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1. INTRODUCTION

 Sony, in full Sony Corporation, major Japanese manufacturer of

consumer electronics products whose diverse activities have
included films, music, and financial services, among other
 ventures. It has been one of the most successful and multi
faceted brands in marketing history.

 Sony Group Corporation, Soni Gurupu kabushiki gaisha, commonly

known as simply Sony (stylizedas SONY), is a
Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation head quartered
in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it
operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer
and professional electronic products, the largest video game
console company and the largest video game publisher.
Through Sony Entertainment, it is one of the largest music
companies (largest music publisher and second largest record
label) and the third largest film studio, making it one of the
most comprehensive media companies.

 It is the largest technology and media conglomerate in Japan. It

is also recognized as the most cash-rich Japanese company, with
net cash reserves of ¥2 trillion.

 Sony, with its 55 percent market share in the image

sensor market, is the largest manufacturer of image sensors, the
second largest camera manufacturer, and is among the
semiconductor sales leaders. It is the world's largest player in
the premium TV market for a television of at least 55 inches (140
centimeters) with a price higher than $2,500 as well as second
largest TV brand by market share and, as of 2020, the third
largest television manufacturer in the world by annual sales
figures.

 The company's slogan is We are Sony. Their former slogans

were The One and Only (1979–1982), It's a Sony (1981–
2005), like.no.other (2005–2009), make. believe (2009–2013),
and Be Moved (2013–2021). Sony has a weak tie to the Sumitomo
Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG) corporate group, the successor to
the Mitsui keiretsu.

 Sony is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (in which it is a

constituent of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX Core30 indexes) with an
additional listing in the form of American depositary
receipts listed in the New York Stock Exchange (traded since
1970, making it the oldest Japanese company to be listed in an
American exchange), and was ranked 88th on the
2021 Fortune Global 500 list.

 Sony has a variety of products ranging from electronic devices,

games and entertainment.

So, briefly Sony products can be categorized in the following major product
categories:
 Television and Projectors

 Home video

 Home Audio
  Home Theatre system

 Digital Photography

 Hand cam video camera

 Computer Peripheral

 Portable Audio

 Game

 In-Car entertainment

 Mobile phones

 Storage and Recording media

 Batteries and Charger

 Other Accessories

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
 COMPANY PROFILE
 Sony Group Corporation, commonly known as Sony, is one of the
world’s biggest brands. Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita founded the
company in 1946. The brand has provided its consumers with
technology products for over seven decades. Sony is famous for
its top-notch electronic and IT products. The brand launched
the iconic gaming console Play Station in 1991. It helped Sony
become one of the leading brands globally. Besides gaming
consoles, the company manufactures and sells televisions,
digital cameras, smartphones, wearables, and many more.

 SONY CORPORATION…. HE BEGINNING

 Sony Corporation is a multinational conglomerate corporation

headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest
media conglomerate with revenue of US$88.7 billion (as of 2008)
based in Minato, Tokyo. Sony is one of the leading
manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game
consoles and information technology products for the consumer
and professional markets. Its name is derived from Sonus, the
Greek goddess of sound.

Multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Mintao (Japan):

 One of leading manufacturers of electronics, video,
communications, video game consoles and information technology
products for the consumer and professional markets

 Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales

Leaders;

 The company's slogan is Sony. Like no other; Sony is the

electronics business unit and the parent company of the
Sony Group which is engaged in business through its five
operating segments, these make Sony one of the most
comprehensive entertainment companies in the world;

Sony’s principal business operations include:

Sony Corporation,

 Sony Pictures Entertainment,

 Sony Computer Entertainment,

 Sony BMG Music Entertainment,

 Sonny Ericsson,

 Sony Financial Holdings.

 In 1945, after World War II, Masaru Ibuka started a radio repair
shop in Tokyo. The next year, he was joined by his colleague
Akio Morita and they found a company which translates in English
to Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation. The company
built Japan's first tape recorder called the Type-G. In the early
1960s, Ibuka traveled in the United States and heard about Bell
Labs’ invention of the transistor. He convinced Bell to license
the transistor technology to his Japanese company. In August
1955, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering released the Sony TR-
55, Japan's first commercially produced transistor radio.
  In May 1956, the company released the TR- 6, which featured an
innovative slim design and sound quality capable of rivaling
portable tube radios. It was for the TR-6 that Sony first
contracted "Atchan", a cartoon character created by Fuyuhiko
Okabe, to become its advertising character. Now known as "Sony
Boy", the character first appeared in a cartoon which is
holding a TR- 6 to his ear.

