Ford Launches Best Buy Trial Of Sync Demos

By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 10/26/2009

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Audiovox Hires Warren To Plot Car A/V Strategy

Dearborn, Mich. — Ford will launch this October its previously announced venture with Best Buy to promote the car maker's popular Sync radios with voice activation.

Beginning in October, more than 30 Texas Best Buy locations will show consumers in clinics and demos how to use their mobile phones with the Sync. The Sync links with Bluetooth phones to allow traffic and weather updates and navigation with no service fees for three years.

The program is expected to expand to nationwide Best Buy locations in 2010, said Ford.

The alliance between the companies was first revealed at the 2009 International CES, but this is the first announcement of trial clinics to kick off the program.

Best Buy Mobile will act as a secondary venue, in addition to Ford dealers, where users can determine if their phone will work with the Sync, and Best Buy can upgrade consumers without Bluetooth phones to a compatible model.

Ford also launched this month an advertising campaign for Sync, called “SYNC. Say the Word,” to boost awareness of the voice-activated radio system. The print and online ads target “young, tech-savvy drivers,” said Ford. These will be joined by 30-second video spots, and Ford will also make available 11 instructional videos.

The new version of the Sync, not only acts as a radio that links with iPods and cellphones by voice command, but it also delivers navigation and traffic information by voice. Information is read aloud to the user but no map display is provided. Users can also “ask” to hear local weather and sports scores using voice commands.

Traffic and other data are sent over the voice channel of the user's Bluetooth phone, so no data plan is required.

Audiovox Hires Warren To Plot Car A/V Strategy

BY AMY GILROY

Hauppauge, N.Y. — Audiovox Electronics appointed Jim Warren as mobile audio VP. Formerly sales and marketing senior VP at Harman, Warren will oversee a new effort by Audiovox to adjust to the changing autosound market.

The company will focus more heavily on “connected solutions” in the vehicle, exploring how consumers will use products three to five years from now, said Audiovox Electronics president Tom Malone.

“Jim's inclusion is to give us a … road map for how our mobile audio group will change in new ways to connect to the car. I think everyone needs to look at this in the car space because you have many options on how to use technology, and you can get lost going into 20 different directions,” Malone said.

Audiovox is “very interested” in driver safety, and dealing with the texting while driving issue, as well as voice recognition and Wi-Fi connectivity, said Malone.

Warren, who was at one time merchandising senior VP at Car Toys, replaces Ray Leake, who came to Audiovox from his post as a senior buyer at Circuit City.

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