Komsomolets to Lubitel Name Change

With the recent Komsomolets revelations I started thinking - why did GOMZ rename Komsomolets to Lubitel in 1951?

I'll keep my ideas for myself for now, and would like to hear yours.

Yuri

Komsomoletses did not have money to buy this camera? So they decided to target a different audience?

Maybe to have a less political or less "Communist" sounding name since exports of the camera was planned (there are Lubitels with logo in Roman letters)?

Regards, Bill

hehehe.. I think Bill if you said that at the PartKom meeting you would've spent some time in Gulag... I think USSR was not shy of its political aspirations and pushed it on the west every chance it could....

Bill and Vlad - both have good points. I was thinking (like Bill) about Lubitel being a good export name, just like Zhiguli (car) was renamed Lada.

However, Lubitel is really not a perfect name either, since in English transliteration it loses 'soft L at the end" (in Russian the L at the end sound in a soft way, like in French "total" or "Michelle".
we often transliterate it as Libitel' for this reason.

And yes, the USSR, especially in the early 1950's still believed in World's Communism, and would not hesitate to use a name like Komsomolets for propaganda purposes.

One thing I cal tell for sure - this name change was not done without approvals from the very top - this was surely a serious matter. Stalin was still alive then, and people were quite serious about such important matters.

Clearly, a name change is a marketing move, but marketing did not exist in the USSR - only total government control of pricing, production quantities, distribution, etc.

This is my theory, by no mean any better than any other one, becasue it uses logic, which was never used in the USSR.
Lubitel, which means amateur, includes anyone and everyone. Komsomolets, as it sounds in Russian, is a male aged 14-28 (komosmol had age restrictions).

Also, Lubitel is a perfect name - the camera is not a pro level, but very capable, and can be used by just about any age or gender.

If you look at a Shkol'nik, for example, that was a good name, since you would not imagine an adult using it.

Yuri, komsomolets from 1975 to 1989.

Vlad, I was not thinking of it to say my idea at a PartKom meeting, or anywhere out loud ... more like a whisper in a Minister's ear ... the way things were really decided.

If there were export copies being made of cameras it was probably for three reasons : to spread the fact that Soviet technology in cameras was equal to everyone else; to show to countries other than the USSR, but still inside the Iron Curtain, that "we are here" & "you need us"; and last, for countries outside of the Iron Curtain ... to get their currancy flowing into the USSR.

These are not unusual reasons and so a more neutral name was chosen to make things a success as far as sales go. Propaganda is a complex thing and the Soviets were experts at it (as were the Americans). Not everything would be the best propaganda with a "Communist" sounding name attached. Inside the country was one type of propaganda use and outside anther type.

And I think Yui is correct that the name change eliminates the limited market of youth only.



Regards, Bill

This is a good matter to discuss.
I always inquired myself - Why this name change?.
Komsomolets is a good name -Remember there were a previous bellows
Komsomolets based on Arfo or Efte cameras.
The Americans also used a similar name in "Scout" cameras that were first given to a series of Ansco cameras in the 1920 and several other from Herolds and descendants in the 1950. This is good "Effect Name" but limits the acceptance by the more "grown" market. When it was first done, it was a kind of "Hommage" to these boys.
Historic Regards!

Do not forget "Amator" and "Amator-2" cameras for the German and Swedish markets!
http://www.ussrphoto.com/Wiki/default.asp?WikiCatID=72&ParentID=1&ContentID=177&Item=Amator
http://www.ussrphoto.com/Wiki/default.asp?WikiCatID=72&ParentID=1&ContentID=178&Item=Amator+2
Regards

The Komsomoles was politically wrong name in many ways. Just imaging that camera happens to be defective then someone may say "Kosomoles is defective", or "Komsomoles does not work" or "Komsoles complete sh...."
Or even worse someone will say above words, but you can not prosecute him!!!!!(or her), because it was "sayed about the camera"!!!!

You are exactly correct Okynek!

But maybe you could prosecute anyway! After all, probably the tribunal or judge could just the words, not the context. Better if Komsomolets was bad ... just keep your mouth shut (or whisper it at home;-).

Regards, Bill

Okunek,
This is the best theory so far. I can only imagine how many poor photo Lubitels ended up in GULAG because of Komsomolets.

I agree with Yuri, this IS the best theory here, hehehehe... and it's sound something that they would do back in the "motherland"

quote:

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how many poor photo Lubitels ended up in GULAG because of Komsomolets.

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Calamburchik
It would be so if it would not be so