 In 1957, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering came out with the

TR-63 model, the smallest (112 × 71 × 32 mm) transistor radio
in commercial production. It was a worldwide commercial
success.

 The name "Sony" was chosen for the brand as a mix of two words.
One was the Latin word Sonus which is the root of "sonic" and
"sound" and the other was "sonny", a familiar term used in
1950s America to call a boy. Morita pushed for a word that does
not exist in any language so that they could claim the word
"Sony" as their own. At the time of the change, it was
extremely unusual for a Japanese company to use Roman letters
instead of kanji to spell its name.

 Sony Corporation (Mission & Vision)

Mission - Sony is working to create value for our stake
holders, and improve the quality of life for the next
generation through our innovations.

Vision - we must seek new approaches to transform our ability

to achieve both profitable and sustainable growth.

 Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the

parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business
through its five operating segments—electronics, games,
entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services
and other. These make Sony one of the most comprehensive
entertainment companies in the world. Sony's principal business
operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the
U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer
Entertainment, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson and
Sony Financial Holdings. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is
among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders.

 HISTORY
 Sony Group Corporation is a Japanese company headquartered in
Tokyo, Japan. It rose to prominence during the 1970s after
launching Walkman. It was the first portable cassette player. The
brand has launched several electronic devices that have created
history. Sony’s iconic products are Discman, Handycam, MiniDisc,
Play Station, Aibo, and Blu-Ray Disc format.
 A-list celebrities like Michael B. Jordan, David Guetta, Barbara
Palvin, Deepika Padukone, IU, Kareena Kapoor, Mahendra Singh Dhoni,
Katrina Kaif, and Sachin Tendulkar have endorsed the brand. As of
2022, Sony’s net worth is estimated to be $81.75 billion. On the
11th of April 1908, Masaru Ibuka was born in Nikkō, Japan. His
father, Tasuku Ibuka, was an architectural technologist. Masaru’s
family was technologically driven. During his youth, Tasuku
constructed Japan’s first water-driven electrical power station. But
due to a tragic accident, Tasaku passed away in 1910. Masaru was
just two years old at the time.

 Following his father’s untimely death, Masaru and his mother moved
to Kobe. Upon moving, they lived with Masaru’s paternal
grandparents. However, after some time, Masaru’s mother remarried.
She started living with her new husband, but Masaru stayed back
with his grandparents. As a child, Masaru loved to assemble
electronic devices. His grandfather encouraged him in his
technological endeavors.

 Throughout his schooling years, Masaru’s interest in technology

flourished. In 1993, he graduated from Waseda University. After
that, Masaru joined a photochemical laboratory. He worked in the
sound and picture department of the lab. Three years later, Masaru
began working at an engineering company.

 During wartime, the company transferred Masaru to the military

technology department. Around the same time, he met Akio Morita.
Akio was a navy technical lieutenant. After the war ended Masaru
decided to start his business. He quit his job and opened a radio-
repair shop in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. At the time, Nihonbashi was one
of the devastated areas of wartime.

 Establishment of Sony Group Corporation

 The World War had caused Japan to fall behind in science and
technology. Masaru decided to dedicate himself to rebuilding Japan’s
technology department. In 1946, Akio came to know about Masaru’s
venture. He joined Masaru and helped establish Tokyo Tsushin
Kenkyusho ( the Tokyo communications laboratory). Tokyo Tsushin
Kenkyusho became Sony in 1958.

 In 1950, the company launched Japan’s first tape recorder. After

that, Masaru traveled to the United States to search for a
potential tape recorder market. He heard about the invention of the
transistor during his visit.

 Masaru decided to use transistor technology in communications. At

the time, people used transistors for military applications only.
 However, Tokyo Tsushin Kenkyusho succeeded in using it for non-
military purposes. In 1955, the brand launched its first
transistor radio, the TR-55. It became the first successful
transistor radio globally. Two years later, Sony launched a pocket-
size transistor radio. It was not the first brand to use transistor
technology in radios at the time. However, it became the most
successful one to do so. In 1960, Sony created history by
manufacturing the world’s first transistor television. There was no
looking back for the company after the revolutionary invention.

