Sony announced Thursday that it is expanding its Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) program, initiated last fall for its television line, to the company's digital imaging products. The change will go into effect April 1.
In a letter to retailers, Sony executive vice president and chief marketing officer Mike Fasulo attributed the decision to positive feedback from independent and speciality retailers to the TV move. Fasulo also said that Sony account representatives will meet with retailers to brief them on the changes.
“To ensure that our resellers can confidently advertise Sony products with the knowledge that they can profitably sell them, we have introduced a number of initiatives including streamlining our distribution and introducing a MAP program in the United States on TV, home audio and video and select digital imaging products,” the company said in a statement. “Most resellers have embraced these new programs which have allowed them to profitably sell Sony products, although some resellers are not in total alignment with our strategy.
The change will apply to the X Series Cyber-shot cameras with the models DSC-TX1, DSC-TX5, DSC-TX7, DSC-WX1, DSC-HX1, DSC-HX5, and all camcorders with the exception of the Bloggie, Video Walkman and professional models.
“We are confident the digital imaging MAP program will allow you to maximize Sony’s brand value while selling Sony products profitably,” Fasulo wrote in the letter to retailers. “We also will continue to constantly review the marketplace and implement additional programs that allow you to remain competitive.”
