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eBay Motors > Cars & Trucks > Ford > Mustang
Bidding has ended on this item. Item: 1965 Ford Mustang GT

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Ford : Mustang

$51,322.00

$39,788.00

8h 11m

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$42,100.00

8h 57m

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11h 46m

$45,900.00

12h 49m

$39,000.00

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1965 Ford Mustang GT
1965 FORD MUSTANG - GT - A CODE - DISC BRAKES Research 1965 Ford Mustang Ended: Sep 22, 2009 22:09:07 PDT

Seller info

greatsassyjewels ( 2987 99.5% Positive feedback )

Bid history:

2 bids Ask a question

Winning bid:

US $8,101.00
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Get low monthly payments Payment: Deposit of US $2,000.00 within 24 hours of auction close. Full payment required within 7 days of auction close. Buyer responsible for vehicle pick-up or shipping. Vehicle shipping quote is available. Glendale, CA, United States

Other item info

Item number: 380158205962
Item condition: Used Shipping: Sells to: United States

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This vehicle is eligible for up to $50,000 in Vehicle Purchase Protection
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Print Last updated on 09:35:15 AM PDT, Sep 20, 2009 View all revisions
Title: Mileage: Location: Vehicle Information VIN: Warranty: Title: Condition: For sale by: Features Body type: Transmission: Drivetrain: Options CD player Coupe Automatic -Engine: Fuel type: Disability equipped: 8 Cylinder Gasoline No Exterior color: Interior color: Certification: Red Red -6R07A153668 | See the free Vehicle History Report Vehicle does NOT have an existing warranty Clear Used Private seller 1965 FORD MUSTANG - GT - A CODE - DISC BRAKES 69,868 miles Glendale, CA

birdmycat Store

Up for auction is this beautiful 1965 - GT - "A" code coupe California (San Jose) car. The exterior is a brand new paint job of Vermilion Red with white racing stripes. The interior is the original red (more like rust color) and cream color pony seats with rust color carpet and red (rust color) dash pad. The 289 Engine and the Automatic Transmission were completely re-built with less than 100 miles on them. Check out the photos of the itemized receipt. It has a Holley 4 Barrel Carburetor, Edelbrock High Rise Manifold and a Dual Header high performance exhaust system. (The new buyer will be able to break it in !) Like other Muscle Cars of the 60's, this Pony's engine has plenty of power to Get up and Go! Power steering and Power brakes ($700 job) bring this horsie to a controlled stop. The exterior: New paint job ($3,000.00). Some of the chrome has been replaced, but most of it is the original.

The interior: Original Pony Interior. Rust Red and Cream upholstered seats and Rust colored carpeting. The original radio is included, but it is not hooked up, a CD, SONY cdx-mp450x, 3 Beam Laser pick up player was installed and works great, The doors have courtesy lights, kill switch installed but not connected! Included with the car are some parts that the new owner can install.
I have owned this car for 16 years. I was fixing it up, but realized I need to sell it to make room for my everyday car. It is truly a fun car, and now that I got the engine running exactly the way I wanted it to, it breaks my heart to part with it, but I am sure someone special will own it next. I know there are many other items that I haven't mentioned, but some of the receipts that went into this restoration will accompany the car. I know VIN reads as 1966, however, on the side doors and inside the hood the car code reads 1965. I don't know how it got registered as 1966 since it is a 65. New owner will have to straighten this out with the DMV. SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY! Please feel free to call for an appointment to Inspect this car. All inspections are welcome, however, inspections need to be completed PRIOR to bidding! The seller agrees to take care of the shipping. I have described this vehicle to the best of my ability. If you have any questions, please call Veronica at 818-568-8163.This car is being sold "AS IS", "WHERE IS", with No Warrantees or Guarantees. A $500 deposit must be made as soon as the auction ends, and the rest within 5 days.

GOOD LUCK!

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XS-L1035XBD XM-1502SX

CDX-550X
New Nikon Coolpix 775 Features a 3x zoom lens, 2.14 megapixel CCD, USB cable for one-touch image transfers to the web and a Movie Mode that allows users to create video clips. The Coolpix 775 is said to be the lightest pocketsized point-and-shoot digital camera and is expected to be available in July at a suggested street price of $699.95.

Sonys 2001 Xplod

autosound line-up rocks the new millenium! Sonys CDX-L550X is a CD/radio head unit that feature a new chip that pushes the wattage up to 52 times 4. The XM-1502SX amp delivers 150 watts x 2 or 380 watts of mono power for a total rated power output of 760 watts. Sony Xplod XS-L1035XBD subwoofer comes all ready to install with its own sub box for optimum low-end sound. Poly propylene cone and 4-layer, 4-ohm voice coil deliver awesome stereo at up to 600 watts.
A new name for a new era in image merchandising
Imacom/Daguerre Photo and Cantrex Photo Division officially launched the first store under the Groups new banner program on June 6th in Sherbrooke.

SCENIUM replaces ProScan

High end video products from Thomson will now be designated under the Scenium trademark which spells the disappearance of the ProScan name.
The AVIC-9DVD is Pioneers latest generation of navigation product featuring a full featured navigation unit and DVD video playback. The DVD software included with the AVIC-9DVD covers all of North America and includes Navtech mapping and an enlarged Points of interest database supplied by Geographic Data Technology. The AVIC-9DVD will also receive traffic information through CUE (with optional CUE subscription) which will provide detours around traffic problems. A variety of screen sizes (6, 5, 7, and 8) are available for this unit.
2001 to witness the 2.1 Megapixel war
Judging by the new entries in the digital field, it appears as though digital camera manufacturers are getting ready to fight it out on the 2.1 Megapixel turf this year. From a strategic standpoint, such a move would be brilliant. 2.1 Megapixels is plenty enough for the vast majority of consumers and keeps image files relatively small while allowing enlargements up to 5x7 and even 8x10 depending on the compression mode and the degree of sophistication of the client. To convince yourself, take a look at the Canon Digital Elph S300, the superb Olympus C-700 with its 10x zoom and the recently introduced Coolpix 775 to name but a few. Most photography and Consumer Electronics manufacturers already have stong contenders on the field and for good reason, digital camera sales have been excellent so far this year and it can just get better. Unit wise, the 1.3MP category should come out ahead with further price discounting to be expected towards the end of the year. This should have for effect to soften somehow the downward pressure on the 2.1MP category and allow the 3.3MP category to remain in the $ 900 - $1,200 price range or more depending on the degree of sophistication.

