It’s been a while since Toshiba wrapped its agency review, but Capital C announced its AOR status on the tech brand today with news of an influencer event at the North By Northeast (NXNE) music festival.
The account includes all of Toshiba’s consumer products (including laptops and TVs), its business-to-business account and medical products.
The account was previously held by CPB Canada – an MDC Partners sibling agency – which inherited it from ACLC when it merged with CPB in 2008 (back when CPB Canada was called Zig).
CPB was not among the “handful” of agencies taking part in the review, which ran early in 2011. According to Melissa Moore, social media and communications manager, Capital C carried the day with its “impressive” social media listening and audience insight tools. “We hadn’t seen that from anyone else.”
Capital C worked with Toshiba on audience research projects last year, and created the NXNE Toshiba Primer Party in Toronto, which the agency is readying for its 2011 iteration on Thursday.
The event puts laptops in the hands of influencers to help distinguish the brand from other PC products.
“Everyone sees [the market] as Apple versus the PCs, and with the PCs it’s often a flight to price,” said Tony Chapman, CEO of Capital C. “But Toshiba has pioneered a lot of stuff over the years, including their 3D laptop last year. This gives us a chance to invite the opinion leaders to see that. Hopefully that turns into content in their social media hemispheres.”
Toshiba is pretty big on the hands-on activation tactic, and this year’s Primer product demos will include a glasses-free 3D laptop and the newly launched Toshiba Tablet (known in the U.S. as the Thrive).
Following Thursday’s event, expect to see more mainstream, consumer-facing work based on Capital C’s newly mapped ‘path to purchase’ brand strategies. Toshiba will “be much more in the social media world, where a lot of people are going for cues on what TV and loptops to buy,” said Chapman.
