Nearly a year after announcing the successful conclusion of its corporate turnaround, Sony continues on a renewed path in which its once-struggling consumer electronics division is witnessing healthy growth. TWICE connected with Mike Fasulo, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics North America, to get his thoughts on the state of the CE industry and Sony’s position within it.
TWICE: How is business? How’s the CE turnaround?
Business is strong. We’ve moved well beyond turnaround to profitable, selected growth. Our culture has also shifted in that we are keenly aware of the business environment and its ever-changing conditions. We are deeply proactive — it’s served us well and has served our consumers very well.
See: Meet Sony’s New CEO
TWICE: In TV, Sony reclaims its stake in a tent-pole category — what are long-term concerns? And how do you deal with a generation that was raised on cellphones and streaming?
Sony’s positions on both fronts are secure to some degree:
Sony is obsessed with quality. We have earned the right to be back on top of the premium television category due to our unrelenting commitment to quality.
With regard to younger audiences, research data verifies that brand is even more important to younger generations than with baby boomers.
We’ve built a TV platform that has partnered with Google/Android. Our product lines have the capabilities for experiences that younger audiences seek — experiences that meet/exceed expectations. It’s great that these experiences also serve and satisfy moms and dads.
TWICE: Where does Sony fit in IoT?
Sony fits perfectly in IoT. We are one of the only brands that actually participates across multiple categories (AI/IoT/voice, etc.) in home electronics, consumer electronics and entertainment.
When you think about the technologies in our devices (voice activation/artificial intelligence, etc.), history has shown us time and time again that consumers respond favorably to open platforms. So we believe Sony fits perfectly in the world of connected devices.