BlackBerry ripe for Europe BT Cellnet is now offering the BlackBerry two-way e-mail pager in Britain, a development that could spark a rush of orders for the product across Europe.
Mac OS X, a robust, reliable Unix engine with snazzy,
ease-of-use enhancements is doing for Apple operating systems what the translucent iMac and PowerMac computers did for the hardware.
OLYMPUS INTRODUCES CAMEDIA D-510 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA
The D-510 Zoom (3X) replaces Olympus highly successful D-490 Zoom. Offering a sleek metallic silver body, reduced size, and ease-of-use, the D-510 Zoom features a maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, a 2.1-megapixel interlaced CMY CCD, a QuickTime Movie mode and USB AutoConnect technology. Street price: $599 Ultra-Compact Pentax Optio 330 This beautiful new entry from Pentax offers 3X zoom and 3.34 MP performance in the smallest and lightest package in this category.

Playstation 2

Worldwide shipments reach 10 million units in first year of release. North American shipments have hit the three million unit target.
MAX 5500 ACRegenerator, a firewall for noise from Panamax
It provides state-of-the-art noise filtration and power protection for audio/video and home theatre systems. Said to address all of the power quality needs of even the most discriminating audiophile. Distributed in Canada by Thunder Marketing International Of Woodbridge, Ont.

MOBILE

Mobile Video A Niche Opportunity

By Mitch Solomon

It seems that whenever a new product or category emerges that provides a decent profit margin, a race ensues to bring the selling price down to commodity levels. Nowhere has this been truer than in Mobile Electronics. Retailers have watched one technology after another reach mass-market acceptance and then plummeting street selling price. When I entered the wholesale side of car audio business, an in-dash car CD player (without amplifier) that sold for less than $800.00 was considered a remarkable deal. Today, full-featured units are regularly advertised for less than $300.00. This means that to generate the same revenues as before, retailers must continue to grow their gross sales or risk selling themselves out of business. And, once the auto manufacturers woke up and started offering factory car systems that didnt sound like mid-1970s 8-track decks the problem magnified. Remember, enthusiasts may care about performance but for the mass market anything thats better than what they had before is acceptable. The only way to grow business is the old fashioned way: higher ticket sales and value-added services. But Mitch, you ask, what category is left to exploit in Mobile Electronics? My answer may surprise you: Mobile Video. Stop groaning, Im serious about this. First of all, understand that I harbour no illusions that Mobile Video will be the next killer category, or that within 2 years Mobile Video will suddenly become the norm in automotive entertainment. But with a keen eye to technology trends and some creative marketing there is an opportunity here. The trick is to market and merchandise the product in such a way that commodity merchants cant meet the consumers expectations, thereby insulating this category from eroding margins. To reinvigorate higher end, head-unit sales look for an increasing number of in-dash multi-format disc players in the coming years. Some of these products, with the ability to read CDs as well as homegrown MP3 files and Video CD, are enjoying initial success overseas. Once in-car DVD begins to supplant high end CD in the home market we will overcome the biggest obstacle to in-car video: the complexity of installing multiple source units, switching interfaces and so on. As the market for music DVDs continues to grow, customers will want to listen to those discs in their cars as well as at home. Current DSP technology poses no real obstacles to Dolby Digital multi-channel audio in the car at a reasonable cost. When coupled with affordable multichannel amplifiers theres no reason that customers cant enjoy near-living room quality audio on the road. Even though they may not initially buy a screen, a DVD head unit can position car CD customers to a higher ticket-price purchase as a starting point for further expansion. You start there and move forward accordingly. Another major obstacle to Mobile Video has been the cost and limited mounting options for screens. Putting a small 12V monitor in a van or RV is no problem, but in a passenger car the required customization and security issues have relegated this option to high end and show cars. Currently, the only option, one that has seen some success in the SUV market, is LCD displays. Two recent developments of late lead me to believe that this obstacle will soon be surmounted in new and affordable ways. One development addresses the prohibitively high installation costs. Specialty manufacturers in the U.S. now offer complete in-car mounting solutions for many different passenger vehicles that look as if they were factory mounted with little installation effort. One in particular, Steelhorse Automotive, publishes a catalogue with a dizzying selection of CRT and LCD mounts that can be color matched and installed by a specialty store either on site or in some cases at a car dealership. There may be lead times to consider, but few Mobile Video customers demand instant installation. The other development has to do with new technology for small display screens. While these will initially appear in PDAs and high tech cell phones, the rapid commercialization of this technology will bring flat panel monitors of a size suitable for mobile applications to market at a fraction of their current cost, possibly within one to two years. Installation gets easier, cars need less modification, and systems that are easier to understand; these are all components of a viable category. Taking advantage of this market calls for the same creativity that led to penetration of the car dealer market. Find dealers for vehicles that are candidates for video: SUVs, RVs, higher end autos. Assemble total packages that can be added at time of sale and installed before delivery occurs, and put a demo system at the dealership. If you can even get the indash unit as a starter youll be on your way to capitalizing on a growing and profitable business that larger mega retailers will likely not want to bother with. Sell a Mobile Video system as a total incar entertainment solution. Great sound, multi-format capability and happy kids on a long drive is a story any family can appreciate. A simple, unobtrusive installation completes the picture and adds a new way to keep customers coming back for more.

