Where to go Berlin in - IFA International

PRODUCT TRENDS
SONY SETS OUT OBJECTIVES FOR
EUROPEAN MARKETPLACE by Richard Barnes
A NEw gLOBAL BRAND MESSAgE wILL hELP BRINg 3D TO
ThE hOME, SAYS FUJIO NIShIDA, PRESIDENT SONY EUROPE
Fujio Nishida, President Sony Europe
Armed with the new brand message of ‘make.believe’,
Sony is set to reinforce the role of the living room as the
hub of home entertainment. Fujio Nishida, President
Sony Europe, outlines how the company will meet the
challenges of the European market.
With the constant
evolution of the way
people use entertainment
devices of different kinds,
how is this affecting the
grouping and sales of
these products under the
Sony brand name?
We have indeed seen an
evolution in the consumer
electronics landscape both
in terms of technology and
devices, as well as the actual
gateways to content delivery.
The convergence of IT, CE
and telecommunications
now enables a multitude of
new ways to enjoy content.
IFA International • Friday, 4 th September 2009
However, the hub of
entertainment in the home
continues to be the living
room and the TV naturally
takes centre stage. Sony
has been at the forefront of
high definition, in Blu-ray,
in video games, and in the
creation of exciting content
– through our pictures and
music businesses – and its
delivery to consumers.
Similar to the adoption
of HD, now 3D is clearly
on its way to the mass
market through technology,
distribution and content.
As with HD a few years
back, there are a number of
issues yet to be addressed,
but Sony’s technological
leadership, together with
our ownership and unique
understanding of all forms of
content, means that we will
be able to deliver the entire
3D value chain, both to
our customers in the movie
creation and distribution
business and, of course, to
our consumers in cinemas,
or at home on a variety of
Sony devices. We will see
the commercialisation of 3D
Sony products for the home
in 2010.
Other exciting news for
Europe is the launch of the
PlayStation Network Video
Delivery Service, which
enables movie titles and
episodes of TV series to be
downloaded for purchase or
rental to both the PlayStation
3 and PSP. The service will
initially go live in France,
Germany, Spain and the
UK. The PSN video delivery
service currently available
in the U.S. now offers over
12,000 TV episodes and
more than 2,200 movies,
with more than 35% of
those movies in HD.
How has the world
financial crisis changed
the way Sony does
business?
The global economic crisis
has irrevocably changed
our businesses and the
world around us. With an
outlook on convergence
and connectivity in the
consumer electronics driving
us forward, we could not
anticipate the turmoil
that would force us to reevaluate
all that we do.
One year later, it does seem
that the lessons learned
have brought productive
and necessary change to
our entire industry. Today
we do not view ourselves
as a company operating in
the middle of an economic
crisis, or waiting for one to
pass. We are aggressively
and strategically running
our business in a new and
permanently changed reality
- one that we must meet
head-on every day.
How important is IFA to
Sony in terms of getting
your message out to the
market?
For the second consecutive
year, Sony is presenting its
entire breadth of products
and content at the biggest
booth for any single
company at IFA this year.
Being the world’s biggest
consumer electronics fair, IFA
continues to provide us with
an excellent opportunity to
present our products to a
pan-European audience in
time for the peak buying
season, which this year will
be even more crucial to our
industry than in previous
years. Most importantly, we
are excited about the prime
opportunity to interact
directly with our customers
and consumers and share
the latest highlights which
Sony as a global technology
and entertainment brand
has to offer.
What can the consumers
expect to see from Sony
at IFA this year and the
next few years down the
line?
At our IFA press conference,
our Chairman, CEO and
President, Sir Howard
Stringer, made a global
announcement, unveiling
our new global brand
message entitled ‘make.
believe’. It symbolises
Sony’s spirit of creativity and
innovation, and its ability
to turn ideas into reality.
It is the first time we have
ever introduced a single
overarching brand message
for all of our entertainment
and electronics businesses
around the globe.
The key for us is how
‘make.believe’ translates
into compelling products,
content and services for
the consumer, all aimed at
delivering unparalleled user
experiences, which we will
see come to life between
now and during the years
ahead.
Being true to the spirit of
‘make.believe’, Sony will
bring 3D to the home in
2010 and reinforce the role
of the living-room as the hub
of home entertainment, with
exciting and outstanding 3D
entertainment experiences.
Hall 4.2 / Stand 101
www.ifa-international.org 19