Chapter 148 I Can Do It
Sony Building.
Kozo Ozone is currently discussing with his department's team the next sales strategy for Walkman's overseas expansion.
The Walkman is priced at 33,000 yen in its home country. If it is launched in the European and American markets, the price will definitely increase significantly considering the tariff issue.
As for the pricing, there is no consensus within the team.
"Mr. Ozone, our Sony products have always been known for their high quality. The same is true for the Walkman, which has received almost no negative reviews since its release.
So regarding pricing in the European and American markets, we should stick to the high-end route.” The next department head insisted on the high-end route that had been originally formulated.
“But recently, Shirakawa Electric’s products have also gained a certain degree of market recognition.
There is a high possibility that it will pose a threat to our Walkman in the future." Some people objected.
“The Shirakawa Walkman is just a cheap imitation and cannot be compared with our product.
Moreover, at that time, the Walkman market in Europe and the United States was completely blank, and our Walkman was unique.”
The supervisor just now sneered, with an expression that was indescribably arrogant.
“Cheap products like these have already started to eat into our local market.
We also don’t rule out the possibility of Shirakawa Electric entering overseas markets in the future. Pricing too high will only make us self-defeating in the future.”
It has to be said that the emergence of Shirakawa Electric has put some people under pressure.
"At least we are unique in the overseas market now, as for Shirakawa Electric, we will have to wait until they survive in the local market.
Mr. Ozone, Walkman must stick to the high-end route, otherwise the low price will only tarnish the word "Sony".
Especially in the United States, Sony represents a neon brand image and cannot be associated with the word "cheap". "
"I don't agree with this pricing strategy, Ozone-san..."
"Okay!" Ozone Yukizo waved his hand to interrupt the argument.
"The Walkman price remains the same at $199."
Kozo Ozone was equally confident , and he was also a conservative.
Overseas, Sony represents the overall image of Japan, and high quality and innovation are what it should show.
We must not let a small company like Shirakawa Electric affect our own brand strategy.
Since the last negotiation with Shirakawa Electric, the two parties signed an agreement and reached a truce.
However, Ozone Kozo had no good feelings towards the latter, or it could be said that his impression of Shirakawa Electric was negative from the beginning to the end.
Especially the fact that the other party took the lead in blocking Sony's products, but then used patent loopholes to threaten Sony, made him even more disgusted with Shirakawa Electric.
It would be strange if I could feel happy when I heard people comparing Shirakawa Electric and Sony.
How can a company that relies on poorly imitating other people's products be compared with Sony?
In the eyes of Yukizo Ozone, Shirakawa Electric is not worthy of being mentioned and poses no threat.
As for the domestic market, the other party can only survive in the low-end market that Sony ignores.
As for the overseas market, Ozone Kozo felt that Shirakawa Electric had no chance of reaching that blue ocean. The other party should first survive in its home country.
“In addition, we can start planning for the development of the next generation of walkman in advance.”
Sony has no plans to launch new models this year because no one knew whether the Walkman would be popular.
Moreover, the sales of the Walkman were not very ideal in the first two months after its release, and the development plan for the next generation was once shelved.
However, after more than half a year of promotion, the Walkman has proven its marketability, so the development of the next generation of products should be arranged as soon as possible.
"Mr. Ozone, should we consider launching a low-cost model for the next generation of Walkman targeting the low-end market?"
Those who previously opposed high-end pricing have begun to suggest that Sony also enter the low-end market.
Ozone Kozo thought about it for a few seconds and then nodded. "We can consider launching a corresponding low-cost model for the local market."
The fact that Shirakawa Electric can survive by relying on low-end products shows that there is still demand for this part of the market.
In this case, don't give the other party any chance.
In the local market, Sony wants both low-end and high-end products.
Even if it's not for that little bit of profit, as long as we can squeeze the other party out, it will be a deal that won't lose money.
"Ahem." Ozone Yukizo, who had made his wish, cleared his throat awkwardly.
"In addition, regarding the development of headphones, we will also launch our own earbud-type headphones as the next generation of products."
"Huh?" The people below looked a little strange.
"This is an order from Oga-san. Everyone must do their best." Ozone Yukizo ordered in an unquestionable tone with an angry look on his face.
"Hui!" Everyone was startled and dared not ask any more questions.
"Dismissed!" Waving his hand, Ozone Yukizo stood up and left the meeting room.
When he returned to his office, Ozone Yukizo still felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten a fly.
Sony has always been famous for its innovation, but now we need to learn from a copycat.
This was a complete shame for Ozone Kozo.
Especially announcing such a decision in front of so many people made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
But unfortunately, this was an order from Norio Ohga, and he could only carry it out.
Just when Ozone Kozo was feeling depressed, one of his subordinates came in to report.
"Mr. Ozone, Shirakawa Denki is currently holding a large-scale promotion with Valentine's Day as the theme."
