Why Product Marketing Outsynched Across Geographies Is a Bad Idea

Compare Canon’s web site about digital cameras in the USA and in Europe. We Europeans have to suffer through this long page that makes it almost impossible to tell apart products from each other, while the US site gives a good overview of their two consumer ranges, plus a small upselling option to the SLR systems, as well as relevant cross-selling to scanners and printers. It’s instantly obvious how their ranges are organized and what’s new. Feature highlights are visible through a nice rollover effect which makes it very easy to understand that the G3 has more optical zoom than the G2 (and who cares about digital "zoom" anyway?)
Canon shouldn’t let its European headquarters ruin their prospects’ experience. It’s amazing to find a better source about your own product range from a third-party. With the increasing flow of information and travel between continents, I also think it’s misleading to use different names for the same product. It’s smart to rename Diet Coke as "Coca Light" in France, but it’s not a good idea for products that people need to research. French or not, I’m going to hit Google and DP Review, so don’t make it a mind game to learn about your products.

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