Nicholson NY Wins Development Pact for Sony Unit

Interactive agency Nicholson NY will create a new, customer-focused Web site to support Sony Computer Components & Peripherals Group’s (CCPG) distribution and product-integration customers.

Nicholson said it is a move that shakes the belief that the Web will squeeze out distribution middlemen–a theory known as disintermediation

CCPG wants to build an online experience that will deliver qualified sales leads and provide support information to each of its constituents. Spending was not disclosed.

The site will generate sales leads for Sony’s channel customers by simplifying the purchase decision-making process for end-users through custom content and interactive tools, Nicholson said. MIS and IT professionals will be able find storage products that meet their needs, without having to understand complex and ever-changing technologies. When they are ready to buy, the site will automatically route sales inquiries to the appropriate reseller, distributor or integrator.

Separate content areas in the site will also provide business information to Sony’s many resellers and product integrators. These “microsites” will include sales and marketing tools for distributors that resell Sony equipment, and technology integration tutorials for systems integrators and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that install Sony equipment in their products.

“We saw an opportunity to actively influence the flow of product through Sony’s supply chain,” said Gregg Fisher, account director at Nicholson NY. “The site will deliver value to customers in the form of information tailored to their specific needs, and in doing so, strengthen the relationships between customers and dealers, and between dealers and Sony.”

To further minimize costs, Nicholson NY will build a publishing system that will allow marketing managers to publish to the site themselves. The new site will launch in September.