Sony Sees the Gap Closing

Sony Chairman and CEO, Nobuyuki Idei sees the future clearly when he says:

"I think there is going to be a huge change in the electronics industry in 2006. As the information gap ceases to exist, the power of each individual has become stronger than in the past when corporate PR still worked, and it will get even stronger in three to 10 years. Except for some countries, the era of mass production is being replaced by a power shift to individuals," which would change the way products are chosen, he said.[link]

Sony is waking up to the fact that users want to be able to customize their devices to work with other devices through their home networks. Feature choice and customization are the future. Just as IBM realized that technology services rather than hardware goodies are the key to the future of their business Sony is beginning to see that their business is less about the number of shrink wrapped units sold and more about building a communication infrastructure. Helping people navigate the complex world of technology and entertainment creates valuable bonds with customers. It's one thing for someone to buy a cd player. A customer is prepared to become a loyal customer evangelist when they are informed and educated about how that new cd player works with their existing media library and network of computers and electronic devices. Sony is learning that there is power in customers telling the story of how their Sony stuff works with all their other stuff. The key is internal and external communication. Customers want information.

The closing information gap he is talking about is the ability customers have to find out information about products and services via the Internet. Whether from corporate websites, comparison/review sites, enthusiast sites or shopping sites information abounds online. No longer is product information controlled exclusively by manufacturers and sellers.

Old school centralized corporate PR no longer works. Nuanced sophisticated PR and communication strategies do work. What's important is to know clearly what the techniques and strategies are. As email marketing and blogs proliferate the fact that content is king is more true than ever. You can produce all the content you want but unless it is of the highest value to your audience it will soon be lost in the shuffle.

At Betuitive Marketing we produce the highest quality content for our clients by establishing relationships with industry leading experts who develop custom content. If you are just starting out in the realm of emarketing or if you are looking for a way to maximize your early successes why not see what Betuitive can do for you. Spend three minute and get a price quote. Marketing communications is hard work. Why not consider outsourcing all the work?