Matsushita to use Panasonic brand for all product lines

Matsushita Electric Philippines Corp. (MEPCO) will unify its entire product line under the Panasonic brand by October this year in line with its global rebranding and marketing strategy, company officials said yesterday.

The local unit of the Japanese electrical appliances giant has been selling two distinct brand names: the Panasonic brand for the so-called brown lines (audio-visual and facsimile machines) and the National for the white lines (refrigerators, washing machines, airconditioning units, microwave oven, electric fans, flat irons, flashlight and batteries).

Rodolfo Perez, president of MEPCO divisions National Panasonic Sales Philippines (NPSP) and National Panasonic Battery Philippines, said the brand unification would increase their sales and market share in the Philippines as more products under the Panasonic line are set to be introduced.

He said the Panasonic brand is well known in the US and Europe while the National brand is more popular in China, Asia, Oceania and Japan.

But with the rebranding strategy, only the National brand would remain in use in Japan, said Kunihiko Nimura, director of the Appliance Sales Group of NPSP.

NPSP general manager for marketing Akira Hashimoto added that the company will introduce and launch more products carrying the Panasonic name by October in a move to propel the brand to the top spot in market share of household appliances.

MEPCO projects a healthy 10-percent growth in sales this year to about P8 billion, from P7.2 billion in 2002.