In the first weeks of November, KDDI au will release a limited batch of branded Coach cell phones in Japan. According to a KDDI press release, the handsets were created to celebrate the launch of Coach Japan's cell phone website Coach Mobile, as well as to promote the introduction of the new Coach Madison Collection. 1,941 of the phones will be sold for 19,410 yen each at au shops throughout Japan (Coach was founded in 1941).
For those of you who are interested in specs, no, Coach did not build this phone from the ground up. While the casing and display have been styled to reflect Coach sensibilities, the innards are from Sony Ericsson, whose re "Full Change" model was designed with the specific purpose of allowing this kind of customization to look and feel. (English information here).
Kudos to all three of these companies, because as far as collaborations go, this one is a three-way winner. Sony Ericsson can show off the phone's main feature—customization, au gets to reinforce its design-centric positioning, and Coach creates buzz around its products and cell site, while enhancing brand equity.
Additional posts on cell phone co-branding in Japan here and here.
***Full disclosure***
Spark Productions has worked extensively for Coach, and on behalf of both au, and Sony in the past, but none of these companies are amongst our present clientele. Spark Productions was in no way involved in the development or marketing of the Coach phone.