6 C.E.BIZ

May-June 2001
50'' High Definition Plasma Monitor
For more information, please call 1-877-8-PLASMA

TRAINING

Getting to First Base. with your Customer
In our game of Customers for Keeps we Consider that customers have needs coming being. We appreciate creature comforts, introduced you to the game board, the Customer from three distinct areas: need for information, whether for body, mind or soul. Enter your Relationship Diamond, a baseball metaphor for need for physical well-being and need for establishment as a customer might. Where would you want a chair placed? How about an helping our customer win. His objective: Get a emotional wellness. Our All-Star service provider knowingly inviting drink of purified water? What kind of home run, a measure of his competitive success. Our role: Use our knowledge and skills to get him anticipates that customers will have a thirst for background rhythm is conducive to thinking certain information. So, he has at the ready and comparing? What kind of lighting is most safely to each base. First base. Hostingthe entry to the printed price comparisons between brands, relaxing to an enquiring mind? Is the game. How do we advance our customer to the latest Consumers Reports articles on bathroom inviting? Is there an area for young this start-off position? We must anticipate his selected products, an easy-to-install set of children to play safely while the parent needs and prepare accordingly, thus instructions that translates the typical Japanese browses? How about a tray of nibblies so a positioning him with a firm lead-off. At the techno-speak into layperson language, leading rumbling stomach doesnt interrupt the macro level, our business offers policies, expert recommendations on the number and purchase decision. The service providers aim is procedures, information and comforts that placement of speakers for various size rooms, to reduce distractions which interfere with the communicate youre special. There used to guidelines on what to do and not do when buying process. The final element of our hosting trilogy is be a wonderful store in the Markham area using digital cameras, a list of web site known as Alive & Well. They entertained locations that share customer usage tips All anticipating the customers emotional mood, busloads of people who journeyed for hours are catalogued for each retrieval. How does and being prepared to acknowledge that mood. An otherwise normal and collected because a day at the store was a pampering Customer shopper might walk in with a crying child, and experience. Although they sold ladies clothing Relationship Diamond feel the personal frustration of being out of and household items, their mission was to control and slightly embarrassed. Another make women feel good about themselves. patron might be very conscious of his lack of They welcomed visitors with a fun display of background knowledge and fear looking customs border crossing and signs that stupid to the retailer or other shoppers. said, You dont have to drive to the Understanding Listening Yet another might be angry because U.S. for duty free prices. Inside, Questioning Assisting Summarizing he had just spent 45 minutes driving picture a galleon ship in the centre Offering Hosting Information and Being Words in the area, unable to locate your of the store inviting children to Alternatives Voice Prepared Nonverbal Setting Relating business establishment. Recognizing climb, play and watch videos Expectations that customers arent clinical purchasing under the Skull and Crossbones flag. Getting Agreement machines helps a retailer prepare for the Husbands or other politically correct array of moods, and adjust his response so that partners were invited to relax in reclining its in alignment and harmony. Empathy is the chairs where they were offered beverages and ability to feel what the customer feels. Its one reading material. Signs on the dressing room of the most highly rated service practices. It doors said, Bring in as many clothes to try on Keeping Checking for Satisfaction Linking to the Future helps us take customers from whatever as you wish. Compare that to the locked Thanking Following Up emotional distractive place theyre in, to a change room doors and Maximum of 5 articles at any time banners of most clothing our superstar know what customers ask rational space of buying intelligence. So, what is the Hosting lesson? Treat your outlets. The store sent hand-drawn monthly questions about and want information on? He flyers to favoured customers with has listened very carefully to customers and customer as you would an honoured guest in competitions, quizzes and did you know made a list of common concerns. Hes your home. Ensure your systems, policies, and info as well as the ubiquitous bargain specials. proactively called past customers and asked practices anticipate their spoken and In other words, the stores strategy anticipated the question, what information would you unspoken questions, concerns and needs. that as customers we the mental, physical and emotional needs of appreciate receiving from me when you are Recognize its patrons and had systems, policies and searching to find the right TV - Stereo simultaneously crave information, a feeling of practices in place to accommodate. Everything - CD player - digital camera - appliance - fill in comfort and personal well-being, and a place communicated we are easy to do business the blank? Hosting takes homework and it where our sentiments are acknowledged. With this homework done, the customer begins with the service provider putting with and we value your patronage. will be safe at first and youll have helped him We can take this same strategy down to himself in the place of an enquiring buyer. But information is only one element of get there! the individual level. Imagine, not only a store that caters to the customer, but a service our hosting triangle. As Customers, we also provider who is attentive and hosting. have an unconscious need to soothe our well8 C.E.BIZ

INtrodu cing sonys n

ew 200 car a 1 udio lin eup! It will blo

low you away!

