Manfrotto

File:Manfrotto 190XB.JPG

Manfrotto 190XB -tripod.

Manfrotto is a brand manufactured by Lino Manfrotto + Co. Spa, a company headquartered in Cassola, Italy. Manfrotto is a worldwide leading brand in the manufacturing of camera and lighting supports. Manfrotto is owned by the UK company The Vitec Group, which purchased Lino Manfrotto + Co. Spa in 1989.

In 2010 Manfrotto established the Manfrotto School of Xcellence (sic), an educational resource to support and help everyone to get closer to photography and videography.

History

Lino Manfrotto, an Italian photojournalist, began designing light stands, booms, and telescopic rods in the late 1960s. In 1972 Lino Manfrotto met Gilberto Battocchio, a technician working for a Bassano mechanical firm. In 1974, the company introduced its first tripod. The company grew, and in 1986 Manfrotto, already with 6 plants in Bassano, landed in Feltre, in the industrial zone of Villapaiera, establishing 5 plants in the space of two years. Vitec Group Plc. purchased the French company Gitzo in 1992 and the American company Bogen Photo Corp. in 1993. Vitec Group Plc. chose to maintain the separate brands as separate lines in its portfolio. Manfrotto products are distributed in Germany, France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States by Manfrotto Distribution. In Canada, Manfrotto products are distributed by Gentec International.

Advertising campaigns

In 2010 Manfrotto changed its brand tag line from Manfrotto Proven Professional to Manfrotto Imagine More. In May 2011 Manfrotto launched an online initiative asking people around the world to contribute in building the first Manfrotto Imagine More Manifesto posting and sharing their contributions via Twitter and Facebook. In July 2012 Manfrotto launched the Manfrotto Imagine More blog, a new web resource where to get tips on how to get the best from our pictures, learn simple and easy ways to make them better and share them with other people more effectively.

Competition

Manfrotto's main competition is from such brands as Benro and Slik on the low end, Velbon on the full range and on the high end from Miller and Gitzo (which, as noted above, is part of the same group).

External links

• Official website
• Manfrotto School of Xcellence Website (COM)
• Manfrotto Imagine More Website (COM)
• Manfrotto Fan Page on Facebook