Jim and Aus, as you note, SanDisk isn't doing all that great a job of marketing. Certainly nothing like Sony did from the beginning. One difference, however, is that Sony was marketing a transistor radio (its first product), not just a transistor component in the radio. SanDisk is not marketing a camera or MP3 player. Only a component, so that may be why a major marketing campaign might not be as successful.
Still, I think that SanDisk might do some co-promotions, or whatever they call it in the business, where a manufacturer pays for a portion of the advertising costs of a retailer carrying its products. This is what Microsoft has done with great effect over the years. I also think that SanDisk is making a big mistake not getting some of those kiosks out there in the marketplace, where people can see something with a SanDisk label. The only kiosks that I know of around here at least are Kodak. They don't work all that well, but at least they bear the Kodak logo and familiar yellow color. You'd think that SanDisk would try to get a few pilot models in areas where their use could be monitored (at a photo finishing store, for example, where technicians would be able to help anyone who didn't figure out how to make the thing work). Last year, my impression was that they would try to get some kiosks out there on an experimental basis. It's somewhat disappointing not to see more effort in this regard, especially if what SanDisk really wants is to establish a strong retail brand name and recognition.
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