Sony Aibo Case Analysis
Global Marketing Mid-Term
Sony AIBO: Case Analysis
Prepared by:
1. a. What was Sony’s positioning strategy for AIBO?
The AIBO is a robot. In its most simplistic form it is an amalgamation of steel, circuitry, and software. Sony, however, did not position the AIBO as a robot. Instead they positioned the AIBO as a pet with no utility or usefulness, but rather as a source of entertainment and companionship. Takeshi Yazawa, Vice President of Sony Entertainment Robot America, succinctly summarized this positioning strategy, “We had lots of arguments about whether AIBO should do something or not. But in the end, we all agreed, that it wouldn’t do anything useful at all. It would be a pet. AIBO loves you, you love AIBO, and that’s it.”
Sony’s positioning strategy for the AIBO was in essence a breakaway strategy. This breakaway positioning strategy borrowed from the pet category. Rather than emphasize the mechanical and technological aspects of the AIBO, Sony classified the AIBO as having the joys of pet ownership without any of the negative aspects. AIBOs promotional material highlighted this dual aspect of maintenance free pet-ownership. “Imagine all the joys of having an intelligent, alert companion at your home without the toil, guilt and fretting that usually go along with emotional and physical maintenance…” The positioning of AIBO as a companion/pet was implicit in all aspects of the products lifecycle, from its initial development, through promotion, and finally in its ownership in the hands of the final consumer. During product development, Sony decided that the AIBO would be a four-legged pet – this implied that the product development team would have to provide the AIBO with certain minimal characteristics, such as the ability to walk, communicate with its owner, and learn certain commands over time. During promotion, Sony did not mention robotics in any of its materials; rather it continually emphasized the
Sony AIBO: Case Analysis
Prepared by:
1. a. What was Sony’s positioning strategy for AIBO?
The AIBO is a robot. In its most simplistic form it is an amalgamation of steel, circuitry, and software. Sony, however, did not position the AIBO as a robot. Instead they positioned the AIBO as a pet with no utility or usefulness, but rather as a source of entertainment and companionship. Takeshi Yazawa, Vice President of Sony Entertainment Robot America, succinctly summarized this positioning strategy, “We had lots of arguments about whether AIBO should do something or not. But in the end, we all agreed, that it wouldn’t do anything useful at all. It would be a pet. AIBO loves you, you love AIBO, and that’s it.”
Sony’s positioning strategy for the AIBO was in essence a breakaway strategy. This breakaway positioning strategy borrowed from the pet category. Rather than emphasize the mechanical and technological aspects of the AIBO, Sony classified the AIBO as having the joys of pet ownership without any of the negative aspects. AIBOs promotional material highlighted this dual aspect of maintenance free pet-ownership. “Imagine all the joys of having an intelligent, alert companion at your home without the toil, guilt and fretting that usually go along with emotional and physical maintenance…” The positioning of AIBO as a companion/pet was implicit in all aspects of the products lifecycle, from its initial development, through promotion, and finally in its ownership in the hands of the final consumer. During product development, Sony decided that the AIBO would be a four-legged pet – this implied that the product development team would have to provide the AIBO with certain minimal characteristics, such as the ability to walk, communicate with its owner, and learn certain commands over time. During promotion, Sony did not mention robotics in any of its materials; rather it continually emphasized the