 During the late 1950s, Sony’s products started gaining popularity in

the American market. 1968 marked the launch of Trinitron. It was a
color TV set that received universal acclaim for its outstanding
quality. Sony’s popularity grew substantially after introducing
Trinitron. The brand’s sales surpassed major competitors like RCA
and Zenith Electronics.

 Sony introduced a compact cassette recorder in 1969. It was a

highly successful product that contributed to the company’s growth.
During the 1970s and 80s, Sony launched iconic products like
Betamax, Walkman, Compact Disc Player, and Handycam. But the
company had to endure massive losses during the 1980s recession.
Around the same time, Norio Ohga became Sony’s president.

 He helped the company recover from substantial losses. Under his

leadership, Sony acquired CBS Records and Columbia Pictures. Later,
in 1991, Sony ventured into the entertainment industry. It
established Sony Pictures and Sony Music. The brand’s media presence
proliferated. 1994 marked the launch of Play Station. Sony gained
worldwide acclaim for the gaming console. Sony Group Corporation
became one of the world’s most powerful brands through these
successful innovations.

 Sony has one of the most instantly recognizable and most popular
logos in the world. Even so, the Sony logo has gone through various
modifications throughout its history. It stands for the company’s
name, coined from the Latin word for sound “Sonus.” Sony is also
linked to “son,” a term in Japanese culture that alludes to young
folks with an innovative view of things. Moreover, the words “sonny”
and “sunny” greatly inspired the original Sony emblem, which was
trademarked in 1957. But the Sony logo only started appearing on
Sony’s products in 1957.

 More commonly called Sony, Sony Corporation is a world-famous

Japanese technology conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo. It’s one of
 the largest manufacturers of electronic goods and motion pictures.
It’s also one of the biggest financial services providers and
employs over 162,700 people worldwide. As of 2012, Sony had total
assets worth ¥13.29 trillion and was placed 87th on that year’s list
of the world’s Fortune 500 companies. The Sony logo has had quite a
rich history, including six redesigns, though only the initial two
versions were quite different from the classic logotype we all know
today.

 1946-1955

 The first-ever Sony logo was designed in 1946 and remained the
brand’s visual identity for over ten years. It was a circular
monochrome badge with a black abstract geometric shape against a
white background. This geometric figure was made of an upside-down
trapezoid connected to a rhombus at the bottom. The result of that
was something that looked like a stylish car badge and appeared
modern and ashy.

 1955-1962

 Sony first redesigned its logo in 1955. The sharp and solid logo made
way for a smooth but modern and stylish logotype, enclosed in a
vertically-leaning rectangular frame. The logotype was handwritten,
and the “S” was elongated to touch both the top and bottom of the
frame, while “Y’s” tail touched the bottom of the frame. The Sony logo
was redesigned for the second time in 1957. The emblem was a bold
black logotype in a contemporary rounded serif font with the uppercase
letters stretched. The huge serifs were rounded and elongated at their
tips, adding unique individuality and character to the wordmark. The
wordmark was refined in 1961. The letters got taller and got more air
and space between one another. The serifs decreased in size but were
still very visible and smooth.

 1962 —1973

 In 1962, the font of the wordmark was altered again–the serifs and
horizontal lines were straightened to appear stronger and sharper.
The contours got a little thinner and more stylish, adding a classic
style to the entire logo and working nicely with a monochrome
pattern, which has remained the brand’s visual identity. In 1969, the
letters became slightly stretched again, and the serifs gained
rounded corners like in the original logotype version of 1957 but a
little shorter. This logotype was more harmonized and balanced than
all previous versions, evoking a sense of confidence and
professionalism.

 1973- Present
 The 1973 redesign brought a refined and modernized version of the
wordmark to the visual identity of Sony. The serifs are again
straight, and the bold contours are solid and neat. The current Sony
logo uses the font known as Clarendon Medium. To mark Sony’s 35th
birthday in 1981, there was a suggestion within the company to unveil
a new visual identity. Although Sony received ideas from all around
the world, company co-founder Masaru Ibuka wasn’t impressed by any of
the designs and therefore decided to keep the current logo that was
designed in 1973.

