Acer embarks on multi-brand strategy

Acer Inc., the third largest PC company in the world, is starting a multi-brand strategy that aims to drum up awareness on other computer brands under the Acer umbrella.

It is the company’s response to the way the market keeps on changing and how users’ needs evolve, resulting in an increasingly segmented demand.

Acer, which owns Packard Bell, Gateway and eMachines, seeks to carefully position each brand to avoid overlapping and to clearly communicate to employees, channel partners, investors and customers the brands’ unique identities.

The multi-brand strategy is guided by a market analysis recently commissioned by Acer to analyze the current positioning of its various brands, identify diverse user segments and their needs, and understand how brand and technology influence their buying decisions.  

As a result, Acer gained insights on how to make a more defined value proposition for each brand, while preserving the brands’ individual identities and personalities that have been developed overtime.

Based on the analysis which involved users from Europe and the United States, the Acer brand highly appeals to users who want the latest technologies that are not only timely but also give them better control in order to simplify their lives.

The Gateway and Packard Bell brands, on the other hand, attract users who need a PC as an everyday tool for work and play and prefer a brand known for stylish, full-featured but easy-to-use products.

Finally, eMachines is targeted at users with a predominantly pragmatic approach toward technology and who expect the PC to be efficient, convenient and, most importantly, affordable.

“Acer, Gateway and Packard Bell are three distinct identities of a single group whose objective is to expand the variety of its product range. The three companies will integrate their own unique experiences and abilities to offer a broad range of products that allow customers to find the right solutions for their uniquely personal needs,” Gianfranco Lanci, president and CEO of Acer Inc., said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Acer Philippines is beefing up its organization to ensure that it could smoothly implement the multi-brand strategy here.

Agnes Espino, the local subsidiary’s director for sales and marketing, said they are looking at having specific personnel to handle each brand, especially Gateway and Packard Bell.

eMachines, which is currently the least known brand among local PC buyers, will be under Acer’s wings.

“In the Philippines, eMachines will be marketed and sold by Acer to leverage on Acer’s brand equity. Acer is the main brand and eMachines will be associated with Acer. Gateway and Packard Bell will be marketed and sold as separate brands,” Espino said.