Project Sony

PROJECT REPORT ON

USING DIGITAL WORLD FOR

CUSTOMER RELATION

MANAGEMENT IN INTEGRATED

MARKETING STRATEGY OF

SONY

SONY “Like No Others”

SUMMARY

The Indian consumer durables industry has witnessed a considerable change

in the past couple of years. Changing lifestyle, higher disposable income

coupled with greater affordability and a surge in advertising has been

instrumental in bringing about a sea change in the consumer behavior

pattern.

This industry consists of durable goods used for domestic purposes such as

televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, mobile

phones etc. The growth in the consumer durables sector has been driven

primarily by factors such as the boom in the real estate & housing industry,

higher disposable income, emergence of the retail industry in a big way

coupled with rising affluence levels of a considerable section of the

population.

The company’s software strategy includes the development of new audio-

visual applications designed to personalize technology. Recent examples

include updated Open MG Jukebox music management software, and digital

video editing products, such as Picture Gear, Movie Shaker and DV Gate.

Sony’s vision is to give consumers easy, ubiquitous access to entertainment

and information anytime, anywhere – no matter whether the content comes

from cable, satellite, terrestrial, packaged media or the Internet.


INTRODUCTION

Sony Corporation is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered

in Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerate with

revenue of US$88.7 billion (as of 2008) based in Minato, Tokyo. Sony is

one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications,

video game consoles and information technology products for the consumer

and professional markets. Its name is derived from

Sonus, the Greek goddess of sound. Sony Corporation is the electronics

business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged

in business through its five operating segments—electronics, games,

entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services and other.

These make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies

in the world. Sony's principal business operations include Sony Corporation

(Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer

Entertainment, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, and Sony Financial

Holdings. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20

Semiconductor Sales Leaders. The company's slogan is Sony. Like no other.

teens had begun buying portable transistor radios in huge numbers, helping


to propel the fledgling industry from an estimated 100,000 units in 1955 to

5,000,000 units by the end of 1968.

Sony's headquarters moved to Minato, Tokyo from Shinagawa, Tokyo

around the end of 2006.

The consumer durables industry can be broadly classified as consumer

electronics and consumer appliances. The consumer appliances category can

be further segmented as white goods and brown goods.

With a presence spanning 36 countries, Sony has not only touched the lives

of millions but also has made a difference in their lifestyles. Visit Sony

across the world and discover how a name, synonymous with technology,

has given a totally new dimension to entertainment.

Throughout the world today, Sony stands for innovation, state of the art

technology and superior quality. Leading into its next fifty years, Sony’s

vision is to offer people exciting new products and new lifestyles and

remains committed to the challenge of creating and realizing these dreams.

The Indian consumer durables industry has witnessed a considerable change

in the past couple of years. Changing lifestyle, higher disposable income

coupled with greater affordability and a surge in advertising has been

instrumental in bringing about a sea change in the consumer behavior

pattern.


This industry consists of durable goods used for domestic purposes such as

televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, microwave ovens, mobile

phones etc. The growth in the consumer durables sector has been driven

primarily by factors such as the boom in the real estate & housing industry,

higher disposable income, emergence of the retail industry in a big way

coupled with rising affluence levels of a considerable section of the

population.

COMPANY PROFILE

In a burnt-out department store in Tokyo in 1946, just after World War II,

Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita, running a company then known as Tokyo

Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering), attempted to

produce a simple electric rice cooker. It did not work too well, but it kicked-

off their desire to produce products for everyday life.

In 1958, the company name was changed to Sony Corporation and since

then, Sony has become one of the most recognised brand names in the

history of the modern world. From the outset, Ibuka and Morita strove to

develop exciting products to fulfill people dreams. From its first transistor

radio in 1955, to the Trinitron, Walkman, Betacam, Handycam, the Compact

Disc and the floppy disc .Sony has continually made things better, smaller

and more innovative than ever thought possible.

Sony Corporation now spans a range of industries including audio visual

electronics, information technology, broadcast, telecommunications,

entertainment, satellite broadcasting and even insurance and finance.


Throughout the world today, Sony stands for innovation, state of the art

technology and superior quality. Leading into its next fifty years, Sony’s

vision is to offer people exciting new products and new lifestyles and

remains committed to the challenge of creating and realizing these dreams.


SONY’S HISTORY

Sony was founded in 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. The two

complemented each other with a unique blend of product innovation and

marketing savvy, and formed a company that would eventually grow into a

more than $60 billion global organization.

In 1950, in post-war Japan, Ibuka and Morita created Sony’s first hardware

device, a tape player/recorder called the G-TYPE recorder. Materials were in

such high demand that the first tapes were made of paper with hand painted

magnetic material applied by Sony’s first engineers.

Ibuka was a practical visionary who could foretell what products and

technologies could be applied to everyday life. He inspired in his engineers a

spirit of innovation and pushed them to reach beyond their own

expectations. Ibuka also fostered an exciting working atmosphere and an

open-minded corporate culture. In the founding prospectus, he wrote of his

wish to build a company whose employees gained satisfaction and pleasure

from their work and his desire to create a fun, dynamic workplace.

Through Ibuka’s persistence, the magnetic tape recorder evolved from the

G-TYPE recorder into the Model P (for "Portable"), which became the

company’s first profitable product.

In 1953, the company earned licensing rights to the transistor from Western

Electric. Ibuka urged his engineers to improve production methods with the

goal of creating a consumer product, the transistor radio. In 1955, the TR-55,


Japan’s first transistor radio was launched. And, in 1957, Sony released the

world’s first pocket transistor radio, establishing a market leadership

position for the company.

Akio Morita was a true marketing pioneer who was instrumental in making

Sony a household name all over the world. He was determined to establish

the Sony brand. In fact, he turned down an order of 100,000 radios from

Bulova because they wanted the radios to carry Bulova’s name. Morita

responded to Bulova saying, "Fifty years from now, I promise you that our

name will be just as famous as your company name today." His words could

not have been more prophetic.

And it was after Morita’s first trip to the United States that he suggested to

Ibuka that the company name be changed from Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo to one

that was easily pronounceable and recognizable. The company name "Sony"

was created by combining two words. One is "sonus" in Latin, which is the

root of such words as "sound" and "sonic." The other is "sonny" meaning

little son. The words were used to show that Sony is a very small group of

young people who have the energy and passion toward unlimited creation.

Video innovation was also a priority for Sony engineers. The road towards

building a high quality color television set was quite a struggle, but on

October 15, 1967, a new cathode-ray tube was completed. The new color

television was named Trinitron® - derived from the word "trinity," meaning

the union of three, and "tron" from electron tube. Since its introduction in

1968, the Trinitron television has set the standard for picture quality and

design.


