Interesting piece on failure of Sony to market its ereaders

[mrkapawutzis]

Going back to the original article, I think it is a bit excessive with his critiques but he does make valid points in regard to Sony's lack of a marketing plan. If you follow articles on e-readers they rarely if ever mention Sony products even though new iterations were just released four months ago. Even when they were released, they didn't make much of a splash in the general public (as far as I could tell). It seems like most of the popular tech web sites and blogs did cover their release but not that many reviewed them, as opposed to their major competitors the Kindle and Nook.

As someone else pointed out, without proper marketing they won't have good sales and without good sales they won't be competitive and if they're not competitive there will be less incentive to innovate. It's one thing to be able to sell to previous Sony owners or tech savvy folk who are aware of the features that the Sony Readers provide but if they're unable to penetrate the mass market then ultimately we'll be left out in the cold.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by kartu

... It was implied (on this very page) that "probably marketing people at Sony" think that it is better that "sites do not review Sony readers"....

Sorry, I don't follow you. What number post are you referring to, when you say it was implied that "... sites do not review Sony readers ..."?

Originally Posted by kartu

... I asked what were Sony "marketing people" supposed to do, so that sites do review its devices.

If you are asking me, I think Sony should supply their products for independent review.

[kartu]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

Sorry, I don't follow you. What number post are you referring to, when you say it was implied that "... sites do not review Sony readers ..."?

#51
In my understanding, it implied that Sony doesn't want sites to review its readers.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by doreenjoy

I don't think the lack of press is necessarily a death knell. The iPod didn't kill the market for all other MP3 players.

Actually, cell phones that play mp3 are killing dedicated mp3 players.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by kartu

#51
In my understanding, it implied that Sony doesn't want sites to review its readers.

You wrote, "Sony Readers get next to no media coverage." In post #50, Sweatpea wrote, "They get plenty here...". In post #51, I wrote, "Perhaps the marketing people at Sony feel that word-of-mouth recommendation is more effective than advertising."

I didn't realise that by "... no media coverage ..." you meant a shortage of reviews of Sony's readers. I was not implying that Sony doesn't want sites to review its readers. I don't think there has been any shortage of reviews, but of course more would welcome, so long as they are independent ones (ie not ones influenced by Sony).

Sony could market their readers in various way, including advertising, as well sending samples for independent reviews, and so on. I thought your statement, "... Sony Readers get next to no media coverage ...", was a criticism of the lack of advertising, which is a criticism that some other people have also made.

What I was attempting to communicate, albeit maybe rather clumsily, was that perhaps Sony believes that prospective buyers are more likely to be persuaded by recommendation than advertising. Having said that, perhaps if Sony spent more on advertising then they might sell more readers.

[astra]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

I have just bought a used Sony PRS-505, based on what other users have posted on MR. Perhaps the marketing people at Sony feel that word-of-mouth recommendation is more effective than advertising.

And I have learned that at least 3 people bought Kindles for Christmas. However, nobody knows about Sony Reader's existence.

[johnnyb]

After I got my iPad with 3G a few days ago I was of course using it or "everything" but right now, I'm back to reading with my Sony even if I have to use my Mac in conjunction with it and even if it only reads books... I simply prefer the peace an offline device gives me and to be honet mot books I'm reading right now are neither available on the Kindle no the Sony nor the B&N store so it wouldn't make much sense anyway...
I agree though that the occasional brandnew novel would have been more easily acquired without a computer and that Sony simply chargesntoo much for their readers... Maybe not according to the quality or technology (brilliant touchscreen) they offer, but simply too much for the market... Covering costs for developments that are good for several generations with the first product hat has these innovations alone seems bit outdated to me and I think even Apple topped that after iPhone 2G...

[elcreative]

Damn, must be aliens then... the retailer I work for, is currently selling Sony's hand over fist but if nobody knows about them then aliens are the only solution...

