The company's stand at PLASA was designed to provide stimulation of all five senses; sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Visually, the stand adopted a clean, gallery like approach to the display of products and graphics, while digital signage, promoting the new corporate branding, provided additional stimulation. Ambient sounds reproduced birdsong, while an aroma machine produced the smell of freshly cut grass, giving a sense of freedom and of being outdoors. Green tea was offered to visitors, and a central 'chill-out area' offered Japanese head and hand massage.
"The primary brief for the stand design was to provide a haven of tranquility for our visitors, amongst all of the noise and stress," explains Harvey Roberts, senior UK marketing manager, Audio-Technica. "Like most trade shows, PLASA is tiring for visitors, we wanted people coming onto our stand to feel instantly calm and relaxed. Our stand at PLASA is one of the biggest opportunities we have in the UK to make a statement about who we are. As a Japanese company, our corporate philosophies are based around the concepts of Zen, and our marketing communications should reflect this. The commercial success of PLASA for us this year is a clear indication of the benefits of this approach."
Along with the recently launched corporate image comes a new three-tier dealer system and a more global pricing initiative. The company will also be publishing what it is referring to as the anticipated market price (AMP) for its products, alongside the RRP, in a move intended to support its dealer network scheme in the face of discount retailers. "Retailers are obviously free to charge whatever they want," says Roberts, "but the immediate effect of a lower perceived price will be to make those that don't discount appear more competitive."
Audio-Technica is supporting these pricing initiatives with a three-tier dealer programme on its new Artist Series mic line, that ranges from standard trade pricing to AT specialist dealerships that attract substantial discount for stock holding commitment. The scheme is further supported by nationwide marketing campaigns, dedicated point of sale materials, and customer-focused promotions (such as the current Audio-Technica branded tee-shirt free with every Artist Series microphone), in return for stock holding and in-store commitment.
New product lines launched at PLASA, like the 700 Series wireless systems and the Artist Series microphones, contributed to a significant strengthening of Audio-Technica's product range for the MI and pro audio retail markets. Newly designed packaging and graphics introduced on the 700 Series wireless systems, identifying systems according to their performance application, were also introduced across the lower cost 200 Liberator Series, providing generic branding across the company's affordable wireless series.
(Jim Evans)
