Executive summary

Sony Europe is the UK sales arm of the consumer electronics giant Sony Corporation. Sony Europe markets a wide range of consumer electronics and professional products, and they run two factories in Wales. They had a 12-year-old online forum called European Sony Electronics, but they wanted to decrease Sony-generated content and increase fan-generated content. They also wanted to engage users in Sony blogs, user-generated content, tutorials, workshops, and competitions primarily aimed at their huge fan base of photo enthusiasts. Sony decided to onboard a Khoros-powered community to accomplish their goals and drive loyalty and top-line sales.

Sony Europe’s previous forum served primarily as a place where customers could resolve technical problems, and it worked well for that purpose. But, Sony Europe had a bigger vision: they wanted a vibrant community where people could engage with each other by reviewing user-generated content. Sony Europe also wanted to create a centralized location for their company-generated blogs as well as their tutorials and workshops to help them get more out of their products and our services. They also wanted to provide a platform where their huge fan base of photo enthusiasts could share their content in galleries and participate in photo competitions. Sony Europe wanted to help photo enthusiasts increase their photography skills by providing workshops and tutorials as well as their master classes, moderated by Sony World Photography Awards winners. Sony Europe’s ultimate goal for their community efforts was that those efforts translate into increased revenue, loyalty, and support savings for the business. With a Khoros-powered community, Sony Europe was able to achieve all of their goals.

The Khoros community provided a robust, flexible platform where Sony Europe could adapt and measure their strategic goals using different content types, developer tools, and metrics. With the flexibility of their Khoros-powered community, they were able to create a compelling photo gallery, full integration with the Sony websites, and a simple design that follows Sony brand DNA.

“Thanks to the clear design, customers can easily share their content and discuss products with each other.”

— Nico Henderijckx
Head of Communities, Sony Europe