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February 1, 2010, Kansas City, MO - Winntech continues to survive and flourish in a tight economy. Late in 2008, a fifteen minute conversation between Sony representatives and Winntech new business development sparked an opportunity that helped Winntech acheive a third year in a row of record-breaking sales. How? Simple: Winntech, an internationally renowned 3-dimensional agency, was able to design and deliver stunning best-of-class full-interactive P.O.P. solutions at price points that other display industry stalwarts could only accomplish with static signage and graphics. Doing so, however, would require thinking and acting with lightning speed, and pushing the boundaries of low-cost, two-way interactive digital communications technologies to whole new limits.
Sony’s challenge was daunting: The company’s two largest major new product introductions for 2009 both required a compelling and complicated story be told at the point of discovery—educating and entertaining customers by making it easy to understand how these new products fit into busy customers’ lives, and stand clearly above those of would-be competitors. One category, Sony’s “E-reader” digital books—was envisioned to be one of the hottest technology launches of the year. The other, Sony’s “Altus” line of small, portable speaker systems designed to pump music from your i-phone or i-pod-touch throughout your home wirelessly, offer incredible benefits to any music aficionado who doesn’t want to tear up the walls in order to get music in every room, affordably.
Like most major product launches, the time-frames were tight. And because Sony’s retail distribution channel includes most of the major mass-merchant chains, thousands of displays would be required. In fact, the program would require total production of over 6,000 display units during a time-frame of only 4 months, and would include roll-outs to Best Buy, Target, Borders, Sony Style, Wal-Mart (Canada), and countless regional chains as well.
Sony Style Wall Displays
Forty-two high-end Sony Style store locations across the nation were selected to receive the largest and most complex of the display programs—a huge 8’ x 8’ interactive wall that would feature the Altus wireless speaker systems. The displays include white back-lit “ice cube” display pedestals atop which the various Altus speaker packages are showcased. Custom engineered, invisible “gesture-based” capacitance triggers allow customers to simply “wave their hands” near the product bundle on display to immediately begin a fully-immersive interactive presentation—which includes lighting cues which are sequenced to the videos, as well as direct audio demonstration of the Altus Speakers in the selected package. Each display includes a single portrait-mounted 32” LCD that runs a loop presentation, plus five smaller 10” portrait LCD’s which “wake up” after a product bundle is triggered when a customer wave’s his/her hand. Even the music demonstrated can be changed with another simple hand gesture. Futuristic, and effective!
Sony Altus Displays for Best Buy
Located in some of the most “premium” real estate within the Best Buy chain, the Sony Altus (wireless speaker systems for i-pod-touch and i-phones) interactive display tables and in-line merchandisers needed to grab attention from a distance. Winntech’s design team accomplished this through the development of a fully interactive series of LED back-lit acrylic “stair steppers”—tied to a dynamic video deployed on the display’s primary 40” portrait-mounted LCD display. Static header graphics clearly communicate the umbrella message, “Sound Everywhere - Wires Nowhere.” Like the massive Altus interactive walls deployed for Sony Style, the Best Buy Altus program had to effectively educate consumers first about the basic functionality and capabilities of the wireless speakers systems, and secondly—help the consumer to determine which wireless speaker bundle (or bundles) would be most suited to their individual needs.
In answering to this second objective, Winntech developed a simple “solution finder” application that allows consumers to simply answer to some basic qualification questions, and then automatically “turns on” the correct Altus Speaker system while simultaneously illuminating its position in the display and triggering an interactive content video that clearly explains the features and benefits of the recommended package. Add-on sales are encouraged by taking customers a step farther, and suggesting the “next” bundle they may wish to explore in eventually outfitting every part of their home. The rear of the display is merchandised with static graphics that also explain the bundles, and lead customers to the back-stock for “grab and go”.
Sony Reader Digital Book Displays
For the release of the Reader digital books by Sony, Winntech created an interactive display with live products and engaging video integration. Over 4,200 displays were produced and shipped out to major retail channel partners such as Best Buy stores, Target stores, Borders, Wal-Mart Canada, and a host of smaller regional chains. The display had to include a variety of options: for use as a table top, end-cap, in-line, and free-standing island, each with associated accessories merchandising.
The Reader display is a sleek, custom-formed acrylic platform upon which two live, full-functional Readers (the Reader Touch Edition and the Reader Pocket Edition) are mounted. An LCD video screen and lights behind the products interact with the customer. As soon as a Reader is lifted, the attached recoiler triggers a lifestyle benefit video with accompanying audio. Once the short introductory product video reaches its duration, an on-screen menu fades in, displaying three descriptive “drill down” topics associated with three buttons positioned next to the screen. The customer can choose to learn more about a topic, or can choose to learn more about the other product on display. Furthermore, the interactive electronics which were custom designed for Sony by Winntech for the Reader displays already include a blank “third position” so that the display is ready to merchandise the upcoming Reader Daily Edition wireless e-books launching soon.
About Winntech:
Winntech is an award winning, full-service design and interactive marketing-solutions provider with in-house fabrication capabilities rivaling those of many defense contractors. Founded in 1991 by three young, fanatical engineers who refused to be bound by conventional ideas about limitations to design and practical application, Winntech has forged its reputation for being the ultimate out-of-box organization. By choosing the road less traveled and perfecting its vertically integrated manufacturing arm, Winntech consistently delivers unabridged creativity with flawless execution in record time. Unlike traditional creative agencies or manufacturers, Winntech does EVERYTHING in-house: including environmental/industrial/graphics/interaction design, production engineering, custom software, custom electronics, custom content-creation, and full display and fixture manufacturing.
For more information, please contact
Gretchen Wright
816-241-4002 x108
gretchenw@winntech.com