By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Battery maker Energizer is looking to ignite a new product category by tapping into the frustration regularly experienced by up two million Australians who, according a survey conducted by the company, experience a flat mobile phone battery each week.
The company’s new product, called Energi To Go (RRP $34.95), is a compact, portable mobile phone charger which runs off two AA batteries and is compatible with over 90 per cent of mobile phones on the market, according to Energizer.
The unit is said to provide up to nine hours additional talk time and allows users to charge their phone while away from a power socket and also provides power to make and receive calls when the phone’s battery has gone flat.
According to Energizer representatives, while other manufacturers have released similar products, this will be the first time a recognized battery brand has launched a major campaign to promote this kind of technology.
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Energizer will be advertising on television nationally and has also conducted a study into consumers’ experience with flat mobile phone batteries for promotional purposes.
According to Energizer, market research conducted by the company revealed that 83 per cent of Australians reported feelings of panic, loss and helplessness when their mobile phone battery goes flat.
The survey also found that 40 per cent of consumers would prefer to lose $30 than the use of their mobile phone for a day, citing concerns such as missing an important call or losing access to their phone book.
“With the demands that the latest technology puts on mobile phones today, it is not surprising to find that around two million mobile phone users experience a flat battery once a week or more often,” said Energizer group brand manager, Rachel Pullicino.
“As a solution to the problem of being caught on the go and away from your traditional charger, Energizer has launched Energi To Go which is a new instant, portable mobile phone charger, which gives you and your phone a new lease of life by providing immediate power, anywhere you go, at anytime.”
The Energi To Go also represents a departure from Energizer’s traditional product range. The company believes with a rapid increase in use of mobile phones for multimedia and data services, and with little in the way of new battery technologies on the horizon, that the ability to charge on the go will become a mainstream requirement.
The Energi To Go will be distributed to all major electrical retailers, hardware stores and grocery chains as part of the initial roll out, but the company is also negotiating with mobile phone stores to stock the product.