As a proponent of global localization, Morita familiarized himself with local

economies and set up manufacturing plants all over the world. When Sony

constructed a Trinitron® color television assembly plant in San Diego,

California, in 1972, it became the first Japanese-based consumer electronics

manufacturing facility in the United States.

Further, without Morita, the world would never have known the Walkman®

personal stereo. His excitement and faith in the product’s future success was

the true driving force behind its existence.

At first, the Walkman was poorly received by retailers. Eight out of ten Sony

dealers were convinced that a cassette player without a recording mechanism

had no real future. However, the product’s compact size and excellent sound

quality attracted consumers and, ultimately, ignited the personal audio

revolution.

Kazuo Iwama was a detail-oriented person, admired for his scientific

knowledge and discipline. He was made president of Sony in 1976, and

became thoroughly involved in developing the "charged coupled device" or

CCD which paved the way for the camcorder and digital still camera. While

he was president, Sony launched the Betamax® video cassette recorder. His

tenure ended with his passing away in 1982, but not before the launch of the

compact disc player – another Sony innovation that changed the way people

listened to music.

Norio Ohga was responsible for bringing Sony into the modern age and

injecting it with a unique sense of style through product planning, stylish SONY “Like No Others”

product design and innovative marketing. During his tenure from 1982 to

1995, Sony was transformed from an electronics company into a total

entertainment company through the establishment of the music, pictures and

gaming businesses.

Sony acquired CBS Records in 1988 and Columbia Pictures in 1989, which

today form Sony Music Entertainment (SME) and Sony Pictures

Entertainment (SPE) – two of the world’s largest content producers. SME

has produced a string of best-selling albums from artists such as Michael

Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Pearl Jam.

Blockbuster films from SPE include Sleepless in Seattle, Jumanji, Air Force

One, Men in Black and Stuart Little.

Through Ohga’s persistence, the Sony PlayStation® game console was

launched in Japan in 1994 with only eight titles. (It was launched worldwide

in 1995.) Software companies were initially reluctant to support Sony’s new

format because Nintendo and Sega were already firmly established.

However, with PlayStation and, most recently, PlayStation2, Sony has

become the most successful game manufacturer ever.

Nobuyuki Idei, current Chairman and CEO, played a key role in moving

Sony into the digital network era by emphasizing the integration of AV and

IT products. He was responsible for Sony’s image campaign, "Do you dream

in Sony?" and helped coin the term "digital dream kids." The premise of the

campaign was to provide shareholders, customers, employees, and business

partners who come into contact with Sony with the opportunities to create

and fulfill their dreams.


Idei is credited with reinventing Sony’s business model for the networked

society. By complementing Sony’s core competencies with partnerships and

collaborations from other companies, Sony is on its way to becoming a

Broadband Entertainment Company.

Sony Corporation’s current President and COO Kunitake Ando is in charge

of Sony’s global electronics operation. Previously, he was responsible for

Sony’s introduction of the VAIO® personal computer in 1996, and helped

Sony become one of Japan’s leaders in information technology products.

The Leader in Product Innovation

The new millennium is here and Sony has plenty to celebrate. The

company’s approach – doing what others don’t – has paid off, in the form of

great products that people covet.

Throughout its history, Sony has demonstrated an ability to capture the

imagination and enhance people’s lives. The company has been at the

cutting edge of technology for more than 50 years, positively impacting the

way we live. Further, few companies are as well positioned to drive the

digital age into homes and businesses around the world for the next 50 years

and beyond.

Sony innovations have become part of mainstream culture, including: the

first magnetic tape and tape recorder in 1950; the transistor radio in 1955;

the world’s first all-transistor TV set in 1960; the world’s first color video

cassette recorder in 1971; the Walkman personal stereo in 1979; the SONY “Like No Others”

Compact Disc (CD) in 1982; the first 8mm camcorder in 1985; the MiniDisc

(MD) player in 1992; the PlayStation game system in 1995; Digital Mavica

camera in 1997; Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) player in 1998; and the

Network Walkman digital music player in 1999.

Today, Sony continues to fuel industry growth with the sales of innovative

Sony products, as well as with the company’s convergence strategy.

Examples include: VAIO notebooks that raise the bar in both form and

function; digital cameras that capture pictures on a floppy disk, CD-R or

Memory Stick; a handheld device that lets you store and view photos as well

as moving photo; MiniDisc recorders with a digital PC Link to marry high

quality digital audio with downloadable music; DVD/CD multi-disc

changers that playback both audio and video; digital network recorders that

pause, rewind and fast-forward "live" television using a hard-disc drive; and

Hi-Scan flat screen TVs that deliver near HDTV picture quality through

Digital Reality Creation (DRC) circuitry. But Sony is not just the market

leader in consumer electronics.

Through research and development, the company has made considerable

inroads in the areas of professional broadcasting (with the creation of the

Betacam, DVCAM, HDCAM and 24P formats); mobile communications

(with digital phones and the CLIE handheld); PCs (with VAIO notebook and

desktop computers); storage and media (with the invention of the floppy

disk, AIT and DTF drives, and the Memory Stick) and, now, the Internet.

Sony’s future brand success will be determined by how the company meets

the challenges of change. Sony has always led the market in terms of

innovation. But in a digital networked world, products will no longer be SONY “Like No Others”

developed with just hardware in mind. The convergence of technologies –

consumer electronics, computing and telecommunications – is a reality, with

new competitors forming and consumer mindshare up for grabs.

BROADBAND NETWORK ERA

Sony is a corporation with convergence at its very heart. Driven by an

integrated business model, the company is well positioned to bring new

benefits to consumers by combining hardware, software, content and

services.

Sony’s approach is to make it possible for consumers to enjoy various forms

of content on both "home networks," consisting of connected electronic

devices, and "mobile networks" that are accessible through mobile terminals.

Products such as the i.LINK® interface and Memory Stick® digital storage

media provide greater connectivity between digital devices and will help

create seamless home and personal networks.


SONY CORPORATION’S STRATEGY

Sony have successfully created an incredible brand name previously,

however, its legend seem to be falling apart recently. In fact, Sony’s net

profit for the July-September quarter for 2006 falling 94% to 1.7 billion

Yen, compared to 28.5 billion Yen for the same period last year (Benson,

8th Nov 2006). The major reasons for the declining profit are affected by the

critical strategic issues faced by Sony which became a main drawback for

them.

