Jonathan Bing has a good column in Variety, comparing marketing strategies of Apple and Sony, and ejxplaining why Apple enjoys repeated victories and ever-greater marketshare while Sony and its obsolete Walkman brand are nearly invisible by comparison. Sony introduced the new Walkman on the same day Apple launched the nano, but who knew? "With the campaign for the iPod nano, which follows similar campaigns for the original iPod, the iPod mini and iPod shuffle, Apple has persuaded consumers to buy multiple versions of the same device. Think of it as the fourth iteration of a special edition DVD. How has Apple achieved this competitive advantage? Cutting-edge design and engineering — and perhaps more important, brilliant marketing."
