Panasonic Apologizes For Passing Off Nearly 80 Stock Photos As Promotional Shots
Image via Panasonic
Panasonic recently found itself under the lens of photographers over the images it used to promote its Lumix S9 camera. The snafu came to light after sharp-eyed users in Japan spotted that the product page featured stock photos, instead of pictures taken with the new camera.
Photographers noticed inconsistencies in the product images, and it wasn’t long before one was identified on Shutterstock. Several other images turned out to be the work of a Nikon ambassador.
The outcry prompted a comprehensive review of Panasonic’s website, with an internal audit uncovering 77 product pages across various camera models featuring stock images incorrectly attributed to the cameras being promoted.
To rectify this, the brand has revised its principles: all images must now be taken with its own camera products, and if other models are used, they must have a similar pixel count and clearly state the equipment used.
A representative from Panasonic explained that this practice was a holdover from a time when non-product images were often used in video camera advertisements, a mindset that inadvertently carried over to their current marketing approach.
In an interview with the Sankei Shimun, the spokesperson apologized and said that this was a norm more than 20 years ago, “and we created the site with that mindset.”
[via PetaPixel and Photo Rumors, cover image via Panasonic]
