Doug Wilson, president and COO of Sony of Canada

Doug Wilson, president and chief operating officer of Sony of Canada, carries the pride of this heritage and success as an honor. Today, Sony not only dominates the audiovisual market but has a strong presence in gaming, music, movies and cell phones.

Sony is at the forefront when it comes to promoting consumer high-definition entertainment solutions in Canada. Wilson states, ‘‘I’m pleased with what our people have done in marketing our products effectively. We just did not focus on the product, but the total entertainment solution combining all the strengths of Sony companies.’’

Customer centricity is the key buzzword within Sony’s marketing team. In fact, it is this uniqueness and marketing creativity that has helped Sony of Canada make its mark among Sony companies worldwide.

‘‘We focused on the basics of marketing and work to understand the current media clutter in the marketplace. Sony made the decision to focus on the consumer — specifically, interacting one-on-one with the consumers and creating a memorable experience for them, which, ultimately would prompt them to actively think about Sony before making any buying decisions,’’ Wilson says.

After thorough research on its consumer segment, Sony partnered with various organizations involved in sports-related activities such as hockey, football, soccer, golf and rugby associations. It also demonstrated its Bravia LCD TV’s and SXRD products to these sports enthusiasts who are shown to be early adopters of new technology.

Those unique marketing activities have helped Sony gain No. 1 market share in LCD TVs.

‘‘We are confident that we will be No. 1 in total flat panel TVs by next year. We have gained expertise in sports marketing, which is a key competitive advantage,’’ Wilson explains.

Another strategy that has helped Sony of Canada reach the top in almost every electronics category has been the success of the Sony retail store. By October 2006, Sony of Canada had 77 Sony stores nationwide.

‘‘Our Sony stores are certainly something that other Sony companies around the world try to learn from. These stores are the destination for the full HD experience, integrating our televisions, high-definition Handycam, VAIO, Blu-ray, PlayStation 3 and movies. We have over 500 people working in our stores who are experts on new technology,’’ says Wilson.

‘‘With rapid changes in technology we need to be able to educate our consumers quickly. For example, it’s quite critical that they understand the benefits of LCD over plasma so that they can enjoy the best possible entertainment today and in the future. We are confident that customers leave our stores knowing exactly what Sony can offer them and how Sony can enhance their lifestyles,’’ he adds.

With its chain stores, Sony also highlights the value of its products that other electronic brands don’t have — access to a complete entertainment portfolio, from Sony BMG Music Entertainment to Sony Pictures to Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications to Sony Computer Entertainment. This network allows Sony to leverage the media content it owns along with the hardware.

Underlying all this success are the employees of Sony of Canada.

‘‘We are a company that is fortunate to be the recipients of great products with great technology, design and quality. I believe the key to our success in the past and in the future is our employees, and the dedication all 1,100 of them have to our products and our brand. They create a memorable experience for consumers while buying Sony. They are our backbone and have made us the dominant electronics brand in Canada,’’ says Wilson.

www.sony.ca