If You Were Given The Opportunity To Rebrand The Casio Brand Name / Logo

[Scottym]

It's often the perception, mentioned or considered by many that the Casio brand name doesn't really show the company in the best of light when it comes to musical instruments or synthesizers, rightly or wrongly that's how I see it. I actually think for this to change, a divisional name for their products should be created to separate from the watches, and calculators which are so often considered Casio and remain so. The brand name is often an element in selling a product and although I do hope re-branding becomes a reality that Casio will consider, this thread is an opportunity for users who either own or don't own a Casio product to come up with some suggestions and maybe a reason for them. Maybe it could be an an acronym with some representation of the company, or perhaps you could even a design a logo of some sort...It's up to you...it's for fun but if you're posting images, please put some effort into the quality of your work..you don't know who might be watching this thread and taking notes. ;-)

[Null]

I seriously don't think Casio needs any sort of spin off or rebranding.

 

To me, Casio means seriously good quality at affordable prices.

 

Stuff like their Privia and Celviano line are giving the likes of Yamaha a serious run for their money, The XW's are proving themselves as professional instruments every day and the levels of support provided thru their current social networking campaign, (including this forum and the Casio Blog) are light years better than anything Yamaha or Korg or Roland have out there either now or at any time past.

 

To my mind, Casio is building themselves a solid reputation thru hard work and innovative design and stellar web support and making the other "professional" instrument companies sweat.

 

I honestly cannot see any reasonable expectation from creating a "Premium Casio Spinoff brand" except in order to jack up prices for no good reason.

 

As for build quality, I'd sooner take a chance on my XW-P1 surviving a 4 foot drop onto concrete than my Kurzweil PC3K8.  The light weight and ingenious design of injection molded plastic means it's far more durable than you'd think while my 50 lb Kurzweil would probably die from an internal bowel hemorrhage from the same sort of mistreatment.  The metal casing and overweight keyboard would make it much more likely to malfunction from such simple "abuse."

 

I seriously think Casio's doing just fine the way they're going and their respect has grown in the eyes of their customers mainly because THEY respect THEIR customers.

 

Gary

[Null]

Besides, Yamaha makes everything from motorcycles and snowmobiles to chainsaws and concert grand pianos and they haven't seen fit to spin off any of their brands.

 

Why should Casio hide its name in shame when Yamaha proudly flies its company banner over their line of products?

 

Gary

[User 29303]

Damn it is so easy......just ,make a big campaign .....

 

 

CASIO we are back....the best in Synthesizers and StagePianos.....since 1980´

[zebra555]

Hello,

In my mind the product speaks for itself. Granted, it will take time for the general public to understand the range of the PX5S. Once the main stream musicians understand that this is a great board, then we are off to the races, so to speak.That is Casio's task at this point. They need to continue to support the board, modify, update, enhance as much as they can. They have a great opportunity to get back into the professional spotlight (if that is what they want to do).  Until now, I never considered a Casio as being selected as one of my main go to recording boards.  Until now.

[Joe Muscara]

They sort of tried that with the Privia name a couple of years ago. I think they're better off sticking with Casio. It will take time, but they've been chipping away at it. It's working.

[Brad Saucier]

I think perceptions should change and not the Casio brand name itself.   Just this week, I watched a Korg Kronos user sell his Kronos and replace it with a PX-5s. Casio is slowly pushing the so called "big boys" out of rigs across the world.  With the growing support of this forum and it's user base, I think Casio is well on it's way to being an equal if not superior player in the Pro market.  It takes us to make it happen.  

[SmoovJazzy55]

Change the "C" to a "K" and the "s" to a "z" and you have "Kazio". It's hip, it's cool, and ...... it will never work. But you asked for ideas.

Other companies have tried gimmicks like this, some successful, most not successful. My thought is leave it as it is, promote what we have under the current name and let folks see for themselves.

