Introduction

The company, which later became Fujitsu General (Aust.) Pty Limited (Fujitsu), entered the Australian market in the early 1970's as a supplier of a range of consumer electronics products including air conditioners, televisions and refrigerators.

In the late 1980's, Fujitsu's parent company changed its business objectives and refocused these around its research and manufacturing strengths in two main product categories - Air Conditioning and Plasma Display Devices. Fujitsu is now one of the leading suppliers of air conditioning and plasma display technology products within Australia.

With an emphasis on one product, air conditioning, this Case Study examines how Fujitsu has focused its business objectives on:

• Differentiating its brand from others in the marketplace
• Increasing its brand share
• Changing end user perceptions of air conditioning from cooling only to cooling and heating
• Changing the way air conditioning is sold from one of peak sales in summer to increasing year round sales.

Fujitsu used a carefully planned and executed strategy. This Case Study looks at how developing a marketing strategy based on promotion helped Fujitsu achieve its business objectives. The promotional strategy was built around advertising and public relations, using the well-known Australian cricket personality, Mark 'Tubby' Taylor. We also explore the important role partnerships have played in the company's brand success since 1998, when it introduced the Mark Taylor/Fujitsu campaign for the home air conditioning market.

In 1998 the company looked closely at a range of factors specific to the air conditioning marketplace to help develop its marketing strategy.

To develop the marketing strategy, Fujitsu answered these questions:

• What are we trying to achieve with this air conditioning product and how are we going to achieve it? and
• Who is this product being aimed at, or what is the target market?

The strategy created to achieve these objectives was to:

• Create a point-of-difference for Fujitsu designed to lift brand recognition in the marketplace
• Educate end users about the heating benefits of air conditioning.

Two tactics were selected to put this strategy into action:

1. Introduce a respected personality - a person consumers would associate with the characteristics required for the brands success (a family-minded person, a person who was trusted, a leader who was approachable, respected and admired by both men and women)
    
2. Create a persuasive winter promotion to encourage sales of air conditioners at this time of the year and educate consumers on the heating benefits of air conditioning.