The company has partnered with sports apparel maker Nike to introduce a range of electronic products - MP3 and MP3-CD players, among them - that it claims is small enough to wear comfortably.
Philips Electronics shops and Nike outlets will be selling the new product line.
Philips launched its basic MP3 products over a year ago to capitalise on the growing popularity in digital music. MP3 devices allow users to crunch large music files stored on CDs into bite-sized morsels that can be transferred to anyone else on the web through file-sharing networks, such as Kazaa.com.
Irene Ng, Philips' senior manager for audio/video and e-marketing, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, said the wearable electronics line was targeted at people who liked music and lived an active lifestyle. "It's for people who work out and are music lovers. We are targeting consumers aged 15 to 35 years old.
"The partnership with Nike is a strategic alliance for us as the product's appeal is both music and sports lifestyle."
A marketing campaign, with a strong below-the-line element, will be launched in mid-October to support the new product line.
The pair will also use above-the-line advertising, as well as roadshows, retail shop floor activities and point-of-sale materials to drive awareness and sales of its new products.
"We will also engage Nike athletes as spokespersons. Every local market will have its own athlete, who will attend events and promote the products. In Singapore, it will be a popular local footballer, said Ng.
The new product line is part of a bigger initiative by Philips to reach Asia's youth segment. It follows the launch of Philips' MP3 Mania campaign, which will run until November. The campaign uses the MP3 technology platform to kick off Philips' 'Get mad over music' initiative, which includes music-focused activities in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.
"The youth market is at the cutting edge of emerging consumer trends. They not only define what is hot in music, but also how, when and where they hear it. This has now been extended to how they receive their music. Ng said Philips had seen sales pick up since stepping up marketing of the products. She also attributed this to a better acceptance of such products and price reductions.