P3 player! P45OX aMoad trip M w CDX- ur CD-Rs on r ne yo

a T ke

CDX-MP450 X CD RECEIVER
ncoded our MP3 e X plays y P45O The CDX-M CD-rws CD-Rs and

the car in

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INDUSTRY INSIDER INTERVIEW WITH

Bruce Schepers,

Senior V.P. Sales and Marketing, Pioneer Electronics of Canada Inc.
Bruce, a veteran in the Canadian C.E. industry, joined Pioneer as the Marketing Manager, Home and Car, in 1994. His retail background includes serving as the V.P., Merchandising for Majestic Sound Warehouse, and as a partner, buyer and marketing director at Stereo Den, a chain of franchised shops in the Metropolitan Toronto area.
C.E.BIZ: Bruce, what do you see as the most exciting video technology that is emerging and why? Bruce: Plasma is a key development. Worldwide sales in 2000 were around 160,000 units, but are forecasted to hit 3,200,000 units in 2005. Along this time line well see manufacturing efficiencies that will merge opening price points with higher end HDTV Projection Monitors. Plasma will not only be affordable but also be a multi purpose display device. Plasma displays are ideal for SOHO and entertainment applications, and with the small footprint they require, make a style statement as well. DVD-RW is also important, as independent projections indicate that worldwide unit sales for VCR, DVD player, and DVD-RW recorder production will level out at around 27 million units each in 2004/5. This indicates a significant cost down in DVD products, and a cost up in VCR, resulting from decreased production. The integration of backward compatible DVD-RW and PVR devices will likely be the final nail in the coffin for VCRs. C.E.BIZ: Mobile electronics has undergone some dramatic changes in its technology. How do you see this category evolving, and what impact will that have on existing retailers? Bruce: Navigation will certainly grow, both in consumer and commercial applications. The delivery industry obviously benefits, as does the everyday traveler, as time is money, and on board navigation saves time. The DVD Navigation platform, with all of North America mapped on one disc is clearly more convenient for business applications, as well as vacationers. And, while mobile A/V in Canada is lagging behind the acceptance rate in the U.S., were anticipating significant growth in this category. The issue remains, however, that until the auto manufacturers implement a standard bus platform for the interfacing of aftermarket head units with their on-board computer systems, some installations may be problematic. However, I believe that on board video for the family van or SUV

10 C.E.BIZ

will be a key consumer demand product. C.E.BIZ: Describe the impact of the value of the Canadian dollar on the inventory planning process? Bruce: The deterioration of the dollar over the last few years has impacted the ability of some suppliers to maintain profitability in a variety of product groups. As the dollar weakens, the costs of production, overseas transport, in-country freight, and marketing some products negate the potential profits. As a result, if the dollar continues on its current path, we may see some suppliers narrow their sku line-ups in an effort to maintain profitability. C.E.BIZ: In the next few years will Canadian distributors follow the US net-net pricing model, or will back-end programs continue? Bruce: A key difference between the U.S. and Canadian program strategies hinges on the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policy that is sanctioned in the U.S., but is not allowed in Canada. This affords U.S. brands the ability to monitor and maintain retailpricing values. However, in Canada, we have developed relationships with our retailers, building programs to meet their particular needs, be it VIR, Coop, or in some cases net pricing. I think well also see a focus on category programs, tied to marketing and emerging technology needs, rather than gross dollar programs. Where I see a possible shift, is in the recognition that the cost of properly merchandising and interconnecting the new digital products on the floor, along with the cost of training is significant. It may come to be that traditional programs could be restructured to be support, in the same way car audio boards have been subsidized. C.E.BIZ: What is the most pressing issue that you see facing Canadian C.E. retailers? Bruce: Going forward, Canada will see more National chains, be they imports, or homegrown. Regardless, there will be a lot of pressure on key regional and independent
merchants. How does a little guy compete with 2 plasmas on display against a Big Box with the wherewithal to show 8? With strategic merchandising interconnectivity, and careful analysis of return per square foot. Emerging technologies have always had a value for regional chains and independents, and they have to capitalize on that. C.E.BIZ: What is the most pressing issue that you see facing Canadian C.E. distributors? Bruce: We talked about the impact of the dollar and associated costs that impact the margins of Canadian distributors. The likely solution for many suppliers and distributors is to ensure that there are separate product lines, core and step up brands, available for the separate distribution channels. Taking that even further, some products and product categories arent viable for certain distribution channels, so I expect that we will see even more polarization in product distribution than we have now. C.E.BIZ: What is your position on e-commerce for Pioneers products? Bruce: Currently, some of our accounts are e-tailing the products that they support instore. Going forward, we have no plans to associate with any pure play dot com retailers, nor have we plans to market direct-toconsumer from our new Canadian web site that is launching shortly. www.pioneerelectronics.com C.E.BIZ: What is the best part of your job, and why? Bruce: One day its a marketing hat, and the next day its a sales hat. The market is changing week to week, so building and achieving budgets, introducing new technologies and seeing them develop, managing different product categories and distribution channels requires constant vigilance. Were in a business that is very dynamic and constantly changing, and thats what makes this job the most rewarding, because it is always challenging.

