Sony Explodes Into Car Stereo Stores

Warning: Anyone who has had the privilege of waiting in traffic near teenage drivers with subwoofer-powered car stereos should probably stop reading. This is definitely not good news for those with more delicate sensibilities.Sony Corp., Park Ridge, N.J., has made it easier than ever for these overwhelmingly male, overwhelmingly loud drivers to locate and acquire the weapons used in their sonic assault. This past spring, the company rolled out a freestanding display that showcases 12- and 15-inch subwoofers in the Mobile Xplod line.The display features edgy graphics by London-based artist Ralph Steadman, renowned for his biting political and social cartoons, caricatures and illustrations. While the aggressive Steadman design appears to resemble an exploding head, its actual meaning is "open to interpretation," according to Eric Cinque, marketing manager for Sony.The graphics reinforce the brand's youthful image and resonate with the line's targeted demographic of 16- to 24-year-old males, says Cinque. The same graphics are used in Sony's national advertising campaign for the line.Designed by Carlstadt, N.J.-based Design Display Group Inc., the display does more than catch the eye of bass-hungry youth; it also solves a problem of floor space. Displaying mobile woofers as large as 15 inches has always presented a challenge for car speaker retailers, especially the smaller, independent car electronics retailers that Sony targets. Typically these mobile audio stores have limited wall and floor space available to display or demonstrate the speakers.Consequently, a freestanding, six-foot-high triangular unit that can be placed in a compact, two-foot-square footprint was music to Sony's ears. Sales of the subwoofers really began to take off after 500 of the three-sided displays were shipped to Sony's targeted retail stores in April, says Cinque.The unit displays the subwoofers from all angles since consumers like to inspect the products' engineering, its terminal connections, magnet size and other speaker components. The speakers are mounted to the display with custom brackets that allow 360-degree product rotation. The unit's brushed aluminum trusses, heavy-gauge vacuum-formed base and wood-reinforced aluminum header provide stability and longevity.To accommodate future updates, the display's graphic panels pop into place and are secured with foam-stick security points. The units ship knocked down and are set up by retailers.

Sony Explodes Into Car Stereo Stores

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