Tuesday, October 25th 2022
TechPowerUp's Briefing of Philips Evnia Brand Launch Event
[Editor's note: We published yesterday a press release outlining the launch of Philip's new gaming brand Evnia. TechPowerUp's own mice editor extraordinaire Pzogel was on hand for this launch event and shared some thoughts and photos that I deemed interesting to be separately published.]
If there is a rule not to hold launch events at a football stadium, Philips has officially broken it. This would only be fitting, as the mantra of Philips's new gaming brand Evnia is "reinvent the rules." In order to properly introduce their new brand, Philips invited tech journalists and reviewers from all over the globe to the city of Paris, where the Stade de France is located.
Being the seventh-largest stadium in Europe, the Stade de France made for a more than impressive backdrop. The attendees got to wander through the visitors changing rooms before entering the field itself through the same exit the players would be taking. After being given the opportunity to tend to some treats and admire the cosplayers posing inside, the presentation inside the auditorium started. Following introductory speeches by Philips higher-ups, Sylvia "QueenArrow" Gathoni, professional Tekken player and the first East African woman signed by an esports team, entered the stage. Gathoni talked about her experiences as a female in the world of gaming, and what being the brand ambassador for Evnia means to her.
After the presentation, there was finally the opportunity to try out the products themselves. While the monitors are reasonably close to release and were representative of what will be available to customers, the peripherals weren't, and we'll have to wait a bit longer for a proper hands-on.
If there is a rule not to hold launch events at a football stadium, Philips has officially broken it. This would only be fitting, as the mantra of Philips's new gaming brand Evnia is "reinvent the rules." In order to properly introduce their new brand, Philips invited tech journalists and reviewers from all over the globe to the city of Paris, where the Stade de France is located.
8 Comments on TechPowerUp's Briefing of Philips Evnia Brand Launch Event
I'm concerned: Evnia differentiates from the crowd of spec-only-driven aggressive models, bringing back the joy and fun of gaming, keeping emotional benefits at the core.
Seems to me they are trying to build a "Beats" brand in the gaming market. Lower specs but well marketed and higher prices giving some people "emotional benefits" whilst being ripped off with average quality products at emperor's clothes prices.
It is very bad PR strategy to have a brand launch without your products being ready. This is a textbook example of a behemoth of a company that can't turn the ship fast enough and coordinate product development + manufacturing + global sales channels + marketing teams + PR schedules. Cue youtube ship crash videos. This brand is sunk even before it learns to swim.
Re-reading what I just wrote; it sounds a little pessimistic. Good luck to them. Some jobs will be on the line. But I'll watch this with interest... looks like a good MBA Case Study about how to not do things.
www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/09/philips-to-recall-more-sleep-apnea-masks-after-pacemaker-problems-emerge/
I wish them the best and hope to see some high-quality products, it's a company that I know can deliver if the execs and top brass don't get involved too much - just like Sony.
Literally a company that has been stacking bad decisions on top of bad decisions the past decades. Such a waste. The timing of this 'brand'... omg guys. You're about five years too late, market's saturated already.
Imagine, ASML was part of this company once...Some jobs you say?
www.dutchnews.nl/news/2022/10/philips-to-cut-4000-jobs-hundreds-will-go-in-the-netherlands/