As I said in another post, I remember when Toyota and Honda cars = junk. Well? Not anymore. The absolute best bang for the buck today are the Casio XW and Priva series of keyboards. It's interesting what some of the old Casio's CZ, FZ and VZ''s are bringing on eBay now, one day what we now with the new synths will do the same.

Lastly, there will always be competition with Korg, Yamaha, Roland, Dave Smith ....etc. and that is a good thing, but look at the lack of innovation of some of those companies recently. Casio on the other hand has moved on, as we see the results of that forward thinking with what they are offering now. I paid some BIG bucks for a Yamaha Tyro's 5 and I'll just be brutally honest. It was no better sounding than the Tyros' 4 I had. But this babies are in the $4000.00 to $5000.00 range. To me that is just insane, luckily I pre-ordered mine at a killer price and sold it on eBay and actually made some $$$

Anyway, Just my 2 cents.

[Display Name]

In a way it makes sense to have a upscale "pro" name, I mean Toyota has Lexus, Honda has Acura, and Nissan has Infiniti. I thought about this, but then realized Casio is not a car company. Their name carries a lot of history and pride and we should proudly display it on our keyboards. Yes their will always be snobs who poo-poo a name, but for the most part perceptions have changed.

It's also nice to have a watch that matches my keyboard. 

[lodger]

as i've said on other posts, Casio has always been there as a bedrock to garage bands, up and coming artists, etc. they havent embraced this the way that they could. furthermore, those old school casio sounds have appeared on tons of old tracks...this noteriety hasn't been mentioned as a part of sales strategy.

 

CAsio will always have a fight to be acknowleged in the same light as Korg, Roland, and other mid range manufacturers. my opinion is that they should look to 1) bring back their old school sounds in a clean, multi timbral synth unit/ vst rompler. 2) look at adapting current products to have more diversity and to fit in better with the needs of entry to mid level music producers/interface better with daws 3) explore public fondness with the casio brand and use that to drive it.

 

celebrity spokespeople help a lot. Moby has said pretty prominantly in vidoes that the cz-101 was his first synth and something that produces sounds he cant get from other instruments in his vast studio.... there are huge opportunities here.

 

I think casio will retain its core audiences, but there is definately a gap that m-audio sits in that casio can be a contender.

[SmoovJazzy55]

Another thought is "More expensive isn't always better."   Fairlights sold for the price of a small house.  I've seen a few on eBay for sale for next to nothing, and most were relisted quite a few time.  

 

Even if they did sell, the shipping was a few hundred dollars, or "Pick-Up Only"   I still truly believe that Casio's give the very best bang for the buck, and they pretty much have that market covered.

[User 29303]

i just think ,,,,CASIO is understatement.....and now it´s time to make music and productions with this amzing peace of Synth,,,,,

to show the world how good it sounds

[Percivale]

Toyota created the Lexus and Honda Acura.

 

As I said in another post, I remember when Toyota and Honda cars = junk. Well? Not anymore. The absolute best bang for the buck today are the Casio XW and Priva series of keyboards. It's interesting what some of the old Casio's CZ, FZ and VZ''s are bringing on eBay now, one day what we now with the new synths will do the same.

[SmoovJazzy55]

Toyota created the Lexus and Honda Acura.

Yes, and they are very good cars too, so no disagreement from me there. But the best bang for the buck is the tried and true, Toyota Camry or Corolla, or the Honda Accord or Civic. I'm not sure Casio really intends to go after the Acura/Lexus market with their keyboards. That being said, the PX5S is a Lexus keyboard with a Corrolla price.

[User 29303]

Do you like making Music oder showing the Brand on Stage there are Bands outside using a black tape to dont showing the Keyboard Brand...i think it is so abnormal thinking about a new name....Casio is Casio and they are on the Market since the early years of synthesizers

 

who believe in them will buy a PX5S and others who not...wil get a Korg or Kurzweil.....i have made my choice and i am very happy with it

and proud for the name ; CASIO on it.....