Why is it Shirakawa Electric again? When Ozone Kozo heard this name, he felt inexplicably disgusted.
However, when he took the information handed over by his subordinates, he was suddenly stunned.
"Hmm?" Ozone Kozo counted the newspapers in his hand and found that there were six or seven of them. "Are there any advertisements for them on them?"
"Hayi"
They are all mainstream newspapers. The other party has invested a lot of money.
Valentine's Day is not an important holiday, is it worth doing such promotion?
"Is there any other situation?" Seeing that his men had not left yet, Ozone Yukizo raised his head and asked curiously.
"Ozone-san, Shirakawa Denki is taking turns placing advertisements not only in newspapers but also on TV stations.
They can be seen on posters on the streets and in subway car advertisements.”
Hearing this, Ozone Kozo's face finally turned serious. This was no longer a big investment, but a large-scale promotion regardless of cost.
“What is the current market feedback?”
Staff-san hesitated for a moment, but finally answered truthfully.
"The effect is unexpectedly good. It is said that the queue outside just for appointments has caused a traffic jam. And this situation has lasted for two days."
"What?!" Ozone Kozo suddenly raised his head, "It's been going on for two days?"
"Hayi"
Ozone Kozo stood up from behind his desk and began pacing around the office.
Even if he looked down on Shirakawa Electric, he knew that a product that could make consumers queue up for two consecutive days to make reservations would surely have good sales.
"Can we follow up?" He turned and looked at Oda, the planning director of the department.
"Uh" Oda was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to answer.
Sony's walkman only has one model, the TPS-L2, and it comes in blue and silver with a very industrial style.
This really has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, if you insist...
"Maybe we can use price cuts and promotions to attract people." As the person in charge of planning, Oda had to come up with some plans.
Price reduction? Ozone Kozo shook his head.
As a product that has been released for less than a year, price reduction is a harm to the brand.
Unless you are launching a new model, it is best not to use price cuts to promote sales.
Ozone Kozo's consideration actually makes sense. The reason why Shirakawa Electric offers discounts is in the name of limited edition.
The surface appearance of the Valentine's Day suit is very different from the original style. Although the interior has not changed, it is reasonable to say that it is a new style.
After thinking for a while, Ozone Kozo stopped and gave instructions to Oda.
"How about this, let's bundle the Walkman with other products and offer discounts in the name of a combination set."
I have to say this is indeed a good idea, new products cannot be discounted.
But it makes sense to offer discounts for bundled sales. I’m discounting old products, but I’m not reducing the price of new products.
As for what to sell with the Walkman...
This is the problem that Xiaotian is worried about, but since the boss said so, let's just follow this direction.
In fact, it’s not that Ozone Yukizo values Shirakawa Electric very much, he just doesn’t want to lose face in front of the other party.
Since you, Shirakawa Electric, can hold a promotion with Valentine's Day as the theme, why can't I, Sony?
In Ozone Kozo's imagination, once the Walkman came out, Shirakawa Denki's Walkman would probably only play a supporting role.
Product quality is king, which is why Sony has now become a multinational company with excellent credibility and reputation.
Shirakawa Denki's Valentine's Day promotion gave Ozone Kozo a little treat.
However, his real work focus is still on the overseas markets that are about to be developed.
After all, this is the focus of the board of directors. If you do a good job on this matter, you will surely have a position there in the future.
Not to mention Ozone Kozo, who paid some attention to Shirakawa Electric, the scene at Shirakawa Electric was completely different.
"Hurry up, tomorrow is Valentine's Day, this batch of goods must be shipped out today. Otherwise, it may not reach Kansai ."
In the warehouse of Shirakawa Electric, Kotaro was busy.
Thanks to the previous work on channel expansion, Shirakawa Electric now has its own sales channels in major local cities.
In order to cooperate with the Valentine's Day promotion, the first stocks produced were sent to areas far away from Tokyo as soon as possible.
Theoretically, the supply from Kansai should have been delivered long ago, but I don’t know if it’s because of the delay in advertising.
Recently, the number of reservations in Osaka has also entered a stage of rapid growth.
Therefore, Shirakawa Electric had to continue working overtime to produce the goods. As soon as the goods were ready, they were taken away without any delay.
"Kotaro, you've been working hard lately." Shirakawa Kaede, who happened to be passing by, saw this scene and came over to say hello to him.
Kotaro looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he greeted him happily, "Xiao Feng, I never thought that there would be such a large shipment volume."
"Yeah," Baichuan Feng also sighed, "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day."
"Yeah," Kotaro nodded expectantly , "Too bad, Deer doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day, otherwise they would definitely know what we did."
For Kotaro, if he doesn't return home in glory, it's the same as not having earned the money.
After this Valentine's Day, the reputation of Shirakawa Electric will surely rise to a higher level. It's a pity that Xiaolu's people don't celebrate Valentine's Day, which is really a pity.
"Ha, maybe there will be one in the future."
