Despite my relatively young age (24), I have observed the consumer electronics industry for about a decade. The generation I come from is part of a target demographic that has redefined some of the basic elements of marketing. This new definition will extend for decades to come and is what I consider to be the humble beginnings of an untaught era in consumer and corporate relations. I truly believe Sony Insider is proof of this sentiment; instead of Sony asking me to shut the site down I am in talks with them to work on content for their electronics blog.
The consumer electronics industry is rapidly changing every year, and we live in an age now where the consumer can observe a swift stream of information about their favorite brand or type of product. The general public is becoming very interested in the latest and greatest in technology, yet many still sit in the dark and don’t hear about things until they observe them in person at their local store that has electronics. Nonetheless, hundreds of millions of people around the world visit websites such as engadget, Gizmodo, and others. The traffic to such sites grows each year (as people become more connected) and are often in the tier of the most visited websites in the world. Those are just the English sites – did you know that there is the same wealth of information available in many other languages?
A fair number of the stories written on Sony Insider come from sources in other countries where Sony has a huge presence. It’s not uncommon to see products and technologies exclusive to a certain country. For example, Sony China has a personal media player with a big screen and excellent functionality but is only sold in that region. Another example is the waterproof BRAVIA television with a 4 inch screen that was recently released by Sony Japan. These products will likely never be sold outside their target country for various reasons, but are a perfect example of the unknown that many of us find interesting.
A story of the unknown in the gadget world is the type of content that technology blog/news websites love to cover. Traffic estimates show that you, the connected reader, love it too. The connected reader is a consumer electronics insider: they read the tech blogs often each week, check everything out that is announced at trade shows (IFA, CES, etc), and tell the people they know about it and influence them accordingly. It’s an unexplainable interest that many of us wield, but what people don’t understand is that they are also wielding great power. Companies are noticing that the Insider demographic can make their product experience better through the feedback we leave in comments at tech blogs, your blog posts, and forums.
Often, people don’t realize Sony and other electronics companies digest this information and utilize your suggestions. I challenge you, the consumer, to give more feedback through comments for companies such as Sony on tech blog sites. Be proactive and write blog or forum posts about what you think when a new product comes out. Write an honest review with clear pictures about a product you purchased and try and send it as a tip to the tech blogs. A true Insider rises above the rest and makes a difference through what they know; are you a consumer electronics insider?
