CEA's Audio Summit 2000 Will Focus On New Generation Of Audio Consumer

4-May-00

Building on the momentum of the past two years, the third annual Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Audio Summit will provide an opportunity for industry leaders to explore new marketing approaches, new messages and new methods of communication with today's teenagers and college students. The Summit, to be held May 23 and 24, 2000 in Baltimore, Maryland, features several marketing experts who will discuss challenges and solutions for communicating with consumers in the under-25 demographic. ""Effectively communicating the audio experience to teenagers and college students is critical to growing the industry,"" said Stephen Baker, Vice President for Sales and Marketing, Denon Electronics, and Chair of CEA's Audio Division. ""These new end-users have their own lifestyles, attitudes and preferences. Our industry must be able to communicate effectively with this segment or risk irrelevance. The Audio Summit will comprehensively look at this market to help us address these challenges and develop strategic solutions.""The Summit, designed for manufacturers of audio and audio-related products and key industry leaders, is focused on cultivating these new customers. This tracks closely with the CEA initiative, ""BuzzNet 2000,"" to be launched later this year. BuzzNet is a college tour program designed to bring new music delivery technologies straight into the heart of today's college scene. The tour, to be launched this fall, will travel to college campuses throughout the U.S. and feature concerts, demos, technology bazaars and an educational campaign to turn up the ""buzz"" on - and demand for - new audio and music technologies. CEA Audio Division members will have the opportunity to present new products to this key demographic, and assess the reactions of college students while supporting the industry's transition to a multichannel, multi-environment future. Keith Hatschek, President of Keith Hatschek & Associates Ltd., and Richard Frank, president of Frank Marketing will make a BuzzNet presentation at the Audio Summit, discussing the methods and strategies of communicating with students through this tour.Other Audio Summit presenters include Seth Godin, author of the business bestseller, ""Permission Marketing."" Permission marketing is a concept that enables marketers to shape their message so consumers willingly accept it. Godin founded Yoyodyne, the first company to create promotions and direct mail campaigns online, and helped build it into the online permission marketing leader before selling it to Yahoo, where he then served as Vice President of Direct Marketing. He is also the recipient of the 1998 Momentum Award, honoring outstanding Internet industry accomplishments. Attendees will also hear from Michael Wood of Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU), a market research firm specializing in the teenage market. TRU will present their study, ""Teenage Marketing And Lifestyle,"" which covers the spectrum of teen consumer behavior and attitudes from the meaning of ""cool"" to the truths about brand loyalty and age aspiration. Eric Weil from Student Monitor will present another informative study called ""Lifestyle And Media."" Student Monitor, a market research firm specializing in college and university students, conducted interviews that will provide Summit attendees critical insight as to what students are thinking, planning and buying. CEA's Tim Herbert, Staff Director, Consumer Research and Analysis, will present ""Generation Y: CE Product Overview."" Herbert will analyze the results from recent CEA consumer studies targeted at teens and college students, and educate attendees on how to reach the Gen Y marketplace.For further information about the Summit, please visit http://www.CE.org/index.cfm?area=events. Registration is limited to industry representatives.The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), a sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), represents more than 600 U.S. companies involved in the development, manufacturing and distribution of audio, video, mobile electronics, communications, information technology, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services, that are sold through consumer channels. Combined, these companies account for more than $60 billion in annual sales.CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Your Source for Workstyle and Lifestyle Technology. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy. Source: CEA