Headlines

Posted on 25th Feb 2011 @ 3:46 PM

Polaroid Eyewear launches line of 3-D glasses in time for holiday 3-D push

By Sarah Hamaker, Shopper Marketing (November 2010) 

ORMOND BEACH, FLA. – Polaroid Eyewear is racing to introduce its new line of 3-D glasses just in time for the expected onslaught of 3-D movies and television sets this holiday season. The glasses and covers for optical frames will be in movie theaters, consumer electronics stores, mass merchants and optical stores by this month.

Polaroid hopes to be the first eyewear company to offer a new technology – “passive” or “circular polarizing” 3-D glasses. “There’s nothing similar on the market right now, but the competition’s going to be pretty fierce in the future,” says Rachel Scholan, marketing and product manager, North America.

Although 3-D technology for televisions is still relatively new, it is already changing. Current 3-D TVs employ “active” 3-D technology, which requires special 3-D glasses with batteries or cables connected to the set itself. The new generation of 3-D televisions will use the circular polarizing 3-D technology – similar to 3-D theatrical releases 0 which use simpler glasses. “The circular 3-D technology that’s used in movie theaters is more user-friendly and easier to put into smaller televisions,” so we knew that’s where we wanted to be, says Scholan.

Industry data backs up Polaroid’s bet on passive 3-D technology. As many as 3.4 million passive 3-D TV sets are forecasted for shipment in North America this year, with new sets announced by Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Visio, JVC and Toshiba. Within the next six months, 70 new 3-D movies will be released, including new installments of franchise hits “Harry Potter,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Happy Feet.” 3-D is also expected to become the standard for gaming, and PC and mobile phone companies already have 3-D products available.

Polaroid partnered with Beverly Hills, Calif.-based RealD for lens and glass certification, and RealD provided research on how Polaroid should move forward given initial consumer response to 3-D. “We conducted our own research, too, and knew that 3-D was going to be rather large this holiday season and into the first and second quarters of 2011,” Scholan says.

A number of large retailers will have 3-D TVs out on shelves by Black Friday (Nov. 26) for the Christmas holiday season. Hitting stores around the same time, Polaroid’s 3-D glasses will come in two children’s styles, three covers for optical frames and nine adult styles. Polaroid also will package two pairs of 3-D glasses with one manufacturer’s 3-D television sets, in addition to offering two-, three-, and four-pair packs, single options and a four-pair family pack.

“People want the movie theater experience in their homes,” says Scholan. “We’ve had a tremendous response thus far, ahead of the actual release of the glasses.”

Polaroid’s in-house design department developed multiple P-O-P displays for retailers, including sturdy floor or wall stands in locked and unlocked versions. Mirrors on the displays allow customers to try on the glasses before purchase. A large 3-D foil header gives the consumers the chance to see how the 3-D glasses work. Other point-of-sale materials include 15- and five-unit counter displays in corrugated or plastic, posters and counter cards.

Polaroid also designed some retailer-specific displays, including a 360-degree display for one chain that Polaroid wouldn’t name. For movie theaters, the company has a slim wall model. P-O-P materials will be supported by a robust marketing campaign that includes trade ads, dual ads with TV manufacturers, TV commercials, online and print ads, and cinema advertisements.

“This is a big deal for us and we’ve spent a lot of time on the launch,” says Scholan. “We’re a technology brand and we’re proud of our glasses and the technology behind them.”


Brand: Polaroid Eyewear 3-D glasses
Key Insight: Consumers want to experience the same 3-D visuals they see in the movie theaters at home.
Solution: Launch a line of “passive” 3-D glasses that don’t require batteries or cables and sell them alongside 3-D TVs.