Yamaha Wants in on the P&I Market

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, Yamaha Electronics Corp. showed attendees that it is serious about entering the premiums and incentives market with its home-theater products. During the event, the company showcased its YSP-1 surround sound speakers as an item companies can use to reward workers.

To aid its entry into the P&I space, Yamaha recently retained rep firm Performance Sales and Marketing, San Clemente, CA, to assist with expanding and increasing the awareness of the company's top-end line of home theater products.

"We believe this is a new channel of opportunity...another channel that will allow consumers to enjoy our products," said Bart Greenberg, national sales manager at Buena Park, CA-based Yamaha.

At the Consumer Electronics Show, held earlier this month in Las Vegas, Yamaha showcased theYSP-1, a single cordless box smaller than a ruler and packed with speakers each having their own amplifiers. The sounds reverberated off the walls of Yamaha's living room style exhibit, leaving visitors wondering about the source of sound, Greenberg said.

The YSP-1 is one of many products the company is hoping will win the attention of incentive buyers. Yamaha's other home-theater products include receivers, speakers, amplifiers and various home-theater surround sound set ups, said Cary Serklew, president of Performance Sales and Marketing.

"One of challenges with high definition televisions is that people are spending more buying these displays and are not having a budget for home audio products," Greenberg said. "You can have a beautiful home TV, but without the audio you won't get the whole experience. We're trying to let consumers understand that."

Serklew said his company is evaluating a number of P&I programs to promote Yamaha products.

"We want to offer Yamahas for companies to use for sales awards, years of service awards, executive gifts and gift with purchase incentives for consumers," Serklew said.