Say Cheese!

August 5th, 2008

My colleague Emmy will embark on a month long Australian Adventure in just a few days. Her preparations have been extensive; including a grueling boot camp to lose 10+ kilos in 10 weeks and the extreme measure of moving back in with her parents to save money for the trip.

Surprisingly, the single preparation we’ve been hearing most about is the endless search for a new digital camera. It sounds easy enough and some of you may have even already upgraded your camera twice in the time she has spent on this particular action item. You can imagine my surprise when I just received this link showing off her new camera. She actually bought one! Finally, what a shock! I knew it must be something special and sure enough, the single feature that sold her on this model was in fact, Sony’s Smile Shutter! This feature enables you to send your camera on an auto-pilot mission to search and capture smiles and only smiles.

I really do hope it lives up to her expectations because I feel partially responsible for her choice. Emmy is often frustrated trying to capture me in action at speaking engagements and corporate events. I am completely unphotogenic and it is only in a rare photo that I am not making an intense, bizarre, or even scary expression. This frustration is the “Customer Pain” that I always urge clients and students to recognize in their target market. In addition to Emmy, Sony’s target for this product/feature is undoubtedly parents trying to photograph uncooperative kids.

Curious, I quickly scanned some reviews to find out how this new application of face detection technology actually works. As with any new technology, it isn’t perfect and the reviews were mixed. Luckily, the consumer reviews were more positive than the techies, and the consumers are the most important indication that Emmy will be all smiles in her Aussie photos!

The true test will come when she returns with her smart camera! Smile Shutter, catch me if you can!