 SHAPE: The present Sony logo version comprises a simple

logotype that was unveiled in 1959. Some branding experts say that
the logotype communicates simplicity and strength. The logotype
has undergone several minor modifications throughout its history,
mostly based on the recommendations of the ex-Sony president and
chairman Norio Ohga. Most of these alterations were done under the
stewardship of Sony chief of design Akio Morita and designer Yasuo
Kuroki. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Sony Corporation is a
world-famous multinational conglomerate. Its diversified business
consists of industrial and consumer electronics, entertainment,
gaming, and financial services.

 Sony owns the world’s biggest music entertainment business, the

world’s biggest gaming console business, as well as one of the biggest
gaming publishing businesses. It’s also one of the biggest
manufacturers of electronics for the professional and consumer
markets and a major force in the TV and film entertainment industry.
Sony is a world-renowned Japanese technology conglomerate founded by
Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita in 1946. It’s one of the biggest
producers of multimedia and electronics. It produces records,
household appliances, and digital devices, as well as provides
financial services.

 Sony’s other businesses include pictures, music, online companies, and

computer entertainment. The Sony Corporation is made up of Sony
Pictures, Sony Music, Sony Mobile, Sony Interactive Entertainment,
Sony Financial Holdings, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and many others.
Sony and the Sony logo is one of the most recognized brands in the
world.
  SCOPE
A competitive capabilities analysis readily exhibits the many strong
assets that SONY has :

1. Extremely well known brand name ‘SONY’ - associated with great design
and build quality.
2. Copyrights to a vast library of entertainment content - movies, music
etc.
3. Excellent technical and design skills in the areas of semiconductors,
imaging processors, consumer appliances etc.
4. Well established manufacturing and global marketing, distribution
networks.
5. Extensive technical patent portfolio.

Following are some suggestions for the overall business strategic planning
for the next few years :

 By March 2013, there were over 146,000 Sony employees all over the
world. In March 2014, the firm’s year-end revenue was more than $7.5
billion, with a loss of more than $1.2 billion during the same
period.

 Much of the loss resulted from the firm’s decision to wind up its
struggling PC manufacturing business, continued price pressure from
cheaper competitors in its video and audio divisions, and
underwhelming sales of smartphones.

 Sony’s gaming division, mobile communications division, Sony Pictures

division, and imaging-products division remain very strong, providing
most of the firm’s projected revenue increase for 2015.

3. GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF COMPANY

HISTORY/ANALYSIS
Sony Procurement

 Sony's procurement activities are based on two main principles. One is

meeting the expectations of Sony customers worldwide. Customers expect Sony
products and services to offer a high level of value. They also expect Sony
to be a good corporate citizen through its operations. Sony's procurement
activities are no exception in meeting these expectations.

 The other is relationships with suppliers. Sony procures parts and materials
for its products from numerous suppliers worldwide. Sony's worldwide
procurement activities require smooth relationships with suppliers based on
mutual trust and cooperation. Sony therefore places importance on creating
such relationships with suppliers. Sony believes that both Sony and its
suppliers need to be good partners in order to provide highly appealing
products that satisfy customers, and to be good corporate citizens through
such activities as green procurement.
Sony-FIFA Partnership

 Sony has signed a global partnership program contract with FIFA,

making it a FIFA partner. During the eight-year period of the
contract ( 2007-2014), Sony will exercise a broad array of rights in
the “Digital Life” category – which covers a wide range of businesses,
from electronics to entertainment – at the FIFA World Cup in 2010
(South Africa) and in 2014 (Brazil), as well as more than 50 other
FIFA competitions.

 Sony recognizes that it is increasingly important to enhance the

corporate value of the Sony Group. Accordingly, Sony is strengthening
its technologies and product appeal, enabling it to offer competitive
products as well as conducting effective marketing activities that
enhance brand affinity and customer trust.

4. COMPANY FUTURE PLANS

Sony continues to engage in management with a long-term view, based on
its Purpose (or reason for being) to "fill the world with emotion (or
Kando) through the power of creativity and technology," and its
corporate direction of getting closer to people. He emphasized Sony's
"Responsibility" and "Contribution" to people, society and the Earth,
and outlined the investment and growth Sony is making across its three
business domains centered on people.
 Mr. Yoshida then presented the initiatives Sony is implementing to
support the evolution of entertainment through the power of
creativity and technology, including further strengthening its
content intellectual property ("IP") and direct-to-consumer ("DTC")
services in its three entertainment businesses that "move people's
hearts," its efforts to create new entertainment experiences in the
Kando space centered around the metaverse and mobility, and its
technological advancements centered around sensing technology that
captures the real world, and artificial intelligence ("AI") that
learns from the world.

