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Electronic entertainment has begotten innovations, once undreamed of, that have now become commonplace. Much of this has been a result of fast-paced innovations introduced by consumer electronics manufacturers. The Victor Company of Japan (or JVC) has played a major role in the history of this neverending race for the new, and found a particularly receptive clientele in Holland.
JVC was established in 1927 and the first electronically-transmitted CRT broadcast by their own Dr. Takayanagi in 1926 led directly to the development of Japan's first television only 13 years later. Today, the company has grown to be a familiar and trusted world name in electronics without abandoning this research and innovation-laid path. JVC Netherlands has capitalized on the global group's well-earned reputation to capture the imaginations of a significant proportion of its local Dutch market. "First, you have to have a brand image with a high profile. That is how we positioned JVC here," says Harold van den Eeckhout, the Dutch subsidiary's president. A combination of cutting edge products and canny marketing have led to the company's healthy growth. Headquartered in Leiden in the west of the country, JVC Netherlands is a major overseas subsidiary for the global company and manages regional sales through an extensive dealer network across Holland. Its market share has grown from 5 percent to 15 percent in the last six years. Van den Eeckhout suggests this is partly due to the special receptiveness of the Dutch buyer to JVC's products. "It is a matter of the open attitude to new technology in this country and the significant level of acceptance of high-tech Japanese products," says van den Eeckhout, "The Dutch promptly and continually consume new technologies which we bring to this market, differentiating it from other more conservative ones." With today's vast majority of industries and consumers currently embracing digital technology for home and professional use, JVC's latest focus has turned to providing complete DVD systems for its customers. "As the pace of technology progresses, we are able to develop products which are ever more imaginative and advanced. When this takes place the market changes almost over night, as we have seen in the past," he adds, in reference to the music industry overhaul that occurred when vinyl records made way for CDs. Almost the same process has come about with the arrival of DVDs to complement or even replace videotape in the near future. "You have to have the right attitude and the right approach," he concludes. "There is not just one formula for success." In technology-smitten Holland, it's a case of the right products finding the right market.
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Harold van den Eeckhout, president of JVC Netherlands