[Chas]

If Casio wanted to come up with an upmarket brand name, how about...

 

 

 

 

..."CLASSIO"?!!!!! (groan!)

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously, one of the things that attracts me to the Casio brand is the fact that they make instruments for the people. There is nothing snobby or pretentious about Casio, something that can't be said for some of the users of other brands. And even better, when you show some of these keyboards snobs just what some of the higher end Casios are capable of they can't (won't?) believe it. The CZ and VZ's can easily stand up to a DX7 (including DX7II), the FZ samplers were very advanced for their time, and the XW's we all know can easily punch above their weight and price.

 

As such, if the day comes that I will gig with keyboards I will be more than happy, and proud, to display them with the name 'Casio' on display. The snobs can sneer all they want, but when they hear what the Casios can do, it will be me who has the last laugh along with generating new found respect for Casio.

 

Long live Casio!

[Percivale]

This I can agree.

 

Seriously, one of the things that attracts me to the Casio brand is the fact that they make instruments for the people. There is nothing snobby or pretentious about Casio, something that can't be said for some of the users of other brands. 

[Chas]

Toyota created the Lexus and Honda Acura.

 

And as someone also mentioned above, Nissan has 'Infiniti'.

 

However, most people into cars see them as just badge engineered vehicles using parts shared with 'lesser' models. Lexus = it's still a Toyota. Acura = it's still a Honda. Infiniti = it's still a Nissan. 

 

Granted that when the original Lexus LS400 was released it sent shockwaves amongst the upper market car manufacturers (BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar etc.) for the sheer quality, fully loaded standard specification and value for money. However, Toyota were doing a known practice that the Japanese do when establishing a new brand name - releasing a product at a price point well below what it was really worth and undercutting the opposition. I heard rumours that they lost money on every LS400 they sold, though that was part of the plan. The car was released, journalists and consumers raved about it's build quality and value for money and the brand name was firmly established as a quality brand in the mind of the public. The next models to come out from Lexus were still good but no way near the same high build quality as Toyota were building them down to a price to get profits. However, the name 'Lexus' on its own was now enough to shift the cars off the lots and generate profit for the company.

 

The above practice was also common amongst the early Japanese guitar manufacturers in the late 70'/ early 80's. The Japanese 'Squier' models can now command almost as much as the same era Fender equivalents as the build quality was so high, and other Japanese brands released models that seriously worried the likes of Fender and Gibson. The infamous Japanese 'Matsumoko' factory produced the brands 'Aria', 'Vantage' and 'Westone' etc. ( http://www.matsumoku.org/models/models.html ), and then the likes of Ibanez and also Yamaha produced some very high quality professional instruments at prices less than the American and British big names. It was so successful that most of these Japanese brands still exist, and their impact on the big American manufacturers caused them to raise standards and/ or bring out their own budget brands to compete.

 

Casio meanwhile are in a class of their own having produced everything from musical calculators and 'toy' keyboards, right up to professional level equipment. They have a rich and successful history, and though some snobs still look down on the name, over time many have come to respect the 'pro' offerings from Casio thanks to the likes of the CZ, VZ and FZ series in the late 80's, and now the XW's, Privia and PX series. With such a long and successful history of being a manufacturer of musical instruments, I see no reason to change the brand name 'Casio'. In fact, what IS starting to happen is that though some still see Casio as a manufacturer of toy keyboards, many now recognise, and respect, the model names 'XW', 'PX', and 'Privia' almost as brands in their own right. That to me shows that Casio's marketing is working very well and there is absolutely no need to bring in another brand name for their pro models.

[lodger]

personally i think with rebranding, its not about the casio name per se, but how the community of musicians sees that as fitting in with them.

 

were in the middle of a DIY homestudio revolution and the more that casio is able to seem like a part of that and showcase themselves as a critical part of a musician's toolkit.

 

casio should start highlighting people who are using casio gear in their tracks and this might help reinforce the brand recognition and perception.

