AIWA BRAND TO BE RE-LAUNCHED IN THE U.S. UNDER AIWA STRATEGIC ACCOUNTS PARTNERSHIP, INC.
WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., Jan. 8, 2003 - On December 1, 2002, Aiwa Company Ltd. was acquired by Sony Corporation, becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary. In the U.S., the Aiwa brand will now be re-launched and re-focused under a newly-formed marketing organization named Aiwa Strategic Accounts Partnership, Inc. (ASAP, Inc.).
"The new organization's mission is to rebuild the Aiwa brand to exist independently as a vital brand positioned side-by-side with other Sony brands," said newly-appointed ASAP president, Hiro Takahashi. "The focus of the brand will be to deliver what the customer wants, and our lean structure will allow us to react quickly to a constantly changing marketplace."
The new Aiwa brand will encompass network, digital and visual products, including FD Trinitron ® televisions, DVD players, MP3 players, as well as home and car audio products. New products for 2003 will be available this spring.
"Aggressive new products that are strengthened by network connectivity and an affordable price tag is something that will set the Aiwa brand apart," continued Takahashi. "At ASAP, our goal is to build product categories that are unique to the Aiwa brand, bringing exciting new designs and reliable products to a no-nonsense demographic that values this type of an approach."
To bring this revitalized brand to consumers, ASAP is planning a multi-million dollar advertising and promotional effort that will begin this spring. A key part of this launch is the unveiling of a new Aiwa logo.
"The logo will reflect the innovation and quality of the Aiwa brand," said Takahashi. "It will stand for everything that young electronics consumers are looking for."
Seasonal co-op advertising will play a relevant role in the new launch and in-store promotions with key retail partners are being planned.
New Distribution Strategy
"The appeal of a high value-to-price ratio can only be achieved through a lean organization that maximizes efficiency," continued Takahashi. "ASAP will be able to achieve this through a new distribution strategy that maximizes accessibility to the youth market."
This distribution strategy will entail ASAP partnering with a select group of retailers with national reach, and will capitalize on the latest factory-to-dealer shipping techniques.
ASAP president, Hiro Takahashi, has been with Sony for nearly 20 years, holding regional sales and marketing positions in Indonesia and Singapore. Takahashi also established a new sales company for Sony China, Ltd. in Shanghai. Over the past two years he was a senior marketing strategist at Sony Corporations' Global Marketing Headquarters in Tokyo. Organizationally, ASAP is part of Sony Corporation of America, and is linked to the Aiwa Business Center in Tokyo.
Editors note: For more product information, please visit the Aiwa brand Web site at www.us.aiwa.com. To download the new Aiwa brand logo, please see the Sony Electronics News & Information Web site at www.sony.com/news.