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MERCHANT PROFILE

Soundsaround. Nobody has More Fun

By Phil Metford

Soundsaround is a true Canadian success story. Based in Calgary, with 4 stores under the Soundsaround name, and a 5th operating as a discount warehouse, the chain has completely transformed their approach to market. Founded by Domenic Grassi and his wife Giovanna in 1976, the original operating concept was typical of the time. Starting from a repair center, Soundsaround grew to 7 stores by 1990, all in the Calgary market, and all in the 2000-5000 square foot range. In 1990, Tony Scaffeo joined the management team, to run the retail side, freeing Domenic and Giovanna to concentrate on back room systems and controls, along with the key adage in retail: location, location, location. Over the next few years, Tony traveled North America, studying key successful C.E. merchant operations, and then, armed with this knowledge, the Grassis and Tony redesigned their business approach. Securing 4 key retail locations (in each quadrant of Calgary), they implemented a unique merchandising and sales presentation, which has been highly successful. The first thing you notice in the stores is how un-cluttered they are, featuring large entrances, and expansive service counters. The store range in size from 8,000 to 20,000 square feet, the larger stores featuring two floors of product. The core product groups are merchandised in clusters on the main floor, which features up to 8 sound rooms complete with multi-room switchers, large screen displays, and comfortable furnishings. In the 2 stores with upper levels, the central staircase leads you to the large screen and high-end audio areas, and again there are dedicated home theatre rooms, specialized by brand, as well as branded open room vignettes and the custom Home Theatre install specialists. The Sunday we visited one store, one salesman had just closed a $14,000 install sale based on one of the vignettes. Throughout each store, you see that every item is wired and working, right down to the multi room systems. Youll see custom designed switcher controls throughout the store, which enable multi-brand component and speaker selection. Even the cordless telephones are wired, so that a customer can sample the sound quality by placing an outside call. In fact, all the stores are wired with IEEE 1394 (Firewire) for multiple digital connections. Sounsaround's is our 8000 square-foot free-standing store, Northwest Calgary. According to Tony, there is over 10 miles of high-end cabling in need a television, the mobile rep will walk the customer to the TV area, and introduce him to each of his stores. The mobile electronics Pound Room the TV sales staff. Multi- departmental sales featured in each store showcases the products and the resulting split commissions are easily on custom made boards, again with managed with the WiseTrax P.O.S. system sophisticated multi-selection punchnplay used by Soundsaround. WiseTrax is the enhanced Windows based switching. These rooms are built with 3-ply drywall, on an insulated floor. The rooms version of the original DOS program themselves are free standing, with a corridor developed by Domenic and another partner. separating them from the concrete building That multi-store system was flexible and walls, facilitating installation of the demo powerful enough to have been used by Future equipment. As part of the sales presentation, Shop, Vision, and even a U.S. based chain of customers are invited into the corridor to see service stations. The new WiseTrax is a multifor themselves the quality of the wiring for the store, multi-department package that is also various components. It is the same quality being used by East Hamilton Radio among work that the highly trained Soundsaround other dealers. The system is designed to mobile electronics technicians will ensure provide maximum reporting for management when they install equipment in the customers and staff alike. Management can audit store sales by person, hour, product class, sku, and advertised status, along with GP and inventory status, all in real time. Each transaction is allocated to the appropriate G/L ledger, also in real time. Sales staff login each morning, to see where they are against the daily, weekly and monthly sales and GP budgets they have been assigned. To ensure that his staff can meet their budgets, Tony has implemented one of the One of 8 sound rooms in the Crowfoot store. most rigorous retail training programs in the vehicle. All the stores have install facilities, with industry. The head office, which is also a up to 5 bays per location. There is also an off- warehouse for larger items such as PTV, boasts site install facility with another 4 bays to an amphi-theatre training room, with seating accommodate the large volume of work for 100. There is a stage, podium, and an 200generated. Mobile electronics customers are inch LCD projection system, making it an ideal able to select their accessories, including trick environment for factory reps and product gear, from one of the largest selections of wire, managers to train the staff. These training sessions are scheduled on a weekly basis, and caps, and even apparel, in the country. All the staff at Soundsaround are assigned attendance is mandatory. The marketing for Soundsaround is in to specific product groups, according to their expertise. (Each team wears matching shirts, keeping with the philosophy of the company. such as racing themed shirts for the mobile The trademarked Automatic Ad-Beat electronics staff, for easy identification). As a program is another unique selling proposition result, should a mobile electronics customer for Soundsaround. Every day, Soundsaround

14 C.E.BIZ

World's smallest The New Olympus C-700 10x zoom digital camera Ultra Zoom It just might be the easiest camera to sell in your store
Great look Great optics Powerful 10X zoom Ease of use Movie mode USB connection and more
Why? Its small and it has a powerful 10x zoom. With its 2.1 Megapixel CCD, it provides a popular resolution level. It has large control buttons and automatic features making it a snap to use (allows manual control if desired). And with our Auto Connect USB, it plugs right into a Mac or PC without having to install any software. It comes bundled with an 8MB SmartMedia card and 2 lithium batteries as well as software, cables and more.
Born to be the fastest moving digital camera off the shelf. New Brio D-100
For younger, first-time users or those simply interested in a pocket-sized web camera, the Brio D-100 (or its sibling, the D-150 with a 3x zoom) is the perfect solution. This ultra compact camera features traditional Point&Shoot ease-of-use and great images thanks to our famous Olympus optics, as well as our TruePicTM technology. To download pictures into a Mac or PC, simply connect the camera through its USB port. No software to install, simply drag and drop your pictures to your computer.
The easy way to go digital
Olympus America Inc. Two Corporate Centre Drive, Melville NY, 11747 Tel: 1-800-622-6372 Fax: 1-800-432-1060 www.olympus.com/digital

Focus On Life

MARKETING

Brand Strategy?

