Understand that for people like my MIL (whom I love dearly), the ability to wear a necklace to hang onto things like glasses or other paraphernalia that might easily be lost or forgotten is a prime purchase initiative. I may have spent the past five years trying in vain to convince her that she needs a cell phone for all of the times that I need to contact her when she decides to just "take a drive" for a week without telling me. But strap a cell phone to a necklace, and it's a surefire hit.
Sprint didn't just stop with the necklace strap, however. The company also included new screen savers and changeable side panels that allow users to create their own style. I can just see her now, walking around with the grandkids flashing across the screen saver, intermingled, of course, with pictures of Missy, the stupid Pomeranian dog. Don't even get me started about that dog.
The phone sells for $149. Some might gasp at the thought of paying that much for a wearable cell phone with screen savers and side panels. But this is a niche market, and you don't know my MIL.
This woman hasn't shopped for anything that doesn't come from a catalogue for more than 15 years. She recently became Internet connected and proceeded to send her son (my husband) her favorite jokes of the day at work every day since. She e-mails him at various times throughout the day, as well, just to give him updates about what's happening with her and my FIL. Niche can't even begin to touch her.
Interestingly enough, Sprint is targeting its phones to the "fashion conscious," as are vendors like IBM, which claims to be working on an earring phone, and Motorola, which is opening a design center in Milan to capture the perfect cell-phone fashion look. Cingular, which is selling its cell-phone necklace in Asia, describes its necklace as having "urban elegance."
Frankly, I think these guys are missing the boat. Honestly, how "elegant" can you look with a mechanized ice cream sandwich flashing from your chest?
The people who wear this thing are going to be the same people who are comfortable wearing those T-shirts that have their kids' or grandkids' faces emblazoned on them. (My husband actually bought me one of these when we had our first child – flashbacks of living with my MIL).
Analysts are saying the phones could be a success with the 20s crowd because of the way the phones look. But I see these phones being better targeted to the MIL group – those for whom hanging something around the neck is a time-saving benefit (think, "Now where did I put my cell phone? I could have sworn I had it when I left water aerobics this morning, but it's not here at the beauty shop!").
It also makes sense that the MIL group will love the ability to carry around one more item that makes it easy to show off the latest in familial art (AKA grandkid pictures).
The fact that the Sprint phone enables ringtone downloads is another MIL draw. I can only image what ditties my MIL would choose. I can just imagine the first time we're in a public place together as her new necklace begins to play yet another lovely ditty by George Strait. Yee haw!
Do I see this as a huge winner for Sprint? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But is it another unique spin on the niche market if it's played right? Just keep an eye out for my MIL. My guess is that you won't have to look hard to see her coming.
