| In October 2000, the company embarked on its first industrial design programme as a means of increasing European sales. Product Design Consultancy Alloy was briefed to create a ‘new look’ that was unique to the company, rather than simply making phones to the designs provided by their bulk customers.
The Design
Alloy was faced with a market dominated by Philips and Siemens, both of whom offered ‘pan-European’ DECT phones that sold well across the whole of Europe. However, by researching the target market closely, Alloy identified that uniform ‘pan-European’ designs were not necessarily the answer. Instead they chose to embrace a design strategy ‘inspired by Europe’s cultural diversity’. Three specific product identities were chosen – Nordic, Mid-Euro and Latin. Despite the increase in the production of products, sophisticated modelling techniques cut SunCorp’s engineering costs. Second generation designs were also developed, along with a fourth identity targeting younger customers.
The Results
SunCorp has replaced Philips as the second most important manufacturer of cordless phones – in the three-year period 2001 to 2004 its market share has increased by an estimated 25 percent. The company’s turnover was US$54 million in 2000 and current predictions indicate turnover will reach US$300 million in 2004. According to SunCorp’s United Kingdom Managing Director, Stanley Game, ‘product design has been a major reason why SunCorp has been able to succeed in such an outstanding way’.
Judge’s Comments
Sarah Stein, Orange SA described the new identity as ‘insightful product design that redirected the business performance’. She noted that the new look ‘massively increased [SunCorp’s] penetration in a number of different markets and challenged the industry as a whole’.
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