By Barry Hillier
Recently, I was contacted by a company that wanted help with its branding strategy. Company A, the leader in its field, is closely managed by its two founders and has a reputation for high quality and reliable premium-priced products. Company A recently bought a smaller competitor, Company B, known for its line of valueoriented products, for its creativity, and new product development ability. Company A made the decision to keep both brands A and B, and was faced with developing a marketing strategy to enable the two brands to coexist and flourish. They thought a branding strategy would do the trick. Wrong! Management confused branding with marketing and wanted to use a branding strategy where a product line repositioning was needed. This repositioning calls for a traditional positioning/concept development exercise, based on identifying market needs and direction, company strengths and weaknesses, and competitive offerings. First, each company must find a different position relative to the market. Second, Company A needs to develop a strategy to rationalize the two lines, so that each product has a clear reason for being. And Branding? you may ask. Arent you going to also develop a branding strategy? Branding is important, too. But, when two companies with different corporate cultures merge, there is always upheaval and uncertainty, which is detrimental to brand communication. In this particular case, Company A bought Company B for its production know-how, distribution, research facilities, etc. more than for its brand. Company B didnt have a branding strategy, relying instead on the instincts and personality of its founder for branding direction. In the absence of an identified brand profile, Brand B will change as a result of the management idiosyncrasies of Company A. Meanwhile, the branding strategy can wait until the long-term management is identified and in place. Positioning, a fundamental tool of marketing, is often confused with Branding. Many branding experts routinely advocate using the tools of marketing to assist them with branding strategy. Theyll do customer research on perceptions of the brand or the customers needs and wants. Ask why one should research the customer instead of using a more introspective method to identify brand values, and youll get responses ranging from the robotic because all marketing knowledge has its source in the customer to the almost poetic because our customer owns the brand. No wonder then, youll hear Product Managers (often mislabeled as Brand Managers) speak of brand repositioning when they mean product repositioning as if the terms brand and product were interchangeable. But the business strategist would be well advised to keep the two concepts quite separate. A brand is what results from marketing consistency: the customer expects the brand to display a consistent set of characteristics. This expectation creates a covenant between the brand and the customer. The source of that consistency is often referred to as the brands values, on the assumption that, the only way a brand can be truly consistent is by being true to itself and the beliefs it represents. The process by which a brand identifies its set of values is an introspective process. The brand reflects the beliefs of its management, and the idiosyncrasies of its company. When those traits are expressed consistently, branding, (the communication of the covenant to the customer), will develop over time. Since the entire process relies on consistency, the role of the customer is limited. Some marketers will object on the principle that the customer doesnt get a voice in the branding process. Not so! Because the customer is ever-present in the mind of company management and managements vision of the brands values, the customer is also present in the branding process. If the fact that marketing is extroverted while branding is introverted doesnt convince you to look at the two as separate disciplines, please consider these other differences: Marketing communicates quickly and with focus, while Branding is slow and multifaceted. Because communication is

expensive, the skilled marketer will seek to deliver a message that has the ability to trigger a quick response. Concept testing is designed to identify the most compelling selling proposition. Copy testing then ensures that this proposition is conveyed clearly and quickly. These tests are usually based on recall or impact measures achieved after one or two exposures, no more. Then, the artful media planner will optimize the communication plan so that the target audience sees the message between 3 and 6 times, over a period of 3 to 4 weeks. All of which supports the idea that marketing is a fast process. Branding, on the other hand, is a slow process. Communicating what a brand is about is like communicating a persons character: it cannot be done proactively. You do not become convinced that someone is trustworthy because they say Trust me! The only way others can truly convince you of their trustworthiness is by displaying trustworthiness in situations you witness. This takes time, as does communicating the character of a brand. Unlike the focused marketing message with its USP (Unique Selling Proposition) mantra, branding is complex by design. A rich brand is made of multiple messages, associations and character traits. After all, a person with a single character trait could hardly be described as having character. Likewise, the values and associations that form the character of a strong brand are never onedimensional. The multitude of messages, a liability to the marketer, is an asset to the brand. Branding and marketing are closely related business tools, so closely related that they are too often intermingled. I hope the distinction between the two helps you in choosing the correct business strategy. For, to paraphrase the poet, If you can keep your head in the midst of all this confusion, youll get a brand, my son.

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Both play MP3s

This fits This doesnt

Kenwood Electronics Canada Inc. 6070 Kestrel Rd. Mississauga On. L5T 1S8 Tel.: (905) 670-7211

Digital Wheels

By Adrian Davids
The best-known examples of Telematics Telematics. Just the sound of the word makes it seem so complex and high tech. And devices are the highly advertised General it is, however, Telematics is being included as a Motors OnStar system, (Batman uses it key selling feature in many new cars, and will apparently), and Mercedes-Benz TeleAid soon become as commonplace as air- service. BMW is experimenting with voice-based conditioning in your car. Telematics is cutting edge technology that will enrich our lives by Web browsers on a dashboard screen. DaimlerChrysler is also designing a system that through safer driving. By the most basic definition, Telematics will not only call for help in an emergency but also provide hospitals refers to the combination with the drivers of a wireless telephone and medical details. This an onboard computer in technology will your automobile. Those change our world affiliated with the industry more than we most likely use a much expect, says Jurgen broader description, one Hubbert, chief of that associates a wide Mercedes-Benzs car range of computer-driven division at Daimlertechnologies with a direct Chrysler. interface for the driver or North American passenger. auto makers are also Over the past 10 years struggling to harness the world of personal the Netalthough wireless communication progress has been and computing has slower than in Japan. exploded in such an This year, both GM enormous way that we and Ford Motor Co. have become dependant have plans to outfit cars on these devices to GPS navigation system. with a Net link. GM also function in our day-to-day lives. It seems that everybody now has a cell plans to upgrade its OnStar system, which phone, and that they are used most frequently keeps track of vehicles locations, automatically while driving. These conversations are now notifies authorities when an airbags go off, and evolving into real time connectivity with on- links to a human concierge who advises and board computing, even including web access, directs drivers to gas stations and restaurants. while your vehicle is being monitored by third Later this year it will be able to read e-mail. GM party agencies. The combination of these will build Web access into 400,000 North devices will offer consumers endless American vehicles this year. Eventually, says GM Chairman John F. Smith Jr., youll be convenience and concierge services. Telematics devices enable the following listening to your messages and talking to your [windshield] visor to send a reply. There will be auto functionality: Automatically notify authorities of an 100 channels of satellite radio to choose from. All manufacturers will do it. accident, and guide them to the car Integrated Voice Communications Tracking of stolen vehicles Provision of navigation assistance to Already available on high-end vehicles, this technology makes the cell phone interface lost drivers Time saving information about traffic factory-slick. One Mercedes-Benz we drove recently could dial phone numbers entirely by on demand spoken commands. It also featured a Call emergency roadside assistance Perform remote diagnostics of engine removable pocket phone for excursions away from the vehicle. But the most promising functions innovation here is the one-button and automatic connection to help for convenience and emergencies. GMs OnStar, M-Bs TeleAid, and Lincolns RESCU, to name a few, feature immediate customer assistance (both for routine and emergency calls) as well as an automatic SOS signal in the event of an accident severe enough to trigger an airbag. Using Global Positioning System technology, the vehicle automatically reports its location to emergency personnel. In the event of a breakdown, such systems can relay diagnostic information directly to service technicians so that the problem can be remedied more efficiently. At present, there is a lack of global technical standards for all this in-car equipment, which could impede plans for universal digital wheels, although there are reports of a bus standard by 2004. However, because there are so few standards for electronics gear installed in cars, suppliers must customize such functions as voice synthesis for dozens of different makers. The costs of such customization get passed to customers as daunting price tags$3,000 and up for navigation gear, for example. Customization also slows the pace at which new multimedia gadgets are introduced. Carmakers are also worried about bloatware from too many different players, who are all trying to bombard cars with new software, while waging standards wars across the dashboard. However, all new technologies must go over different speed bumps on the way to establishing common protocols that enable cost efficiencies that GMs OnStar system. lead to massmarket acceptance. We are in the early days of Telematics, but it is clear that, while the final form has yet to be agreed on, the players in the automotive industry are betting big on this technology.

