Turkish Daily News

July 2010

Turkish computer megastore Vatan launched a new marketing campaign Wednesday by setting up stands for consumers interested in buying notebooks for lower prices in Istanbul's Yesilköy district.

Vatan Computer Chairman Hasan Vatan called people to the stands by saying, “Come my friends, come and buy a notebook.” Many customers were attracted to the stands because the prices were lower than normal market prices.

“If consumers buy the products from the Vatan stand, they could receive a discount of around 20 percent,” Vatan said, adding that the company hoped to sell 10 computers per day. “We will continue to set up our stands in the bazaar as long as we achieve this amount.”

Vatan said the company's primary aim was to be visible to the public and to advertise the brand in the streets. “We can reach nearly 6,000 people here, and I know they will share the name of our brand by word of mouth with their friends," he said.

The public's reactions varied, as some were drawn to the lower prices while others were hesitant to buy a notebook from a stand in a bazaar.

Meltem Erden, a shopper walking through the Yesilköy bazaar, said, “I would need time to do more research before I buy.” Orhan Sahan, another shopper, said, “I would rather purchase my computer from a bazaar,” adding that there's no reason not to buy and sell electronics in bazaars.