Casio Canada, under the stewardship of its new vice-president/general manager, will take over the reins of its marketing operations with the aim of double-digit growth over the next two years.
Paul Godin, who joined Casio four months ago from Alpine Electronics where he was vice-president of marketing and sales, has been instructed to put the systems in place to allow Casio to enforce its own marketing strategy.
Casio, an electronics company, operates five divisions: timepieces; diaries and electronic calculators; electronic musical instruments; cash registers and point-of-sale, and audio/visual.
Its products are found in all the major and junior retail chains, including Price Club, Radio Shack, Canadian Tire and Consumers Distributing.
Godin wants to launch marketing efforts next April that will strategically carry the company through 1996.
He plans to hire an agency by the beginning of the new year.
Godin says although Canada has always been able to set its own marketing goals on a divisional basis, and has had the budget to follow through, it previously tagged onto the u.s. company wherever possible.
That included using the u.s. agency, Doremus & Co., until late last year.
Much of the advertising was created in Canada through Doremus and the agency also had a person working with Casio in-house.
Casio is handling all of its own package development, creative and placement in-house and using suppliers on a project basis.
Broad-based company strategies have joint Canada/u.s. input, but Godin says Canada is better positioned to handle its own advertising and marketing because it has a better understanding of the marketplace and media.
He says the importance of partnerships with retailers is another key reason for Canadian control because specific needs, such as event marketing, can be more easily met.
Until recently, marketing for each division was handled separately and, Godin says, the individual groups did not communicate.
Since joining the company, he has encouraged more synergy and communication between divisions.
All marketing has now been brought into one department and staff has been assigned to handle areas such as trade shows, media and public relations.
A large part of its 1993 advertising budget, a carryover from last year’s plan, has gone into co-op and on tsn during Toronto Blue Jays games.
Casio is also involved in event sponsorship of women’s Canadian and amateur-rank tennis.
Next year, Godin says the company will move into image advertising using magazines, radio and, possibly, tv.
One of its primary target groups is women aged 18-plus.
Godin calls the new marketing direction for Casio ‘interactive,’ and says it will emphasize the range of products carrying the Casio name while bringing the consumer closer to the company with programs such as contests, surveys and advertising using a 1-800 number.
Godin is in the initial stages of the search for an ad agency, and has set up meetings over the next couple of months with several Toronto agencies, including Artis Marketing, which is doing some trade and special event projects for Casio, and Wolf Advertising.
Godin, who expects 1993 consumer sales to be $45 million and has set a goal of $60 million for 1995, says he is optimistic about Casio’s future because of the company’s plans to add two high profile personal electronic divisions over the next 12 to 24 months and growth in its other sectors.
He says all company units stand to grow significantly because of technical innovations and new product introductions.
According to Godin, the only division that will perhaps see only modest growth is the keyboard business because its line-up is already state-of-the-art.