The first strategic issue faced by Sony was the inefficient manufacturing

structures which decrease Sony’s quality that badly affects their reputation

and caused a decline in product competitiveness. DeWit & Meyer (2004:

p192) argue that “the essence of most uniquely Japanese management

practice will be they productivity improvement, TQC (Total Quality

Control) activities, QC (Quality Control) circles, or labour relation – can be

reduced to one word: Kaizen”. They also argue that “the implication of TQC

or CWQC (Company Wide Quality Control) in Japan have been that these

concepts have helped Japanese Companies generate a process-oriented way

of thinking and develop strategies that assure continuous improvement”

(p192). However, in the case of Sony, they did not make any improvement


or perform well in Kaizen or implement an efficient manufacturing structure

that ensure high product quality which affect their product quality and

caused a massive damage to the company. For example, there is the recall of

9.6 million Sony Laptop batteries which were liable to overheat and

potentially burst into flames where Sony even failed to fully study the

problem (Forbes.com, 2nd October 2006) and there are complaints from

Japan’s consumer about PS3’s new system (Wonova.com, 15th Nov 2006)

which will affect the compatibility and status of Sony badly.

The failure of Sony in effectively implements Kaizen or sustain an effective

manufacturing structure to ensure that they have high quality products had

damage their strong brand name and reputation which caused them to lose

their product competitiveness and competitive advantages in the market. As

Johnson et al (2005: p125) argue, “it is important to emphasize that if an

organization seeks to build competitive advantage it must meet the needs

and expectations of its customer”. The fact that Sony’s product qualities are

unable to meet the needs and expectations of their customer had completely

decreases the confident of the market and swipes away its reputation. Finlay

(2000: p295) also argue that “a good reputation is something that all

business would like to have but in some cases a good reputation is much


more valuable than in others”. Reputation is one of the significant intangible

resources (Collis & Montgomery, 1999) for Sony that differentiates

themselves from the competitors for them to charge a premium price for

their excellent product and quality, as Kotler & Keller (2006) argue, good

reputation can create a positive prejudice in the mind of the customer which

make customer prefer the brand. Therefore, the diminishing of Sony’s

reputation will create a negative prejudice and weaken their core

competences which will directly affect their competitive advantages and

become a major threat for Sony.

Besides than quality and reputation issues, Sony are insufficient in

responding to the shift of market demand and losing of its competitive

advantages. The delays for the European launch of PS3 due to

manufacturing problems (BBC.co.uk, 6th September 2006) caused Sony to

become incapable of fulfilling the increasing market demands which

increase the stake for Sony as there are other strong competitors such as

Microsoft and Nintendo to have a head start in gaining market share and

enjoy first mover advantages. Besides, Sony also responds slower than

others in the increasing demand of Plasma TVs and lost ground for key

growing area. As Mintzberg et al (1999: p96) suggest, “first mover may gain


advantages in building distribution channels, in typing up specialized

suppliers or in gaining the attention of customer” and “the first product of a

class to engage in mass advertising tends to impress itself more deeply in

people’s minds than the second, third or fourth”. Therefore, Sony lost its

competitive advantages and large proportion of the market shares in the

game and electronic industry; they are also unable to benefit from the first

mover advantages which left them behind of their competitors.

Currently, Sony are implementing emergent strategies from both “inside

out” – Resources Based View (Hamel & Prahalad, 1990; Barney, 1991) and

“outside in” – Positioning view (Porter, 1980 and Mintzberg et al, 1998), or

so called Market Based View (Finlay, 2000) to secure its current position.

Johnson et al (2005), Finlay (2000), Lynch (2006) and Thompson &

Strickland (2003) all suggested that an integrated approach of the resources-

based and positioning view can maximize the capabilities of organization

and sustaining more competitive advantages. Penrose (1959), Selznick

(1957) and Hatch (1997) also suggested that competitive strategy requires

both the exploitation of existing internal and external firm-specific

capabilities and of developing new ones. In the changing business

environment, Sony needs to cope with the external changes and find the


right ways to deal with it by their own capabilities or resources. Markides

(2004: p9) also agreed that “unless organization take a holistic, big-picture

approach in designing the activities of the company, their efforts will

backfire”.

As for “inside out”, also called the competence-based view (Hodgson,

1998), Sony has been green-lighting asset sales to free up cash so they can

rebuild the company around a tighter core of businesses. In December, Sony

sold part of its 49% stake in retailer StyleLife Holdings to a group of

investors (Hall, 30th January 2007). This managing for value strategy which

“concerned with maximising long-term cash-generating of an organization”

(Johnson et al, 2005: p468) by disposal of assets to get more funds and

reinvest back into different business units such as R&D, production and

others can help Sony to strengthen its core competencies. As DeWit &

Meyer (2004: p326) suggest, “the real sources of advantage are to be found

in managements ability to consolidate corporate-wide technologies and

production skills into competencies that empower individual businesses to

adapt quickly to changing opportunities”.


SONY IMPLEMENT TO BOOST

Another strategy that Sony implement to boost its core competence is

miniaturization (DeWit & Meyer, 2004). To bring miniaturization to its

product, Sony must ensure that technologists, engineers, and marketers have

a shared understanding of customer needs and of technological possibilities

in order to become more customer-orientated with the aim to increase

competitive advantage, as well as create more value added activities. Sony

also implement a related diversification stategy which involve adding

businesses whose value chains possess competitively valuable strategic fits

with the value chain of the company’s present business. Related

diversification among the different businesses provides Sony with sharper

focus for managing diversification and is a useful degree of strategic unity

across the company’s various business activities (Thompson & Strickland,

2003). Lynch (2000: p71) also argue that “it is the combination of resources

that delivers competitive advantage, because such a combination takes years

to develop and is therefore difficult for others to copy”.

Besides, in order to regain Sony’s competitive advantages, they appoint the

first foreign chairman, Howard Stringer to head the company with the aim to

secure Sony’s main ground and hope that an outsider will assist Sony to


think outside the box. As Hamel & Prahalad (1994) suggest, intellectual

leadership are essential to develop industry foresight, anticipating which

trends are likely to emerge, so it is important to build Sony’s new core

competence to shape the industry.

However, Priem and Butler (2001) have shown that the Resources Based

View, as currently constituted, contains a theory of sustainability but not a

theory of competitive advantage (i.e., value creation).They argue that

“simply advising practitioners to obtain rare and valuable resources in order

to achieve competitive advantages and, further that those resources should

be hard to imitate and non-substitutable is not very helpful in providing

practical help” (Johnson et al, 2005: p155).

On the other hand, as for “outside in” which is the Positioning view,

Mintzberg et al (1998) argue that positioning is important and had develop

the Positioning School. Sony also believes that the external business

environment will shift the strategy of the organization. Finlay (2000; p11)

suggest that “organization alter itself and the products and services it offers

in order to match the needs of customers in its chosen marketplace which is

a market-based approach, so called because the organization looks to the

marketplace to see how it should act and how it should evolve”. Besides,


based on the environmental factors, Mintzberg et al (1998) developed the

environmental school which argue people in strategic management must

consider the range of decisional powers available, given the forces and

demands of the external context. Sony insufficient in responding to the

external market had caused them to lost ground in key growing areas and

their strategy must be able to cope with the external environment.

