I once wrote about a catch Sony created for their video cameras, "the Passport Size." I still feel this has been one of the greatest catches in the consumer electronics area. It is simple enough for consumers to understand what hey are buying and a great challenge to the Sony engineers, clearly spelling out the design criteria! Recently, I saw a similar catch from Panasonic for their video cameras, "Pass Case Size," emphasizing its even smaller size. Obviously, the "Pass Case" is smaller than "Passport." In Japan, we have a commuter train pass, which gives a discount, depending on if you buy a one-month, three-month or six-month pass. Students receive better bargain than businessmen; nevertheless most of the businessmen who commute by train use these train passes, which are about the size of a US or Japanese business card. One time I received a business card as large as a Christmas card (I believe it was in Spain). So a "pass case" in a different country can be substantially larger than a Japanese pass case. While "Passport Size" tends to be more universally understood than "Pass Case Size," and may be better in that regard alone; however, that is not the point I would like to make. Maybe Panasonic struggled to overcome Sony's compact -size concept for video cameras and recognized the power of their message. The point they were trying to emphasize was that their video camera is better because it is smaller. Unfortunately for Panasonic, Sony (or in this case, the "first mover" of the idea) has created a very powerful image which has made the name Sony and compact video camera synonymous. Sony was equally successful in another major product - the Walkman.

Whenever anyone thinks about buying a portable cassette or CD Player, the word Walkman comes to mind. They may buy a Panasonic or Sharp or another manufacturer's product, but when they walk in the store, they are thinking, "I want a Walkman." When a first mover comes up with a strong original message and successfully implements it, followers would have hard time fighting on the same battle field since they have to fight both the product but with the image created by the first mover. This seems to be the case with the "Pass Case Size." There is no doubt that Panasonic has come up with a quality product that is even more compact than Sony's. Their problem is that they took Sony's phrase (and "compact" concept) and modified them. In the case of the video camera, this is good. In the case of the advertising slogan it is a failure. When someone takes someone's original message and modifies it, they end up looking like copy-cats, lacking originality; this negative image then transfers to their product. As a result, it just reminds us of Sony's "Passport" image, and that there is another compact video camera out there.

We at A&D have created a few catches, mostly expressing explicitly what our technology or product is all about. They are not necessarily as fancy and prevailing as Sony's, but then, we are not trying to be Sony. We are very proud of our originality. The fact is we are able to be the "first mover" in the sense of stretching the technology, the performance of a product or user friendliness to the extent it becomes unique and stands out in the marketplace. Then we create a catch to fit the product (or vice versa).

"One Button Operation" and "Three Line Display " are typical examples. We have already seen quite a few competitors copying and adopting our concept. Recently I noticed Omron has introduced their version of the three-line display in Japan. What a compliment! There is an old saying, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." Note that the compliment is to the original, NOT the imitator. Our concept has proven to be the best in the consumer blood pressure monitor field. However, there is one big difference. With our products, you can always tell they belong to A&D, even when our trademark is hidden. Why? Because of our style. Our ergonomically designed "three-line display, one-button operation " concept makes sense to anyone. Our newest wrist type blood pressure and pulse monitor, the UB-401, is another example of our "three-line display, one-button operation," in a wrist monitor.

P.S. If you picked the fourth picture, it just proves my point.

You may address any comments concerning this editorial by email to Mr. Eto