 

Casio is a good brand, but the place where they stand to gain is helping people explore how their offerings can fit in with their needs.

[Scottym]

Interesting replies in this thread since I posted it a while back, but to take off in a graphic name / logo redesign I mentioned I came up with a few idea's. This is just one of them, I've kept it pretty simple and it is indeed original, (i.e google doesn't recognise it from anywhere). It uses a very similar font to the casio brand font but it's unique in that it reads the same from both directions . I wanted something that made me think future and innovative sounding, which doesn't date. I used the 3d app, Cinema 4D in creating it, and may even come up with a 3d model logo to place above the 3d letters.

 

[Vorbis]

The "toy" keyboards relegate the high end keyboards. synths and pianos all just "toys."

 

If you give those inexpensive "toys" a critical listen, they actually sound really good for what they are. The sounds are all sampled, some give you a lot of pre-programmed songs that you can play along with and have many program features available. They don't have big speakers, they have small milli-watt output amplifiers and limited keys. Plug one of those "toys" into a keyboard amp or decent stereo they have surprising sound.

 

Those "toy" keyboards are perfect for kids to get exposed to making music, kids of all ages playing some music. I've seen them passed around senior centers, you should see the fun they have!

 

When I was reading the reviews of the WK-7500 before purchasing, many reviews talked about getting over the name Casio on the back, to give it test drive and then make a decision. One even said to cover the Casio name with tape so as not to be embarrassed from other musicians. If you're on this forum, you probably own some of the best from Casio. We know what these keyboards can do and the possibilities they can deliver. If I was marketing Casio keyboards, I would brand the best keyboards with Pro Series or  Performance Series.   The "toys" could be called Music Value Series.    Many companies work extremely hard to keep you buying their Brand as you move up in equipment.  

[teknoman]

In a few weeks I,m going to a jam session to debut my casios .No tape over the name,covers or any of that.And to further confound folks,I'm going all battery.It never ceases to amaze, that if great megastar musician plays a no name instrument good or bad,people go oooooohhhhh.What was he playing,and can I get one,forgetting it,s all in his hands.I recently read an article about the latest yamahas,the motifs? Fine instrument I,m sure but all I read was",the potential of the instrument is amazing,after studying for 3months I'm starting to understand it"Whattttt! Casios I think in my old age are about performance.Rebranding seems to me like fakery ,like you are ashamed of your product.i will take my orange chrome p1,my g1,and my privia 5s and wave my freak flag high!Yeezus!

[Scottym]

Re-branding a company into a division isn't seen as a negative thing or in anyway to mock/shame the original brand name, It's actually seen as forward thinking just as developing new innovative products is forward thinking. Re-branding is not only just about the name and perceived image, as for a company there is a list of reasons for doing so benefiting the end user of the product. For example, third party addon's accessories, software support- eg Native Instruments integration, dedicated DAW support, dedicated third party hardware compatibility, e.g add on LCD display, integration ect.. 

 

Casio spent 20 years standing still before re-entering the synth market, it can do a lot more and a re-brand is in my honest opinion the way forward.         

 

Here's a couple of websites which cover the benefits of re-branding in more detail.

 

1. Gain competitive advantage

2. Stimulate growth

3. Long-term market expansion

4. Innovation = profitability

 

 

http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/marketing-strategy/branding/do-you-need-to-rebrand-your-business-

 

Identifying the Need

 

Loss of Market Share or Brand Equity

 

Competitive Advantage

 

Product Launch

 

Brand Personality

 

http://blog.precisionmarketingpartnersnc.com/blog/bid/240518/4-Reasons-Why-Rebranding-Might-Benefit-Your-Business

[Bigmark]

I play Casio's ....Get over it.

Well that's the sticker I want lol !

Not ashamed of the brand at all and see absolutely no need for a rebranding.

Here's a pic of my set up on stage.

[Chas]

I play Casio's ....Get over it.

 

 

I love it! We should get a whole load of stickers saying this made up!