Moreover, Porter (1991) strongly believe that making choices about how

organization position their company in its competitive environment is what

strategy is all about and emphasize on the importance of positioning view.

He argues that organization can sustain competitive advantages by

implementing the generic strategies by position themselves either being

cost-leadership, differentiation or focus (Porter, 1985). Sony had positioned

them selves with a differentiation strategy which seeks to provide products

or services that offer benefit different from those competitors and that are

widely valued by buyers (Johnson et al, 2005). Sony are rewarded with a

premium price with its uniqueness (DeWit & Meyer, 2004) that help them to

gain greater competitive advantages.

However, Bowman & Asch (1996: p36) critics that “a final criticism of

Porter’s approach stems from our experience of trying to use these concepts


with top management teams wrestling with the strategies of their

organization. In addition to the lack of clarity surrounding the generic

strategies, the generic strategies present an essentially static approach to

competition”. Hamel & Prahalad (1994) also argue that “the traditional

competitive strategy paradigm (e.g. Porter, 1980) with its focus on product-

market positioning, focuses only on the last few hundred yards of what may

be a skill-building marathon.”

Finally, Sony is still in a critical position where they need to be extra caution

about all the potential crisis that they will be facing in the future. Finlay

(2000: p451) argue that “crisis control relies on both pro-active and reactive

control. It is pro-active in that, although the precise form of the crisis will be

unknown, broad elements of many crisis situations will be, and these can be

planned for through risk management and particularly contingency planning.

Crisis control is also reactive in that the specifics of the situations must be

dealt with as they unfold”. Thus, risk management and crisis control are also

essential for Sony to implement in order to stay alert and increase their

awareness to potential threats.

In conclusion, Sony must learn from their mistake and implement more

effective and efficient strategies if they want to get out from this current


unfavorable situation. Besides than their current strategies, alternatives

strategies suggested above should become another major concern for Sony

to ensure that they can effectively rebuilt their poor reputation and regain

more market share in the future.

AS HARDWARE PERSPECTIVE, SONY’S STRATEGY IS

FOCUSED ON FOUR GATEWAYS TO THE NETWORKED

WORLD:

1. Digital televisions and set-top boxes;

2. VAIO personal computers;

3. Mobile devices, such as the CLIE handheld devices and digital

phones.

4. Play Station and game consoles.

The company’s software strategy includes the development of new audio-

visual applications designed to personalize technology. Recent examples

include updated Open MG Jukebox music management software, and digital

video editing products, such as Picture Gear, Movie Shaker and DV Gate.

Sony’s vision is to give consumers easy, ubiquitous access to entertainment

and information anytime, anywhere – no matter whether the content comes

from cable, satellite, terrestrial, packaged media or the Internet.


In the company’s view, the Internet is an "e.Playground" where consumers

can collect, share and manage everything from data and text information, to

digital images, movie clips and music. The result: New ways to enjoy Sony

products.

Sony is also giving consumers new reasons to visit the Internet, including

the recent launch of SonyStyle.com, a new information rich, e-commerce

site for everything Sony. Designed to build a closer relationship between

Sony and its customers, the site will offer a variety of commerce, content,

community and connectivity options planned for the near future.

Other new service offerings include www.ImageStation.com and

www.eMarker.com. ImageStation.com helps consumers create, share and

enjoy digital pictures and video. The service offers free online albums and

eCards, and members can share their favorite pictures as gifts, keepsakes and

high-quality prints in a variety of sizes. Select Sony hardware and

accessories are also available for purchase in the ImageStation.com store.

eMarker.com is an online service that puts an end to the most frustrating part

of hearing a song on the radio -- not knowing the title or the artist’s name.

By pressing the button on the tiny eMarker device, people can "eMark"

songs they hear on the radio and locate the information through the site.

Sony has been at the forefront of the movement to help consumers adopt

digital lifestyles, which, in a broadband network era, means helping them

maximize the power and control found within digital technology.


However, even in this broadband network era, one fact about Sony remains

the same: the company’s fundamental philosophy of providing products that

are fun to use.

Sony’s vision is not necessarily about refrigerators talking to toasters. It’s

about bringing to market products that capture the imaginations of

consumers and enhance their lives in the process.

In the future, look for Sony to create entirely new forms of entertainment,

blending movies, computer generated worlds, games and music. Sony has

the vision, technology and content to forge a direction in consumer

entertainment that no other company can match.

PROMOTING A WORLD CLASS BRAND

The phenomenal strength of the Sony brand worldwide is surely a testament

to the company’s reputation for producing innovative products of

exceptional quality and value. And while traditional brand theory says brand

essence should be narrowed down to one element, Sony celebrates brand

diversity -- with the Trinitron, VAIO and Walkman sub-brands, to name just

a few, each connecting with consumers across various lifestyle segments.

Sony has the brand recognition and marketing savvy to create new product

categories and revitalize mature ones. Look no further than what the

company did with the Walkman brand and for the Mini Disc format.


Sony, the company that changed the way the world listens to music with the

introduction of the Walkman personal stereo, again set its sights on

transforming the portable music landscape when it kicked off a

comprehensive, integrated marketing campaign to re-launch the Walkman

brand in June 2000.

Titled "The Walkman Has Landed," the marketing campaign, which

included broadcast, print and online advertising; Internet and dealer

events/promotions; and grassroots consumer and public relations

components; strategically communicated the lifestyle attributes of the Sony

Walkman line to generation Y, its primary target market.

Additionally, the campaign brought together an entirely new product line up

comprised of CD Walkman, MD Walkman and Network Walkman personal

digital audio players.

The company knew that it needed to reinvent the Walkman brand for today’s

younger, more digitally inclined music lovers. (To many, the brand had

become generic, representing "older," analog-based cassette technology.)

Sony promoted a new Walkman ideology based on personal freedom,

independence, imagination and creativity in a way that appealed to new

techno-savvy, style-conscious consumers who favor digital downloading and

ripping CDs.


The star of the television commercial from the campaign is an alien

character named Plato, who is "quintessentially diverse and knows how to

have fun." His persona offers Gen Y a bit of humor and a good dose of

enjoyment.

SONY’S ABILITY TO REPOSITION

Another example of Sony’s ability to reposition itself and its products is

found in the Mini Disc. A huge success in Japan, where it has become the

dominant recording format, MD did not become a success in the U.S. until it

was marketed as a digital music player that could record from the Internet.

With its inexpensive media and versatility (units are capable of recording

Internet music, tracks from personal CD collections and favorite songs off

the radio), MD has become a gen Y favorite. U.S. sales have increased by

more than 40% since the MD to PC link was introduced.

