Sony headphones are popular because of their high quality and simple designs. They focus on customer’s needs. Sony produces headphones that not only meet all customer’s desires, but also fit their personality. Since invention of the Walkman by the company, it has successfully introduced headphones that are unique (Chang, 2011). Using wireless technology, modern headsets can be connected to other Sony products, which improves user experience. The headsets provide an outstanding experience to customers, and the company is committed to continuing improving their quality and keep track of innovation strategies to guarantee customer satisfaction. The following section of the report focuses on the analysis of the target market, positioning, and description of the headsets, pricing strategy, promotional strategies, and distribution strategies for the Sony headsets.
Target Market
The Sony headsets target people of different genders and ages who are interested in listening to music because it suits all the people irrespective of their age or gender. With the popularity of music streaming services, such as iTunes and Sportify, young people prefer to listen to music using headphones and earphones while using their smart devices. The headsets main target market is the customers who embrace lifestyle and quality products with a strong brand image. Many customers of headsets prefer buying only Sony because of the perception that it is the leading headsets brand around the world (Terpstra, Foley & Sarathy, 2012). Sony produced the Walkman and the first headsets, which makes consumers trust this brand. The headsets target the young people who are very passionate about music by providing products that guarantee them quality sound. The headsets are perfectly designed to fit the needs of the youths, educated, and high-income earners in the society.
Market Positioning
Sony headsets are marketed using several advertising campaigns that are meant to promote the brand positioning for its headsets. The market positioning adopted for the headphones focusses on making customers everyday experience extraordinary. The campaign involves the presentation from people who have experienced the headsets before whereby they share their feelings about the quality of the product. Social media platforms are also used to spread the word about the product through friends in the social media (O'shaughnessy, 2014). Some of the unique qualities that make the Sony headsets to be outstanding in the market are nice fitting design and high quality volume
Product Quality of the Headsets
The headsets are popular because of their high quality and simple designs, which focus on customer’s needs. All the Sony headsets are designed to meet all customers’ desires, as well as designs that fit the different personalities of the customers (Chang, 2011). They are made of different colors which provide an opportunity for the buyers to choose their preferred colors and help to create a personal touch with different consumers.
Pricing Strategy
Considering the high level of competition faced by Sony headsets from other headsets made by other manufacturers, such as Nixon, B & W and Koss, the pricing strategy for this product is very critical to respond to the competitive environment. The new pricing strategies adopted for the headphones include market skimming pricing and market penetration pricing. Sony headsets are introduced to new market through the market skimming pricing strategy. The new headsets are highly priced to portray their high quality and build a strong reputation in the market. In markets whereby penetration is perceived to be quite difficult, low prices for the headsets are set. The low prices are also set to prevent more competitors from entering the market (O'shaughnessy, 2014). Therefore, the Sony headphones may be set at low initial prices to enable easy penetration into new markets through attracting large market share.
Promotional Strategies
The main promotional strategies adopted for promoting the Sony headsets in all its markets include advertising, sales promotion, and direct marketing. Sony headsets are advertised frequently in advertising programs in international television channels that are viewed all over the world (Chang, 2011). They have gained a lot of publicity in the social media platforms as the company uses key celebrities in the entertainment industry, such as Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West to promote the headsets in such platforms. The Sony headphones are marketed through sports men and women such as footballers, boxers or athletes who are photographed listening to music using the headsets. It promotes the image of the headsets on the customer’s minds as they associate the headphones with the success of these celebrities.
Distribution Strategies
The Sony headsets are found in all markets around the world. It is achieved through the strong and comprehensive distribution channels, which have been created by the company to ensure that their products reach all the customers around the world. The headsets are distributed through numerous selected distribution dealers who are responsible for distributing Sony headsets around the world, such as Sony World, Croma, and Reliance Digital. In addition, they are distributed through the zero level channel, one level channel or two level channels of distribution, meaning that the customers purchase Sony headsets from retailers recognized by Sony (O'shaughnessy, 2014). The headsets reach the target customers from the manufacturer through the selected retailers; thus, guaranteeing safe and timely delivery of the headsets whenever needed.
SWOT Analysis
The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of Sony headsets market are outlined in the SWOT analysis. The main strength for the headset is that it tends to be outstanding in the market through its strong brand image, high level of innovation, strategic product differentiation, and unique product designs to suit the needs for different markets (Hollensen, 2015). The weakness of the product in the market is that its pricing tends to be quite high in some markets; thus, making the headsets unaffordable to many.
On the other hand, the opportunities available for Sony headsets are that it has a global touch that provides a readily available large market share across the globe. It means that the revenues from the sale of Sony headsets increase tremendously due to the large market share occupied by the headsets. Other opportunities are the emerging global markets as a result of the globalization process and advancement in technology (Hollensen, 2015). The official partnership by Sony with FIFA for the 2010 and 2014 World Cup created a great opportunity for the growth of Sony headsets market around the world as players were photographed while they were using the headsets while watching matches. Finally, the threats include strong competition in all market segments, new innovative brands in the market, and availability of other brands equal to Sony headsets offered at lower prices.
Conclusion
References
Chang, S. (2011). Sony vs. Samsung. Singapore: Wiley.
Hollensen, S. (2015). Marketing management: A relationship approach. New York: Pearson Education.
O'shaughnessy, J. (2014). Competitive marketing (RLE Marketing): A Strategic approach. London: Routledge.
Terpstra, V., Foley, J., & Sarathy, R. (2012). International marketing. New York: Naper Press.
