Sony Reorganizing Sales and Marketing Under Fasulo
Sony Electronics is reorganizing its U.S. sales and marketing operations and installing new leadership, it told retailers Friday. Chief Marketing Officer Mike Fasulo will lead all sales and marketing functions, President Stan Glasgow told dealers in a “Dear Sony Retail Partner” letter. Senior Vice Presidents Ken Stevens and Paul Spitale will be responsible for Sony’s national accounts and its regional and specialty accounts, respectively, while Jay Vandenbree, consumer sales president, has opted for Sony’s early retirement offer and will soon leave the company, Glasgow said.
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“We've been listening to your feedback … and your voice is clear -- Sony is not meeting expectations in fulfilling with regional and specialty accounts,” Glasgow said. “Too often, we have struggled to deliver you product in a timely manner and in the right quantities. We agree this is not acceptable and recognize dramatic changes need to take place within our organization to get this issue addressed correctly so we can move forward with a world-class supply-chain operation.”
Glasgow’s remarks harken back to harsh words Sony CEO Howard Stringer uttered in January (CED Jan 23 p1) when he said Sony’s “historical legacy sometimes restrains us” in that “there’s still too much old Sony and not enough new, which at times means we are fighting our competitive wars at a disadvantage.” Sony’s fixed costs “are still too high,” and its supply chain “is still too slow,” Springer said then, and it also “suffers from an unhealthy “addiction to vertical integration.”
Starting in July, Sony will begin “a multi-phased implementation of a new fulfillment strategy” under Spitale’s direction, Glasgow said. The strategy “is designed to move products and information to regional and specialty accounts with increased accuracy and velocity,” he said. “We believe this fulfillment model will ultimately improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. We are still working on the details of what retailer interaction will look like under this new model, and will keep you apprised of each phase of the implementation.”
Glasgow hailed Vandenbree, whose “legacy and passion for people and the customers we serve are the foundations that will keep us solid and true to our mission and values as we evolve,” Glasgow said. A Sony spokesman wouldn’t say when Vandenbree will leave the company but said many of those opting for the company’s early retirement package are planning to stay on until about June 1. The new sales and marketing alignment under Fasulo, Stevens and Spitale essentially spells the end of the three-region organization that has reported to Vandenbree, the spokesman said. Sony won’t disclose how many employees have opted for its early retirement package, he said.
“Bear in mind that our new direction does not only encompass personnel or management changes,” Glasgow said. “We're striving for holistic change throughout the organization where we look at every aspect of our business -- people, structure, systems, reward and strategy. I fully expect us to emerge from this process a stronger, leaner, more competitive company.”