Sony Should Leverage Rashid Designs

Hey Sony, rely on strong marketing and those cutting edge designs from Karim Rashid to help you climb back to the top of electronics food chain.

Sony announced Monday that company chairman and group CEO Nobuyuki Idei, who along with company president Kunitake Ando, announced his resignation over the weekend, will be replaced by current chairman and CEO of Sony Corp., Howard Stringer. The move is the first time in Sony's 70 year history that a foreigner will lead the company.

Wondering what this has to do with design? Well, it's a heads up of sorts. You see Sony was once regarded as a world leader in electronics, a designation that's slipped from their grasp over the past few years and, as pointed out by The Motley Fool, "the company's shares are trading at a little more than a quarter of where they were when they peaked in 2000."

The once successful company failed to jump on emerging electronics trends like mp3 players, plasma tvs and digital cameras. In other words, they lost their connection with the shifting attitudes and needs of their market. But, with a new leader, and presumably a new attitude, they should pounce on marketing the beautiful designs Sony had developed by none other than Karim Rashid.

Our guess, people just don't know that Sony is home to Rashid-designed TV's, telephones, stereo systems and more. C'mon Sony, we searched your website without finding any mention of Rashid's name or his products. What happened to them?