Sony - Go young, sporty, and domestic
The Walkman had a very popular sports edition. Why is Sony no longer sporty? Because it’s afraid to go its own way. The new stores in the mall look nice, more like the Apple stores. I hear Best Buy wants stores that look that way.
Japan is still very cool with kids. Why not buy up all those crappy convenience stores near elementary and middle schools and turn them into the best afterschool hop-ins anykid could imagine? You could sell healthier snacks, quickly-fun drinks, and have a 21st century arcade. And a section students, tutors, moms, dads, and teachers could use to better tech accessorize their educations.
You might have staff that could be redeployed. Do you think investments in education and sport might pay off as well as investments in entertainment? Don’t we all agree that learning, sport, film, and gaming are sort of merging?
All I am saying is be a little bit more creative in which geeks you marketing too. Apple ignores most of them.
How about a digitally smart baseball bat. Kids would love to look at the handle and know how far their hit flew depending on the angle and force of impact. Golfers would probably like something more interesting too. Tennis rackets need a digital update. Why not clip a generator to the end of recreational rackets, so that I can recharge my phone with all the swinging momentum I generated during an afternoon of volley.
Why not make smarter gadgets for our home? We all hate trying to figure out which kitchen aid manufacturer out there hasn’t sold off their brand to some holding company that doesn’t care about quality anymore. Honey is well placed opportunity all over the house. A quieter, yet respiratory savvy air, floor, or yardleaf vacuum?
Your CEO mentions that IBM transformed itself into a service business. Don’t you think the education industry could use some consulting?