However, the company doesn’t just rely on brilliantly executed advertising

campaigns to secure consumer attention. The company utilizes world class

public relations to enhance Sony’s value, reputation and brand image.

Communications campaigns are conducted on both an individual product

and strategic platform basis. This process ensures exposure for the

company’s most important products as well as for the company’s role in key

industry issues that cross multiple product categories and disciplines,

including electronic music distribution and digital television.


BRAND VALUES

When remarking about the importance of the Sony brand name, consider this

quote from Chairman of the Board, Norio Ohga: "In April of every year a

large number of new employees join the company. And what I always say to

them is that we have many marvelous assets here. The most valuable asset of

all are the four letters, S, O, N, Y. I tell them, make sure the basis of your

actions is increasing the value of these four letters. In other words, when you

consider doing something, you must consider whether your action will

increase the value of SONY, or lower its value."

In the minds of consumers, Sony is one of the world’s greatest brands -- the

company was once again rated the number one brand in the U.S. by the 2000

Harris poll. As noted, much of the brand equity Sony enjoys is rooted in

product innovations.

However, to ensure the future of its brand, the company recently embarked

on an extensive, company-wide initiative in the U.S. designed to foster a

common understanding of the Sony brand among employees, customers and

consumers. The project, dubbed Being Sony, was necessitated because of

expansive company growth, an influx of new employees, and converging

business opportunities.

Sony executives felt the need to clearly articulate the meaning and values

inherent in the Sony brand (to both internal and external constituencies),

while re-examining the unique relationship of the brand in American culture.


Despite involvement in disparate businesses, the company’s desire is to

leverage the brand beyond the products -- the primary touch-point with

consumers, and add to the brand’s value by re-focusing it to the outside

world.

In essence, Sony, the box manufacturer, is being replaced by a new Sony – a

customer-centric entity centered around broadband entertainment, yet driven

by the venture spirit of Sony’s founding days.

SONY HELP DREAMERS DREAM

Sony is a company devoted to the CELEBRATION of life. We create things

for every kind of IMAGINATION. Products that stimulate the SENSES and

refresh the spirit. Ideas that always surprise and never disappoint.

INNOVATIONS that are easy to love, and EFFORTLESS to use, things that

are not essential, yet hard to live without.

We are not here to be logical. Or Predictable. We’re here to pursue

INFINITE possibilities. We allow the BRIGHTEST minds to interact freely,

so the UNEXPECTED can emerge. We invite new THINKING so even

more fantastic ideas can evolve. CREATIVITY is our essence. We take

chances. We EXCEED expectations. We help dreamers DREAM.


SONY IN INDIA

Sony is not new to India. Whether it was the television, or the walkman, a

Sony always remained a must in the wish list of any Indian, returning home

from abroad This love for the brand culminated in a new relationship when

inspired by a reform friendly Indian business environment, Sony

Corporation decided to set up a 100% subsidiary called Sony India on

16th January 1995.

COMPANY MISSION

Sony India focused towards making a difference in the lifestyles in the

Indian market and open up new vistas of entertainment in the country.

Sony India remains committed towards offering new age technology and

digital concepts while working hand in hand with the Indian industry to

produce and sell excellence. Their consistent commitment towards service

has brought the company quite closer to the Indian customer.


SONY MARKETING STRETEGY PLAN

That the world is beginning to beat a path to it might mean that media

neutral planning (MNP) is indeed the better mousetrap, or that it’s just the

current passion1. However, it is difficult to argue against using the best mix

of media for the job rather than being narrow-minded, prejudiced or

fragmented.

Customer Relationship (crm)

Integrated marketing communications (imc)

Might mean that media neutral planning (mnp)

MNP is usually either:

1. MNP is a good idea, but that is all it is because in practice it is too

difficult to implement; or

2. Since MNP is just good practice and what we are already doing, why

invent another buzzword?

There is some limited merit in these views. Implementing MNP is good

practice, and it is difficult and will often require significant improvement in

skills and organisation. Indeed, this is a key reason for the CIM making it

one of their Canons of Knowledge and a focus of this Journal, and it is why I


suggest you may need to pay attention to it. It won’t happen without

leadership. Thus these arguments counter each other while pointing to MNP

as a new discipline and way of thinking.

It takes a wide media approach to communication planning, acknowledging

the full spectrum of possibility, from face-to-face and viral marketing to

product placement and TV, focusing on media in combinations rather than

singly. Metaphors of cocktail or orchestra replace solo liquor or instrument.

“the media shift is from passive, single medium to interactive mixes of

media. That doesn’t just mean a shift from TV to the Internet. It is a shift to

anything with anything.

Sony describe it as moving from ‘broadcast to anycast’. A big TV show now

has an interactive component and at the very least a website.”

MNP accepts that all media might achieve any objective, subject to customer

preferences, creativity, business objectives and market context, but a

creative mix based on media characteristics, the customer’s preferences and

brand touchpoints best achieves success. Media neutrality begins therefore

with insights into customers, merging disciplines in an


open-minded and thoroughly informed knowledge of media potential and

creative characteristics.

As Kevin Bishop, IBM Northern Region Marketing Director described it in

a recent FT article, “Planning the right approach for each (type of customer)

has to start from an understanding of the customer, not a preconceived view

of the communications media. Before embarking on any kind of

communications brief, I expect my team to understand the customer, their

business issues and the way they are likely to be thinking. We then plan

what kind of experience we want them to have, where that experience is

likely to come from within IBM, and what external factors will influence it.

Only then do we start on the brief.”3

I would add that media neutral planning inevitably leads to discipline neutral

planning.

SONY INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION WORKS IN BETTER

AND NEEDS MNP TO WORK BEST

The case for focussing on MNP is based on just two points (with

considerable evidence behind them): the value of mixed media planning and

the current gaps in practicing it. Most readers will probably be aware of


these: it is the causes and the implications for new thinking and action that

will concern them. Briefly,

The key:

1. The most effective marketing communications requires a widely

blended mix of communications types and media, using all the

communication tools to achieve synergy. Research conclusively

shows that harmonised, mixed media communication is more

effective in reach, targeting and customer impact. Simply adding one

more medium is likely to improve reach and effect by 10-20%.John

Billett’s comment that, “We have to move from the old goal to find

the best medium to finding the best combination of media for each

campaign”4 sums this up and now represents standard academic

theory as well as best practice, usually under the term Integrated

Marketing Communications (IMC)

2. In a competitive world, you therefore need to be finding and using the

most efficient and creative mix in order to achieve your objectives.

Gerhard Franz captures what many commentators and practioners

believe: “The strategic planning of the media mix is becoming even

more crucial for effective communication with the target consumer. A


wrong decision on the media mix can lead to a serious waste of the

advertising budget.”

