Philips used International CES, here, to launch programs and product lines under the global corporation’s “Sense and Simplicity” directive.
The new guidelines, which Royal Philips Electronics is applying to all sectors of its diverse operations, challenges its teams to develop and market products using meaningful applications that are intuitively easy for customers to use.
“Sense and simplicity is more than just a slogan,” said Reinier Jens, Philips Consumer Electronics North America’s president, at his company’s CES press conference. “Sense means we will use our deep understanding of our customers to provide products and services that make sense. Simplicity is what people expect of technology.”
Jens said Philips is already using the Sense and Simplicity strategy in a new brand campaign “designed to be more vocal about who we are and the value we deliver.”
“Since the beginning of the campaign in September, research reveals that Philips’ awareness in the U.S. among our target demographic, which is professionals aged 35 to 54, has increased almost 50 percent on an unaided basis.”
Philips underscored the directive while addressing three key areas: AmbiLight 2, which is an advancement on its proprietary rear-panel illumination system for higher-end flat-panel televisions; Connected Planet, which is an initiative delivering A/V entertainment solutions to consumers through wireless networks; and “Personal Infotainment,” which is comprised of a series of personal music and information products, including models in its Nike series.
“We bring each of these areas under our Sense and Simplicity umbrella by presenting their benefits through some real breakthroughs that enable consumers to get the most use out of them,” said Des Power, Philips sales and marketing senior VP.
Addressing the television category at the show, Philips showed next generation flat-panel televisions that employ its AmbiLight, rear-panel lighting system.
The new generation technology, called AmbiLight 2, has been redesigned to be brighter and to perform independent lighting operations behind each half of the panel. The feature will be included in many of Philips’ flat-panel TVs in the 32W-inch, 37W-inch, 42W-inch and 50W-inch screen sizes during 2005, Power said.
The AmbiLight 2 system constantly monitors light intensity and color on screen, and then projects on the rear wall surrounding the panel background illumination matching the predominant brightness level and color shades in the image.
All AmbiLight 2 models will also feature integrated ATSC tuners and digital CableCARD slots, Power said.
Screen sizes in plasma displays this year will include 42W-inches and 50W-inches. LCD TVs will offer the 15-inch, 17W-inch, 20-inch, 20W-inch, 23W-inch, 26W-inch, 30W-inch, 32W-inch, 37W-inch and 42W-inch screen sizes in 2005.
Philips also announced the next phase in its Connected Planet initiative. Jens said the company will “further enhance our offer of high-quality Internet service for the consumer, supplied by our content partners, for example, Yahoo!”
In addition, he announced that Philips will use Microsoft Windows Media technologies in new mobile infotainment and Streamium products.
“This will increase the Yahoo! music offer, considerably,” he said.
