CNET News.com reported on a new trend in consumer electronics: selling flat panel TVs with classic American brand names. Good examples of this trend are the
Westinghouse W33001 30″ Widescreen LCD HD-Ready TV which also comes in
27-inch, 20-inch, and 15-inch versions.
People who read business magazines are probably aware of the fact that Westinghouse has gone through a number of restructurings in the past 10 years. Now, it’s primarily in the business of making components for nuclear power plants. So how did Westinghouse get into the business of making flat-panel TV’s? CNET tells us:
…in 2002, the company created a 15-employee digital electronics unit to make televisions and similar products, with the first TV sets going on sale in November 2003. The shift came about because Westinghouse realized its name still rang positive notes with consumers, according to {Douglas Woo, president of Westinghouse Digital Electronics}.
“The brand had unaided recognition close to 90 percent, and in the 18-to-35 (age group) it had over 70 percent,” Woo said. “There is going to be a huge turnover in the players in the TV industry.”
This is probably better name recognition than Sharp and Samsung, companies that really manufacture the devices and don’t outsource all of their manufacturing to other companies.
Operation Gadget readers are smart enough to know that they should buy high-quality televisions that deliver good value, regardless of what brand gets put on them. I think that flat-panel TVs with brands like Westinghouse and Polaroid on them will only succeed in the value category. There is no way that a company without any fundimental design or manufacturing expertise in the field is going to be able to get true gadget fans to pay a premium.