Contemporary Business

Contemporary Business

Strayer University

Fatumata Fofana

Dr. Michael Jackson Laverty

Date: 06/13/15

Compare and contrast the promotional strategies used by two (2) different companies for a similar product within the category that you selected.

Panasonic ran TV activity from May in multiple markets highlighting its Smart Viera TV’s place in the home and the variety of tasks it can be used for. Creative focuses on different members of the family using the device to emphasize suitability for all, while advanced technological capabilities such as the ability to ‘swipe’ content from a tablet onto the TV screen are also highlighted. Elsewhere, the brand capitalized on its status as a sponsor of London 2012 to feature Olympic athletes in creative, offering consumers the chance to win tickets to core events while also being able to experience the full atmosphere of the Games in the comfort of their living room, while Samsung emphasizes similar technological functions in its creative, using press ads to show how consumers can operate its devices with their hands alone. In the US, the brand’s TV executions highlighted the voice recognition technology used in its TVs, while a young girl is shown interacting with the TV to emphasize its intuitive interface and, in a similar way to Panasonic, its suitability for all ages.

Despite these similarities, there are some subtle differences regarding the brands’ promotion online. Samsung promotes its smart TV via its main Facebook page (which also supports its non-internet-ready TVs), and while Panasonic uses a similar strategy, it does operate dedicated Facebook pages for certain countries – interestingly, these are markets like Thailand rather than the US or UK. However, both brands use one YouTube channel to support both smart and traditional TV offerings, with uploaded videos featuring demonstrations of product features and new technologies. Given the battle for dominance in this sector, it is interesting to see how...