Originally Posted by astra

And I have learned that at least 3 people bought Kindles for Christmas. However, nobody knows about Sony Reader's existence.

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by astra

... However, nobody knows about Sony Reader's existence.

Really? Pull the other one, it's got bells on it.

Assuming that anyone who is interested in buying an e-reader, has heard of the Internet, and knows about search engines such as Google, then all they would need to do to discover Sony e-readers would be to search for e-reader. Wikipedia lists nine models. Alternatively, they could visit a branch of Waterstones, WHSmith, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers

[natasha_fawn]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

Really? Pull the other one, it's got bells on it.

Assuming that anyone who is interested in buying an e-reader, has heard of the Internet, and knows about search engines such as Google, then all they would need to do to discover Sony e-readers would be to search for e-reader. Wikipedia lists nine models. Alternatively, they could visit a branch of Waterstones, WHSmith, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_e-book_readers

One issue with this is that (at least in the US), a lot of people aren't interested in buying an e-reader, they're interested in buying a Kindle. That's what they're likely to have seen in commercials on TV, and if they buy books on Amazon that's what they'll have seen on the front page. If they have a friend with an ereader, it's most likely to be a Kindle (again, in the US). They may be vaguely aware that there are other models (especially if they shop in B&N), but the Kindle will be at the front of their minds. To many people, an ereader is a Kindle, just like a photocopier is a Xerox machine, a tissue is a Kleenex, and an mp3 player is an iPod. So that's what they want.

[kennyc]

When I got seriously interested I checked out the Kindle first but then did some googling and looking and comparing and ended up buying a Sony 505...which is still my favorite even though I have a Kindle2, have had a Sony 900, an Aztak etc...

[boxcorner]

Originally Posted by natasha_fawn

... (at least in the US) ...

I take your point, nevertheless despite the fact that perhaps the majority of people in the US may call them Kindles, I believe that most people also realise that there are other makes available, such as for example Kobo and Nook. Therefore, I don't think it would require much imagination on their part to discover that Sony, who after-all is world renowned for making electronic devices, such as for example the Walkman, also makes e-readers. Whilst some people may call their Dyson vacuum cleaner a Hoover, I think the most people realise that generically they are all vacuum cleaners.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by kennyc

When I got seriously interested I checked out the Kindle first but then did some googling and looking and comparing and ended up buying a Sony 505...which is still my favorite even though I have a Kindle2, have had a Sony 900, an Aztak etc...

As someone who has both a Sony and a Kindle, how do you decide what to read on each?

[natasha_fawn]

Originally Posted by boxcorner

I take your point, nevertheless despite the fact that perhaps the majority of people in the US may call them Kindles, I believe that most people also realise that there are other makes available, such as for example Kobo and Nook. Therefore, I don't think it would require much imagination on their part to discover that Sony, who after-all is world renowned for making electronic devices, such as for example the Walkman, also makes e-readers. Whilst some people may call their Dyson vacuum cleaner a Hoover, I think the most people realise that generically they are all vacuum cleaners.

Realize, yes, but enough to spend time researching when they could easily just go to Amazon hit the "one-click buy" button, or drop by the electronics section of Target on their weekly shopping and pick one up? Even if they do Google "ereader," there's a good chance that when presented with all of the choices they'll just go with the one they've had the most exposure to, to avoid hassle. (I think our difference of opinion here stems, perhaps, from a difference in how we think people act when making a choice. Or perhaps how important the choice of an ereader is to most purchasers.)

I do think that Sony needs to do more to get its readers into public consciousness. I also think that it was very silly of them to give the same names (Pocket, Touch, Daily) to their updated line, without even a "2." I've seen a lot of people confusing the new ones with the old, glare-prone, ones because of this.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

As someone who has both a Sony and a Kindle, how do you decide what to read on each?

I mostly use the Sony...that's what I carry around with me. But on occasion I'll read on the Kindle.

As far as what on which one. I don't buy any book that I can't liberate and read on either one.