 Highlights from the presentation are below. For further details,

please refer to the speech materials, presentation slides and
recorded webcast from the event, which will be available on Sony's
Investor Relations website. The company expects to grow its
investment in live service gaming from 12% of all spending in 2019 to
55% by 2025. Sony also said it expects its overall gaming revenue to
grow from $35 billion in FY 2020 to $41 billion by 2025, largely by
expanding the “digital add-on” category, otherwise known as
microtransactions.

 We’ve been hearing for months now that Sony is getting more serious
about big industry trends like live service and cross-platform
gaming, ones its prime competitor Microsoft has gone all in on while
Sony largely stayed the course during the PS4 era. But this
presentation gave us some much-needed hard data on Sony’s early
efforts to transform the PlayStation business and provided ambitious
forecasts for the next few years.

 While its PC business is growing fast, Sony is only just beginning to

consider mobile. The company has yet to develop any smartphone
versions of its first-party games, but it estimates about 20% of its
game releases by 2025.

 Sony now sees live service gaming — whether on console, PC or

mobile — as arguably the most important element to its business
transformation. “I think if we do this right,” Ryan said, the
chance to grow its overall audience is “potentially an extremely
large one.”

 Right now, Sony considers MLB The Show 21 its sole live service
game. But by 2025, it expects to have 12 different live service
games running. The company expects to grow its investment in live
service gaming from 12% of all spending in 2019 to 55% by 2025.

 Sony also said it expects its overall gaming revenue to grow from
$35 billion in FY 2020 to $41 billion by 2025, largely by
expanding the “digital add-on” category, otherwise known as
microtransactions. As it stands, free-to-play gaming made up 25%
of all spending across nearly 120 million PS4 units sold.
  The main takeaways: Sony sees console hardware, physical disc
sales and even digital game sales as declining or flagging parts
of the games business. Most of the growth, the company predicts,
will come from microtransactions, mobile, ports and subscriptions.

 “If we are successful in making a portion of the 12 live service

games that we have under development at PlayStation Studios, if
only a portion of those enjoy critical and commercial success, the
impact of that will over time be completely transformation to our
business structure,” Ryan said.

 PROJECT SUMMERY
 In brief, this project is concerned about marketing management. It
covers in details about the concepts and principles of marketing,
including the marketing plan. With the aid of Sony organization we
will try through the course of this document to explore the marketing
plan, its application and its effectiveness. The main reasons for
selecting Sony Corporation as a case study were following:

 Sony being a multinational company has a universal presence

 Diverse range of products

 MNC with a financial strength to explore and implement all

aspects of the Marketing plan including high end spending on
Promotions.

In this project the following points are going to be discussed:

 Overview of Sony and its product line in the UAE

 Target Market and Segmentation

 Sample List of Marketing Mix being used by the organization.

 Find out if the marketing mix used by organization is

satisfactory.

 Our suggestion to the organization concerning the marketing

plan.

5. CONCLUSION

 Sony is a well-known global consumer electronics brand from

Japan, with a reputation for cutting-edge technology,
innovative digital concepts, and superior after-sales support.
 They began their sales mid-1900s and since then have made a
name for themselves for unwavering quality.

 One of Sony’s fallbacks is its marketing strategy, putting them

at a disadvantage regardless of their superior quality
products. Marketing evolves with time, according to the
demands and preferences of the present population. If you want
to learn more about doing effective marketing in today’s world,
check out the Free MasterClass on Digital Marketing 101 taught
by Karan Shah, CEO and Founder of IIDE.

 In discussing the marketing plan of any organization of our

choice, we have tried to discuss about Sony Corporation. Due
to the fact that the company produces so many varieties of
digital products and provides other services to the customer,
we have decided to narrow the field discussing in brief each
tool of market plan for Sony Corporation with a sample list of
marketing mix components on Laptops / notebooks, which we have
discussed in detail.
 We have also given our opinion about the current marketing
plan of Sony Corporation, which to a large extent seems to
satisfy the needs and demands of the customers.

6. REFFERENCE

WEBSITES:

 http://www.sony-mea.com

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_Television

 http://www.salespromo.co.uk/article/40

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_Home_Entertainment

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Entertainment_Television_(UAE)

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