February 13, 2006
An Open Letter To Dick Smith
This post is simulcast on HandcuffedLightning, and submitted as a Letter to the Editor of The Age.
Dear Mr Smith,
We support your efforts to maintain an Australian heritage. Your recent efforts to prevent logging of Tasmania's Recherche Bay, your ongoing dedication to establishing Australian publications like Australian Geographic and the Australian Encyclopaedia and finally your Dick Smith Foods range are valiant attempts to promote a self-sustainable Australian culture and heritage.
Like you, we appreciate the logic that '[t]here are two key reasons to support Australian-owned companies – profits stay in Australia and jobs are created for Australians. If every Australian redirects $10 per week from foreign owned companies and foreign made products to Australian, Australia would save $4 billion per year and create 100,000 new jobs.' And of course, the use of your name and image in connection with these campaigns has indelibly linked you with the Australian made campaign.
But probably the most prominent use of the Dick Smith name and image is by your original business venture, Dick Smith Electronics. The website for Dick Smith Electronics explains the decision to use your name and likeness even after the sale of your business.
It's terrific that, well after the sale, the public still knows your face and associates you with a particular set of values.
Marketing material for Dick Smith Electronics states that 'a team of buyers scour the world looking for suitable products.' The list of brands stocked by Dick Smith indicates that this search is not in vain: the vast majority of brands for sale in DSE outlets are imported. Anecdotally, this observation is borne out by our latest trip to Dick Smith Electronics, to buy a (Chinese-made) DSE-branded stopwatch.
We would be interested to know how you reconcile the use of your name and image (both before and after the sale of your business) to endorse imported electronic products with your ongoing and passionate campaign to promote Australian products.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Peter (Glutbusters) and Clare (HandcuffedLightning)
Filed under Politics
Comments
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
Can't wait to see the response.
And for the record, Dick Smith Jelly makes THE BEST jelly shots you have ever tasted. They come away from the shot glass with very little jelly/vodka wastage, and thats important.
Posted by: Sass at February 13, 2006 09:49 PM
Very interesting....
I've always found it hard to reconcile Dickie's goings on. While he seems to put his money where his mouth is on some very worthy issues, i've never been able to get past his seeming narcissism.
When are Mr Smith & whoever he licences his name & image to going to work out that the "Dick Smith" brand has zero commercial currency in today's market. In fact, i'd go so far as to say it probably has a minus effect on any product's value.
Posted by: morgan at February 17, 2006 11:44 AM
Dick no longer has any rights at all over the use of his name and image with regard to the electronics stores. It was part of the deal when he flogged them off.
The irony of a British company (Woolworths) now owning Dick Smith's name and image is not lost on me.
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