3. On the whole, though, marketing practice is significantly divergent

from this goal. Media planning is frequently bedevilled by historic

concepts and assumptions about the disciplines and media; by past

experiences that may no longer be as relevant but still shape decision-

making; by political infighting and commercial pressures; and by

agency/client structures, data and system planning resources that don't

make for good decision-making.

The trend towards integration and MNP will improve practice An added

dimension of the case for MNP, at least for agencies, is that it is where

practioners are going. Agencies that adopt MNP can take advantage of this

trend, and media agencies in particular see it as an opportunity to gain the

strategic high ground.

MNP LEADS THE WAY TO INTEGRATED MARKETING

Costs and media mix benefits together encourage new thinking, but the

change is more than just adding magazines to TV or radio to mail media

advertising, it is taking an integrated customer experience-based view that

blends the disciplines and media.


Kevin Bishop (quoted earlier) described the IBM approach as “We then plan

what kind of experience we want [customers] to have, where that experience

is likely to come from within IBM, and what external factors will influence

it.” Jeremy Bullmore says, “That there has to be some communication

between a brand and its public is obvious; but its name, its packaging, its

stores if it has any, its vans and its news value, can all give people important

clues to a brand’s character – and in some instances, these non-advertising

communications media will be the all-important ones”.

This leads marketers to want new and more effective ways of

communicating holistically with customers. James Stengel, head of global

marketing, Procter & Gamble, agrees: “The consumer is different today and

we have got to be experimenting all of the time. We have to look at new

channels and new ways of connecting”. Leading agencies also agree, such as

Ogilvy with its 360 degree branding concept, while Media edge:cia

believes, “The planner of the future will have to embrace every relevant

channel which connects a brand with an audience, and will have to

understand the potential contribution of every marketing discipline. In this

way, planners can provide clients with truly objective advice. We believe


that this makes sense, not least because this is how consumers see brands -

they do not discriminate between sources of communication"

Our research at the Centre for Integrated Marketing suggests that the future

involves integrating IMC and customer relationship management (CRM)

ITERGRATED (INTERNAL) MARKETING

MNP as the mediator between IMC and CRM within Integrated Marketing

RE-THINKING DISCIPLINES AND MEDIA

Simplistic judgements about communication tools and what they can do are

the real barrier:

Direct marketing and sales promotion create sales

Advertising builds brands

PR creates reputation


IMC MNP CRM

Mail media is used by direct marketers

Coupons are used by sales promotion

Such beliefs, although legitimate, may also be highly limiting: expertise is

only prejudice in waiting. As Andrew Harrison noted, sales promotion can

be a tremendous way to launch the brand, as can mail media. The more you

recognise the variety of disciplines that can be used by a single medium or

communication, the more effectively you can use it. Furthermore, the very

definitions of some disciplines need to be rethought or the disciplines recast.

Take AOL’s use of mail media targeted to most homes in Britain, which

blends direct marketing, sales promotion, mass advertising, new media,

affinity marketing, word of mouth and viral marketing elements, if not

others. If AOL really took that on board the packs would get better, save

them money and produce better results.


John Grant, whom I quoted earlier, reformulates media into seven new

categories that seem to me to be more useful than the classical ones, at least

for planning purposes:

1. Knowledge media, which include instructive books, factual TV

programmes, online or cd-rom courses, seminars, user groups and

venue based learning experiences.

2. Reality media, reflecting the importance of design

3. Dialogue media, including face-to-face service and phone lines, email,

bulletin boards and interactive systems.

4. Memetic media, in which people see what others are doing or thinking

and copy it, from casual conversation to opinion polls, musicals and

viral marketing.

5. Community media, which Grant considers to be an active version of

the dated notion of the passive target audience.

6. 6. Story media, ranging from fictional dramas to computer games to

TV ads that provide ways to research modes of life.

7. Reputation media, not only corporate advertising, PR and publications

but also “big actions by companies”


MARKETING MIX & PRODUCT PROFILE

SONY PRODUCTS :

The first market mix element is Product. A product is anything that can be offered to a

market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need or want.

Product decision normally base on brand name, Functionality, Styling, Quality, Safety,

Packaging, Repairs and Support, Warranty, accessories and Services.

These product attributes can be manipulated depending on what the target market wants.

Also, customers always look for new and improved things, which is why marketers

should improve existing products, develop new ones, and discontinue old ones that

are no longer needed or wanted by the customer. Sony has a variety of products ranging

from electronic devices, games and entertainment. So, briefly Sony products can be

categorized in the following major product categories:

i. Television and Projectors.(Bravia LCD TV)

ii. Home video.( Blue-ray disc player,DVD Player)

iii. Home Audio.( Hi-Fi Systems)

iv. Home Theatre system.(Accessories)

v. Digital Photography.( Cyber-shot Digital Camera)

vi. Hand cam video camera.( Handycam high definition video Camera)

vii. Computer & Peripheral.( VAIO laptops)

viii. Portable Audio.( Walkman mp3 series)


ix. Game.( PSP,PS2,PS3)

x. Storage and Recording media.( Memory Stick)

Basic Consumer Durables:

Flaunt your Cyber-shot

Make heads turn with the smart Sony Cyber-shot. With chic colours to

choose from, this trendy camera lets you capture your special moments in

style.


Experience the Real Entertainment

Feel true picture, pure sound & smooth action with Sony BRAVIA LCD

TV.

Dress up with VAIO CS VAIO CS is an extraordinary blend of

elegance, fun and high performance with its irrestible colour range and

mystic features.

REFRIGERATOR

Side by Side Refrigerator

Frost Free Refrigerator

Direct Cool Refrigerator


WASHING MACHINE

Dish Washer

Steam Washer Dryer

Washer Dryer

Front Load Washing Machine

Top Load Washing Machine

Semi Automatic Washing Machine

MICROWAVE OVEN

Solar Dom Microwave

Convection Microwave


Grill Microwave

Solo Microwave


TELEVISION

LCD TV

Plasma TV

Ultra Slim TV

Flat TV

HOME THEATRE

COMPUTER PRODUCTS


Notebook PC

Desktop PC

Monitor

Optical Storage Devices

Projector

MOBILE PHONE

KM900

Cookie

Secret

KC550

Dynamite

All Rounder


SONY PROMOTION

Promotion is a key element of marketing program and is concerned with

effectively and efficiently communicating the decisions of marketing

strategy, to favorably influence target customers’ perceptions to facilitate

exchange between the marketer and the customer that may satisfy the

objective of both customer and the company. A company’s promotional

efforts are the only controllable means to create awareness among publics

about itself, the products and services it offers , their features and influence

their attitudes favorably.

