By Martin Vedris
SYDNEY, NSW: Panasonic Australia is reporting record sales this year and in 2010 it expects to ship its 1,000,000th plasma TV, and predicts that one out of every three households will have a Panasonic plasma TV.
Panasonic Australia is on course to ship its one millionth plasma television to Australia by the end of 2010 and the company announced that it is on track to close the 2009 calendar year with record sales following the launch of its new Neo Plasma TV range this month.
“The milestone underpins Australia’s appetite for Plasma technology, an appetite that rivals any other country in the world,” said Panasonic Australia director – Consumer Electronics Group, Paul Reid.
“We think that by next year, one third of Australian households will have a Plasma TV,” Reid told Current today.
Panasonic began selling Plasma TVs in Australia in late 2003 and now the company’s range includes 15 VIERA Plasma TVs, seven commercial plasma displays and two premiere plasma models. The company’s latest-release products include Plasmas that are less than 1-inch in depth (at its thinnest point) and have improved energy-efficiency. Panasonic also boasts Australia’s largest commercially-available Plasma display panel at 103-inches.
“We have seen the technology come a long way in a short period of time and expect to maintain the momentum with our new Neo Plasma range,” said Reid.
For the first time in Australia, Panasonic is on target to ship more than 300,000 Plasmas this Japanese financial year (1 April 2009 to 31 March, 2010).
David Ackery, director, Harvey Norman said Panasonic and Plasma had continued to sell strongly despite the changing economic conditions of the past 12 months.
“Panasonic has long been recognised by the market as a powerhouse in audio visual and home entertainment technology innovation,” he said. “The company is the undisputed world leader in Plasma and consumers value the company’s dedication to quality and cutting-edge features.”
“It’s hard to imagine what further advancements could be made to Plasma, but, as a relatively young technology, there is still huge potential for future improvements such as greater energy efficiency and thinner profiles,” said Ackery
Panasonic today also launched its new marketing campaign for Neo Plasma. Titled ‘Neo Plasma. TV at the Next Level’, the campaign aims to conveys the new level of sophistication and quality achieved by the new NeoPDP Plasma TV range. A TVC combined with complementary print and online advertising has been launched as part of the national campaign.