• Los Angeles Times, Thursday, May 10, 2007 11:46 AM

Japanese electronics maker Pioneer yesterday announced that it has hired TBWA/Chiat/Day--the Los Angeles agency that created the iconic silhouette ads for Apple's iPods--to help its television sets stand out.

A decade after unveiling its first flat-panel plasma television sets in the U.S., Pioneer is introducing eight models as part of a broader effort to cast itself as a luxury brand. It has stopped selling sets in Wal-Mart, Costco and other discount stores.

Hiring TBWA/Chiat/Day is part of an initiative Pioneer launched in August dubbed Kuro, a Japanese word that means deep, black and penetrating. It became a mantra for Pioneer in its campaign to deliver a product that would evoke a passion for the brand among sports and entertainment junkies who can afford to pay the average $450 premium Pioneer commands for its plasma TVs.

Read the whole story at Los Angeles Times »