Sony Marketing Communication Mix: Sony India will spend Rs 200 crore in

this inancial year on advertising and promotion (Promotional Budget) of the

entire range of consumer electronics, out of which Rs 60 crore will be spent

only on digital imaging products. The major elements of promotion mix

include advertising, personal selling,sales promotion, direct marketing, and

publicity. Sony Corporation has used all of these marketing communication

mix elements.


ADVERTISING

Advertising is any paid form of non-personal mass communication through

various media to present and promote product, services and ideas etc. by an

identified sponsor. So far, SONY has advertised its products through many

different ways and media.

Through TV we have seen different advertisements of its products such as

Bravia televisions or Sony wega TV. Sony also advertise its products by

targeting those favorable television programs, like sports, series and also it

has its own channel called

Sony TV channel. Sony uses some events like Miss India 2008 to promote

its products. Also, Sony has advertised its games like Playstation 3,

Playstation 2 and PSP using sports like football in England premiere

league.Through newspapers like Times of India, Sony has advertised a wide

range of products it offers to its customers. And also through Posters a

message has been sent to a lot of people to be aware of the products which

Sony offers.


Sony also uses direct – response advertising. This is type of advertising that

encourages the consumer to respond either by providing feedback to the

advertiser or placing the order with the advertiser either by telephone, mail

or the internet. Such advertising is done through direct mail or catalogues.

Sony incorporates co-operative advertising in its advertising process. Sony

corporation provides the dealers (e.g. Sony World) with the materials and

guidelines to develop ads


SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT AT A GLANCE

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in

massively multiplayer online games, with millions of gamers around the

globe having enjoyed the company’s products over the years. SOE creates,

develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer,

online, game console and handheld markets. The company is headquartered

in San Diego, California, with development studios in Austin, Texas;

Seattle, Washington; and Taiwan.

The primary customer support center is located within its San Diego

headquarters facility, supplemented by a partner in Delhi, India for off-hour

and overflow coverage. Both 24x7 locations utilize the same RightNow

platform. Online web self-service, email management, live text chat, and

telephone are the primary service channels, each supported by agents

organized into tiers based upon their skills, experience and product

knowledge. International language support is provided in Spanish, German,

Japanese and French. Today, SOE is supporting nine major massively

multiplayer online games, eight of which are supported using RightNow.


BENEFITS OF IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE

The benefits that drive the return-on-investment for Sony Online

Entertainment are based on an improved experience for three constituencies:

the customer, the agent, and the agent supervisor.

Customer Experience

If you’re a Dread Knight on the continent of Thestra in the ancient and epic

world of Telon—and your warhorse is unexpectedly missing—then it’s time

to get help. For such customers of Vanguard™ Saga of Heros and other

games by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), it is important that the

experience be seamless, simple and unified.

Seamless. Because exiting an adventure and logging into a support system

presents a barrier to using a self-service solution, SOE implemented pass-

through authentication using Right Now, enabling seamless movement to the

support site without a second login and thereby encouraging individuals to

assist themselves by searching the knowledge base in the game. The

approach has proven highly successful. In 2007, for example, over 5.6

million answers in the extensive knowledge base (now containing over

13,000 articles) were viewed by players, and in only 11 percent of the cases


was additional help requested by submitting a support ticket on the web,

using live chat, or initiating a telephone conversation.

THE EVOLUTION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) migrated from a fragmented set of

applications to an integrated and on demand customer service solution by

RightNow that provides a complete customer view, a multi-channel

customer contact center, and a single desktop for both in-house as well as

outsourced agents. The customer and the agent experience improved—and,

SOE saved an estimated $817,706 from 2004 through 2007.


Simple. On the rare occasions when a customer does need to submit a

support ticket, the process is simplified with the use of Right Now. For

example, many of the fields in the ticket are automatically populated (e.g.,

the location in the game’s virtual world), reducing the burden upon the

customer. The status of open tickets may be viewed and updated, allowing

the customer to easily monitor the progress on the resolution of the problem.

Additionally, using business rules established by SOE, the solution

automatically routes and assigns the ticket to a tier 1, 2 or 3 support queue,

depending upon the nature and severity of the issue.

Unified. If a customer later uses live chat or calls to follow-up concerning an

unresolved problem, she or he isn’t starting anew. RightNow provides a

unified view of communications across all channels helping the agent

resolve the problem more effectively. The persistence of customer

information over time and across channels also allows one agent to reroute

a ticket to another who may have worked previously with this specific

customer or who has detailed insight into the problem at hand. If the issue is

one that has been solved through a software update to the game, SOE has the

ability to select all open tickets having that concern and proactively

communicate to those users that a solution has been implemented.


The pattern of customer support requests is also used by SOE to identify

recurring problems. This insight informs the software development

engineers about updates that may need to be made to a game, and allows

those activities to be prioritized based upon the number of customers

encountering the problem. Collectively, all of these facets of the support

process result in an enhanced customer experience (and allow agents to be

more productive, too).

The link from service quality to customer value4 and from customer

satisfaction to profits is solid. Recent research by Harris Interactive confirms

the point, documenting that outstanding service is a marketplace

differentiator, with 51 percent of respondents stating that it is the top reason

they continue to do business with a company and 60 percent reporting that it

is the top reason they recommend a company.

AGENT EXPERIENCE

Using one integrated solution across all channels not only enhances

customer-agent communications, but it also improves agent-to-agent

interactions as well. This occurs when a support ticket needs to be forwarded

to an agent with specialized skills or subject matter expertise, or when

managing tickets between agents located in contact centers around the globe.

The result is that agent resources are utilized in the most productive manner


possible. In all cases, the agent is presented with a single view of the

customer—a complete historical log for a currently open ticket as well as

other issues that have been resolved. For example, agents can see on a single

integrated desktop the actions that a technical support representative may

have recommended for an Internet connectivity concern. As a consequence,

the customer service function operates in a coordinated manner to achieve

maximum efficiencies. These same benefits occur whether the agent is

located on premises at Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) or at the

outsourced contact center.

Because most of the basic concerns are answered by customers using the

knowledge self-service, the questions that do arrive in the hands of the

agents tend to be about more challenging problems (e.g., “griefing” issues,

in which one player causes anguish to another in the virtual world).

Allowing agents to avoid less complicated questions in favor of these more

complex and rewarding issues improves their satisfaction and sense of

accomplishment.

Before the implementation of RightNow, agents were operationally

separated from the customer and their workflow was complicated, due to the

use of multiple nonintegrated applications.

Today, that connection is both tighter and seamless.


Agent Supervisor Experience

Agent supervisors at Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) focus upon three

customer service dimensions—productivity, quality and customer care—all

of which are facilitated by the use of RightNow.