18 C.E.BIZ

A D V E R T I S I N G S T R AT E G I E S
Getting Bottom Line Bang for Your Retail Advertising Buck

By Robert Donnelly

How do you get the best bang for your buck in advertising your business and products? This is the first of a series of articles that will look at the best ways of managing and measuring your return on advertising expenditures. upgrades, and ripe to be introduced to new toys. Moreover, you will get that information first. The good part is they already know you, so you no longer have a list of suspects, you have a confirmed and qualified list of prospects. And theyre halfway to becoming repeat customers. 4. Check with your reps, Industry associations, and retail colleagues to find out the purchase cycles for products. Are TVs tenyears? Integrated amplifiers seven? VCRs, six? Take any of the data you can find, and match it to your current customers past purchases. That way, you can tell them when it is time to upgrade, and later in this series, we will talk about ways to bring them back for new gear. to someone coming to your and your competitions outlets. If someone has to plan a route to enter your parking lot, they just might not. People like simplicity, so your immediate concentration ought to be on the areas whose residents will find it easy to get you. Where they overlap with competitive stores, pay particular attention. Remember that malls and big shopping centres are located where they are for a reason they pay people LOTS of money to find, and know, the best places to located customers. The first rule of retail is location, location, and location with good reason. 2. Identify those competitive outlets and assign them a priority based upon their relative proximity to your location. Hop in the car, sit outside those locations, without being ominous, and watch. Note who comes in, what kind of cars they drive, how theyre dressed, whether theyve got kids with them, and pay attention to those who look familiar. They may have been to your store, and wouldnt it be interesting to find out why they are visiting elsewhere. (FYI, price has been identified as one of the least important factors in a purchase, so pay attention! That other guy is taking YOUR customers and you HAVE to find out how!) 3. Send in mystery shoppers. You simply cannot go, because if they have done THEIR homework, they already know you and your weaknesses. Find out from your staff, friends and family what makes the shopping experience at the other guys store different enough from yours to enable people to part with their money. Be prepared to accept their impressions, and brace yourself for a few surprises.

Do you really know who your customers are?
Let alone to whom else you want to sell. Do you know where they live? Do you know how often they have purchased from you? Chances are, you have all of that information in your sales files. If you do not sort and analyse it, start. However, lets be honest, if you havent already been doing this for awhile, its likely to be an enormous job to catch up. Do not try to accomplish miracles. Break the project down into manageable chunks: 1. Start, today with gathering new information and organise it. There are many database programs available, and should your digital expertise be less than proficient, look to your staff, your kids, their kids, and local colleges and even high schools to get the expertise you need for hire. Contact the guidance or career counsellors or co-op placement offices. There are always students eager to earn additional cash. 2. Decide what data you want to capture. Name, address, gender, date(s) of purchase, brands, and models are some of the basics. Postal codes make it easy to sort later. 3. Grab all your old customer sales records, and get started on them. However, start with the data that is five-years old. That way you will be able to determine which of your current customer base is in need of
Next, do you know your competition? Where they are? Whom THEY attract as customers? How they do it?
1. Get a map. Yes, it seems obvious, simplistic even, but it can tell you so much. Mount it on the wall. Put a big pin where your store(s) is located. Then others, in different colours, for your competition. Look at the roads, rail lines, parks and other obstructions

May-June 2001 19

Vehicle Navigation Systems
Alpine Model Availability Hardware Type Screen Type Split Screen Voice Recognition Voice Guidance Voice Activated Multi Language Address Book Spelling Gyro Map Scroll GPS Channels Data Storage Map Regions Included Additional Maps Remote control Cell phone integration One button Locate Wired Speed Sensor Route List Time to Destination Distance to Destination NVE-N852A Current Hideaway 4.6",5.6",6.5",7" NO NO YES NO Capable YES Auto Sort YES YES 8 DVD YES AVAILABLE YES OPTION YES YES YES YES YES Blaupunkt DX-N Current In Dash / Hideaway 5.0"TFT YES NO YES NO YES YES NO YES YES 8 CD-ROM NO AVAILABLE YES NO YES YES YES YES YES Blaupunkt RNS 149 Current In Dash Single DIN N/A NO YES NO YES YES NO YES NO 8 CD-ROM YES AVAILABLE YES YES YES YES YES YES YES Clarion Auto PC Current In Dash Eclipse Commander Current In Dash / Hideaway Kenwood KNA-DV2100 Summer 2001 Hideaway Pioneer AVIC-9DVD Summer 2001 In Dash 6.5", 7" ,8" not incl. YES YES YES YES YES YES Auto Sort YES YES 8 DVD, & DVD video YES AVAILABLE YES YES YES YES YES YES YES VDO Dayton MS3100 Current Hideaway 3.7" NO NO YES NO YES YES Auto Sort YES NO 8 CD-ROM YES AVAILABLE YES NO YES YES YES YES YES VDO Dayton MS4100 Current In Dash Single DIN N/A NO YES NO YES YES Auto Sort YES NO 8 CD-ROM YES AVAILABLE Option YES YES YES YES YES YES VDO Dayton MS5000 Current Hideaway 5.8" TFT (16x9) YES NO YES NO YES YES Auto Sort YES YES 8 CD-ROM YES AVAILABLE YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

