resolve issues over the phone."

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #5
Feb 10, 2014

Has IC Realtime started using the Q&A booklet yet? I have not ever experienced that policy in any communications with tech support. I can see that if the integrator's question is precisely in line with one of the 30 listed, then everything goes well. But how knowledgeable and intuitive are the operators? Are they able to link half of one expected question with half of another. That could be really frustrating for the integrator, as well as the operator.

Your right, John. it seems ridiculous.

JH
Jim Hall
Feb 10, 2014

Its sadly true that your front-line "trained techs" at most outfits are little more than script kiddies anyway but, I don't get this one, why not just give the integrator the booklet itself and put the real tech support number in there? In case your on a ladder?

JH
John Honovich
Feb 10, 2014
IPVM

They do have dozens of 'How To' / FAQs online, though I suppose many do not even look, just immediately call for support.

MH
Matt Helmer
Feb 12, 2014
IPVMU Certified

As it may catch the eye- if I saw this anywhere other than this site I would have no idea what product or service this ad is for. It conveys the message but not what the company does in any way.

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