For the fashion conscious.
--
January 3, 2001
Dow Jones Newswires
FEER(1/11): Bright Electronics Keep
Companies Competitive
By KITTY MCKINSEY
FUCHSIA, LIME, STRAWBERRY-colours more commonly seen in
sorbets are all the rage now for personal electronic gadgets. Ever since
Apple's iMac burst onto the scene just over two years ago in tangerine and
blueberry, consumer electronics have taken on wilder and brighter hues.
Just look at some of the bright new products hitting the shops as
manufacturers venture further into the world of colour. In the United
States, Palm, a leading maker of personal digital assistants, or PDAs,
recently introduced a bright turquoise Claudia Schiffer Edition of its Palm
Pilot ($399). Sony's CMT-ED2 CD and tape player ($165), meanwhile,
has speakers seemingly inspired by the Swedish flag -- one yellow and one
blue. Compaq has just introduced a monochrome 15-tone grey screen for
its popular Pocket PC (iPAQ H3630, $383), but sells the device with
covers in lilac, teal and dusty rose.
What's driving the move into colourful gadgets? As consumers have grown
more comfortable with hi-tech appliances, they no longer require the
reassuring formality of black and silver. "People get bored easily," says Ajit
Shahani, general manager of Miyoshi Electronics, a China-based
equipment maker that supplies companies in the U.S., Britain, the Middle
East and South America. "They're looking for new gimmicks and new
colours in electronics."
Miyoshi offers its portable radios and cassette players in 12 colours. Two
years ago, metallic hues inspired by car paint were in. Next came
transparent neon cases; this year Miyoshi is promoting violet, teal and mint
green -- in both muted and eye-popping tones.
Mobile-phone giant Nokia sees colour as key to selling phones not just as
communication devices, but "as a reflection of your personality," according
to Danesh Daryanani, Nokia's Asia-Pacific head of marketing
communications. He says scarcely anyone chooses a mobile phone for its
technical functions alone.
Nokia takes colour very seriously. It's part of an industry group that
forecasts the "in" colours for the coming year -- and guards its secrets
jealously. Nokia also tailors colours to appeal to a product's target market.
The subdued metallic cover of the Nokia 8850 phone is intended to flatter
a more discerning, upmarket consumer. "We're not going to put the Nokia
8850 in purple leopard-skin," says Daryanani. But the Nokia 3210, aimed
at the dedicated follower of fashion, comes with six snap-on coloured
covers packaged in a box reminiscent of Crayola crayons.
With products that retail for between $9.99 and $19.99 in the U.S.,
Miyoshi relies on colour to spur impulse purchases by teenagers.
"Teenagers love bright yellows, reds and blues, especially in the summer,"
says Amit Mahtani, sales manager for the company in Hong Kong. He
admits that changing colours every year is a highly profitable way to extend
the life of a product without changing the design. But Miyoshi's approach is
less scientific than Nokia's: "We tell our staff to be as creative as they can
be with the colours, and then we market the ones we like," says Mahtani. |
