Panasonic Gets It

[sj001]

http://www.hollywoodinhidef.com/blog_detail.php?id=161

Sony gets all the attention for Blu-ray and so many other innovations, but Panasonic has increasingly been demonstrating its own innovation in regards to the marketing of Blu-ray and hi-def in general.
That has never been more in evidence than at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas where Panasonic dominated everything from the opening keynote session to the convention exhibit floor and much of the signage and sponsorship placements everywhere in between.

The company even generated the biggest media coverage splash by literally rolling out a whopping 150-inch (13-foot) plasma TV at the opening keynote session that landed on the front page of many newspaper business sections and TV programs.

While much of this could be dismissed as hype and marketing dollars at work, it goes much deeper. Panasonic has arguably been even more aggressive than Sony and every other CE company at promoting Blu-ray for the past year. The company partnered with Disney on the successful mall tour that has been extended this year, was the first to introduce a fully compliant Blu-ray player a couple months ago, and has placed ads seemingly everywhere. Panasonic Hollywood Labs through vp Eisuke Tsuyuzaki is working aggressively with multiple studios to create the most robust Blu-ray Disc presentations and interactive features, including the upcoming Web-connected "Alien vs Predator Vs You" online multi-player game for Fox's summer release of "Alien Vs. Predator."

Panasonic is one of the leading sponsors of the upcoming Olympics in Beijing and has developed many major partnerships with filmmakers and media companies.

But even more importantly, Panasonic's promotion of Blu-ray is clearly and smartly integrated seamlessly into the company's overall hi-def strategy. That is perhaps the most critical part of the whole thing for the benefit of the entire industry.
Blu-ray must become a vital component of the emerging hi-def environment for consumers.

Panasonic president Toshihiro Sakamoto's opening keynote at CES on Monday, similar to Panasonic's media presentation on Sunday that drew long lines of anxious reporters, brilliantly interweaved each new showcased product into the other:

* New Viera plasma TVs: best enjoyed with the full 1080p images from Blu-ray
* New 32GB SD memory card: insert in the SD slot of Blu-ray player
* HD camcorders: playback video via the SD card slot in Blu-ray player (or directly into plasma TVs)
* Wireless Connectivity: uncompressed full HD transmission from Blu-ray player to plasma TV
* Viera Link: control all AV operations and equipment, including Blu-ray, with a single remote
* In-car entertainment system: based on Blu-ray
* Computer drives: Blu-ray playback/recording

There was more, but you get the idea.
In fact, Panasonic's marketing and advertising tagline is "Ideas for Life."
For most consumers, Blu-ray will need to be seen as part of a new hi-def lifestyle choice, not just a slight upgrade from their DVD player.

Panasonic appears to be taking the lead in making that happen.