Super Audio CD (SACD)

DVD-Audios challenger in the home-audio race is the Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD), jointly developed by Sony and Philips, the inventors of the original CD. SACD works via a PCM killer technology known as Direct Stream Digital (DSD)a new way to digitally encode an analogue signal that records music at a high sampling frequency (2.8224MHz) and converts it to 1-bit data. In plain English, DSD increases the resolution of music by closely following the original waveform of the music. That means SACDs sound closer to an albums original masters and dont have the decimation and interpolation stages associated with conventional PCM technology, according to Lou Masses, Sonys marketing manager for SACD. Much like DVD-Audio, SACDs can hold more information than regular CDs (up to six times the data), even though the discs are the

Sony DVP-S9000ES

D-Audio
DVD movies already include quality audio, but the sound is compressed. Because DVD-Audio discs dont waste space with video data, they provide uncompressed, multichannel, high-definition audio. Compare DVD-Audios potential for crisp 24-bit, 96kHz sampled audio for six channels (or 129kHz for stereo sound) to DVD-Videos compressed 16-bit, 48kHz-sampled audio. Even the tin-eared can tell the difference, but both modes are leaps beyond the often flat,
however, is that these machines also play DVD-Video movies and regular CDs. And if you own an ordinary DVD video player, youre still in luck. DVD-Audio discs have a second copy of the music in the DVD-Video specification (Dolby Digital or Digital Theater Surround). In fact, Butterworth says that all but three of the current DVD-Audio discs will work on just about any DVD player. But if you want the full DVD-Audio experience, there is currently only a handful of players available from the likes of Denon, JVC, Kenwood, Onkyo, Panasonic, Samsung, Technics, and Toshiba. Those units range in price from $350 on the low end up to $15,000 at the ceiling. Ouch. And the buck doesnt stop there. In order to hear all that gorgeous sound, youll need a receiver with discrete 5.1-channel analogue inputs for DVD-Audio and, of course, a well-

24 C.E.BIZ

same size. In fact, this is one of SACDs key selling points: each disc contains enough data for a two-channel SACD mix, a separate twochannel layer that will work in a regular CD player, and up to a six-track multichannel for those players and receivers that support that. And theres more to these discs than their sound. As with DVD-Audio, SACDs also have some room left for text and images. Whats more, in Sonys ongoing battle to prevent piracy, SACD boasts both visible and invisible watermarks; if the SACD player cannot read a watermark, the disc will cease to spin. But SACDs arent infallible. The first batch of SACD players available were only a twochannel SACD mix, so youd have to reinvest later for the full experience. This past January at the Consumer Electronics Show, Sony announced five-disc, multichannel SACD players and cheaper, single-disc units. The downside is that these players wont come cheap until the summer, and the only DVDVideo/SACD player currently on the market is Sonys high-end DVP-S9000ES progressivescan DVD player, which clocks in at $1,500.

Philips and Marantz have also announced plans to launch multichannel SACD/DVDVideo hybrid players this summer. But what good are the players without the SACDs to support them? There are already more than 200 SACDs available, and Sony says it is far from alone in producing the new discs. Virgin has signed on to produce the media, as have 15 audiophile labels, such as Telarc and DMP. We can expect to see roughly 20 SACDs released per month in 2001. Youll soon see such artists as Aerosmith, Miles Davis, and Destinys Child on the new format. Sonys Lou Masses reminds us that SACD is all about getting music at the highest possible resolution. SACD does not offer any option for lossy compression, since that reduces sound quality, nor does it offer the possibility of taking a multichannel mix and compressing it into a two-channel recording. Whether delivered in stereo or in full sixchannel sound, SACD always insures the highest-quality recording, he says.

Whos the real winner?

So how does SACD stack up against DVDAudio? SACD looks more flexible and is ready to work with all the installed CD players, while providing unfiltered sound. DVD-Audio will provide powerful sound, and it already has a leg up, thanks to the DVD formats high-fidelity foothold. Is it the right time to buy into either? Not unless you absolutely must have the best and money is no expense. Within a few months, youll see more discs and lessexpensive players. Best of all, you might not even have to choose between the two: There are already players slated for release that will play DVDAudio, DVD-Video, and SACDs. Sony is already building SACD/DVD-Video machines, and Apex Digital has a player in the works that will sell for less than $400 and can play all of these formats. Butterworth believes that you can expect many cross-platform units like this in the coming years. Best advice for now? Stay tuned; affordable high-fidelity sound is coming sooner than you think.
Go Digital Go Anywhere Go Rome Join The New Breed
Introducing one of the smallest and most versatile MP3 players in the world. Whether you are listening to your CD library, downloading music from the internet, listening to headphones or popping this player in any cassette deck Nothing beats going ROME.
Heres what the experts are saying:
One of the 250 Things You Cant Live Without - Popular Science Sometimes an idea seems to be just too neat to be true - The Boston Globe Smaller and lighter than any MP3 player weve reviewed, the Rome has the look and shape of a cassette tape and with good reason. - Wired News Portable MP3 players are the hottest gadgets on the market. They all work in basically the same way - MP3 files are loaded into the player by connecting it to a computer and the music is then played through headphones. The Rome MP3 player is different, though - About.com