1. Productivity: Agent supervisors can view which agents are falling

short of or exceeding their established support ticket benchmarks,

criteria that vary by game and by the tier support level, and address

issues that may be hindering output. When spare capacity temporarily

exists, a supervisor has the ability to redirect tickets to an agent based

upon the profile of her or his expertise with games beyond the one the

individual normally supports. Additionally, supervisors have visibility

to the entire set of queues and the ability to move tickets between

them to better manage workflow. On both a weekly and monthly

basis, supervisors review reports that document the number of tickets

completed by agent, by game, and by queue.

2. Quality: Agent supervisors use RightNow to review completed tickets

against several service quality dimensions, including accuracy and the

use of proper grammar.

3. Customer care: The manner as well as the content of agents’

communications to customers is important. Customer care reflects the


interpersonal component of the service experience, and is measured

using the survey capabilities within RightNow. Shortly after each

ticket is closed (but no more frequently than once per month), a

customer receives a brief survey via email that allows SOE to secure

feedback on overall satisfaction and timeliness of the response, and to

solicit suggestions for improvement. In those cases where satisfaction

is low, the supervisor is automatically notified so that corrective

action may be initiated.

The ability of an agent supervisor to rapidly adapt to quickly changing

customer service needs throughout the course of each day ensures that

resources are quantitatively well utilized, while always considering

qualitative facets such as accuracy and satisfaction.

ROI OF IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE

The investments made by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) in Right Now

CRM from 2004 through 2007 have already been more than recovered

through savings resulting in an estimated net benefit of approximately

$817,706. These savings arise primarily from the combination of enhanced

agent productivity and agent headcount avoidance (i.e., the ability to handle

a larger number of customer service inquiries with fewer staff than would


otherwise have been required), yielding an impressive estimated 50 percent

ROI as measured by the internal rate of return,7 using a conservative

methodology.

COSTS:

The costs incurred by SOE from 2004-2007 include: (1) annual license fees

for Right Now together with (2) the expense of occasional software

customizations; (3) internal support, which includes the salary and benefits

of personnel required to manage the solution and the knowledge base; and

(4) fees for onsite training at the inception of implementation.

BENEFITS:

The computation of the benefits realized by SOE in 2005-2007 begins with

quantifying the number of support interactions avoided each year. This

statistic is equal to the number of answers in the knowledge base viewed by

customers, less the sum of the customer support requests received through

the web, interactive text chat, and telephone. The logic is simple: if the

answers in the knowledge base had not been easily accessible to customers,

“many” of those questions would have resulted in customer support requests

that would have required the time and talents of an agent. To be


conservative, it is estimated that only one-in-four of the “many” questions

would actually have resulted in a support request.

The number of requests circumvented is divided by the number of

interactions handled per agent per year to yield the total agent headcount

avoided. That headcount is multiplied by the annual labor cost (salary and

benefits) for each class of agent (full-time, contractor, outsourced) in

proportion to their usage at SOE, and summed to produce the estimated

labor savings.

To be conservative, that labor savings is reduced by 50 percent to ensure that

the estimate is solely attributable to the impact of RightNow. Additionally,

hard-to-quantify (yet real and important) benefits were excluded from the

calculations, such as improved customer satisfaction, enhanced agent

retention, and more effective product development and maintenance.

Furthermore, the tangible benefits directly arising from the on demand8

architecture of Right Now were omitted in the ROI computation, such as the

initial speed of implementation, the high reliability and uptime of the

solution, the embedded security and disaster recovery protection, and the

ease of application upgrades and updates.


SONY ELECTRONICS OVERVIEW

For more than 40 years, North America has had a love affair with the Sony

brand. During that time, Sony has created numerous products and

technologies that have helped make consumers' lives easier, more enjoyable

and more productive. At the same time, the company has earned a solid

reputation for quality, reliability, innovation and stylish design. In fact, the

Harris Poll has identified Sony as a top brand in America, as the company

has held the top three positions over the past 12 years including the number

one position for nine years.

The company is committed to maintaining a leadership position in consumer

electronics, broadcast and professional systems and information technology

products. Sony is also committed to developing new technologies that reflect

the networked convergence of audio, video and information technology.

Sony Electronics is the largest component of Sony Corporation of America,

the U.S. holding company for Sony's U.S.-based electronics and

entertainment businesses. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include: Sony

Electronics Inc., Sony BMG Music Entertainment Inc.; Sony Pictures


Entertainment; Sony Broadband Entertainment; Sony Computer

Entertainment America and Sony Wonder Technology Lab.

Sony Electronics Inc is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. and is a leading

provider of audio/video electronics and information technology products for

the consumer and professional markets. Operations include research and

development, design, engineering, manufacturing, sales, marketing,

distribution and customer service.

The company is noted for a wide range of consumer audio-visual products,

such as the BRAVIA® HD TV, Cyber-shot® digital camera, Handycam®

camcorder, Walkman® personal stereo and Memory Stick® flash media.

Sony is also an innovator in IT products, including VAIO® personal

computers; and high-definition professional broadcast and video products,

highlighted by the XDCAM® HD and CineAlta™ lines of cameras and

camcorders, and the SXRD™ 4K digital projector. Sony also co-developed

the Blu-ray, Disc™, CD, DVD and Super Audio CD technologies. For the

latest news and information, please see our Web site at

www.sony.com/news.


SWOT ANALYSIS OF SONY AS PER INTERVIEW

STRENGTH :

Sony has build up a good brand image & customer loyalty by his

service & quality.

Same price in all over in India is also a great attraction for customer.

Service wise Sony is the best among all his competitors, shops

ambience, environment and location is very convenient.

To provide better service Sony conducts the Service camp & Training

and keep its employee update.

WEAKNESS:

As Sony is a costly brand and this high price factor is not affordable to

Indian customer.

OPPORTUNITY:

Sony is leading brand in consumer durable market because of its

better service and quality.

It has a professionalism, good service attitude and knowledgeable

staff and employee.

Because of keen foresightedness of future demand and customer

perception, Sony can beat all the competitors.


CONCLUSION

According to research of 30 days in Sony India ltd, it reveals that

Sony is real as well as a great leader in electronic and consumer

durable.

Sony is masters in Bravia LCD TV; Cyber shot camera, and vaio

notebooks. Sony has credibility in these products.

Sony as a brand is so popular in rich class people; they think it is

nothing but a status symbol.

Sony is facing tough competition with Samsung & LG because of

reasonable price & quality.

But when considered service attitude, one pricing policy, promotion

policy, quality of a product, professional appearance & knowledge of

staff regarding product features and function, Sony is far ahead from

Samsung & LG.

Sony plays a vital role in consumer durable market.


Project Sony

Documents

Transcript of Project Sony