Competition drives Aquos blast in HK

<P>HONG KONG Sharp has launched a thematic drive for its leading LCD brand Aquos, revolving around the theme 'I see beautiful'. </P> <P>The campaign broke on local terrestrial channels TVB Jade and Pearl, and is supported by print, outdoor and online. Hakuhodo handled creative and media for the push, which is expected to run at least until September.</P> <P>The 30-second spot features clips aimed at depicting beauty, before transferring the pictures onto the Aquos TV screen itself. Throughout the commercial, a number of supers espousethe features of the brand. According to Minnie Ho, A&P manager of Sharp-Roxy Hong Kong 's product sales division, Sharp is facing stiff competition from a number of rivals from Japan and Korea, notably Samsung, LG and Sony. </P> <P>"Consumers expect the market to supply them with high-end products with quality accessories," she said. "To cope with this demand, we cannot lag behind."</P> <P>Ho said Sharp was boosting its production of LCD screens by building another production plant in Japan - which is slated to open in October this year - which will allow it to produce another 30,000 panels each month. </P>