Norelco
Encyclopedia
Norelco is the American brand name for electric shavers and other personal care products made by the Consumer Lifestyle division of Philips
.
trademark
until 2006. Philips then dropped that name and began using the Philips name.
was legally able to prevent Philips from using the name "Philips" on any products marketed in the USA, because the two names were judged to sound similar. As a result, Philips instead used the name Norelco, an acronym for "North American Philips [electrical] Company." Philips continued to use that name for all their US products until 1974, when Philips purchased The Magnavox
Company. Philips then relabeled their US consumer electronics
products to the Magnavox name, but retained the Norelco name for their other US products. When Philips bought Philco in 1981, Philips was able to freely use the Philips name for all of their US products, but they chose to retain the Norelco name for personal care appliances, and the Magnavox name for economy-priced consumer electronics.
One reason for retaining the Norelco name for personal care appliances was that a shift to the Philips name could have alienated those US buyers who were reluctant to purchase foreign brands. The market share
of Philips, a European company, was very low in the US compared to other countries; with their Norelco and Magnavox brands, they were able to get a larger market share.
Eventually, to improve Philips brand recognition in the USA, Philips began branding their shavers "Philips Norelco" in 2005. The Philips Norelco co-branding will allow for an eventual phase out of the Norelco name in favor of the Philips name.
delayed their marketing of the shaver in the USA until 1948. Philips was not successful in marketing this shaver until a two-headed model was introduced in 1951.
Philips raised eyebrows in 2006 with the introduction of the Philips Norelco Bodygroom shaver for shaving male body hair. An online website as well as a demonstration on Howard Stern
's show garnered attention.
Norelco is also famous for its Christmas commercials.
One featured Santa Claus
riding the shaver up and down snow drifts, making the ads the standard for all to follow in the commercial industry, and setting off an ad campaign war that worked very well. The "Norelco Santa" commercials, which were the beginning of creative animation starting in the 1960's, were top of the line in the industry at that time and are still in use today, but not by Philips for their shavers.
portable Tape Player/Recorder in the United States under the Norelco brand name in November 1964. It was called the Carry-Corder 150.
also made and marketed for many years a line of Norelco professional video camera
s in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. CBS
was a notable customer, using models PC-60, PC-70, PC-72, PCP-90, the LDH series, and later the LDK series. By the 1980s, the Norelco name was dropped in favor of Philips. Later marketed using the BTS - Broadcast Television Systems Inc.
brand name in a joint venture with Bosch
, this Broadcast Division was later sold to Thomson
's Grass Valley
.
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
.
Norelco and Philishave
For personal care products marketed outside the USA, Philips used the PhilishavePhilishave
Philishave was the brand name for the electric shavers manufactured by the Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care unit of Philips . In recent years, Philips had extended the Philishave brand to include hair clippers, beard trimmers and beard shapers...
trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
until 2006. Philips then dropped that name and began using the Philips name.
History of the name
From the early 1940s, PhilcoPhilco
Philco, the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company , was a pioneer in early battery, radio, and television production as well as former employer of Philo Farnsworth, inventor of cathode ray tube television...
was legally able to prevent Philips from using the name "Philips" on any products marketed in the USA, because the two names were judged to sound similar. As a result, Philips instead used the name Norelco, an acronym for "North American Philips [electrical] Company." Philips continued to use that name for all their US products until 1974, when Philips purchased The Magnavox
Magnavox
Magnavox is a US electronics company founded by Edwin Pridham and Peter L. Jensen, who invented the moving-coil loudspeaker in 1915 at their lab in Napa, California. They formed Magnavox in 1917 in order to market their inventions....
Company. Philips then relabeled their US consumer electronics
Philips Consumer Electronics
Philips Consumer Lifestyle is a part of Philips ; which is one of the largest electronics companies in the world. In 2005, its sales were € 30.4 billion and it employed 161,500 people in more than 60 countries. Other Philips divisions are: Philips Lighting, Philips Healthcare, Philips Domestic...
products to the Magnavox name, but retained the Norelco name for their other US products. When Philips bought Philco in 1981, Philips was able to freely use the Philips name for all of their US products, but they chose to retain the Norelco name for personal care appliances, and the Magnavox name for economy-priced consumer electronics.
One reason for retaining the Norelco name for personal care appliances was that a shift to the Philips name could have alienated those US buyers who were reluctant to purchase foreign brands. The market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
of Philips, a European company, was very low in the US compared to other countries; with their Norelco and Magnavox brands, they were able to get a larger market share.
Eventually, to improve Philips brand recognition in the USA, Philips began branding their shavers "Philips Norelco" in 2005. The Philips Norelco co-branding will allow for an eventual phase out of the Norelco name in favor of the Philips name.
Norelco shavers
While Philips began making electric shavers in 1939, World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
delayed their marketing of the shaver in the USA until 1948. Philips was not successful in marketing this shaver until a two-headed model was introduced in 1951.
Philips raised eyebrows in 2006 with the introduction of the Philips Norelco Bodygroom shaver for shaving male body hair. An online website as well as a demonstration on Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
's show garnered attention.
Norelco is also famous for its Christmas commercials.
One featured Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
riding the shaver up and down snow drifts, making the ads the standard for all to follow in the commercial industry, and setting off an ad campaign war that worked very well. The "Norelco Santa" commercials, which were the beginning of creative animation starting in the 1960's, were top of the line in the industry at that time and are still in use today, but not by Philips for their shavers.
Norelco Cassette Tape recorders
Norelco introduced the Philips Compact CassetteCompact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
portable Tape Player/Recorder in the United States under the Norelco brand name in November 1964. It was called the Carry-Corder 150.
Norelco video cameras
PhilipsPhilips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
also made and marketed for many years a line of Norelco professional video camera
Professional video camera
A professional video camera is a high-end device for creating electronic moving images...
s in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
was a notable customer, using models PC-60, PC-70, PC-72, PCP-90, the LDH series, and later the LDK series. By the 1980s, the Norelco name was dropped in favor of Philips. Later marketed using the BTS - Broadcast Television Systems Inc.
Broadcast Television Systems Inc.
Broadcast Television Systems was a joint venture between Robert Bosch GmbH's Fernseh Division and Philips Broadcast in Breda, Netherlands formed in 1986.- History :...
brand name in a joint venture with Bosch
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH is a multinational engineering and electronics company headquartered in Gerlingen, near Stuttgart, Germany. It is the world's largest supplier of automotive components...
, this Broadcast Division was later sold to Thomson
Thomson SA
Technicolor SA , formerly Thomson SA and Thomson Multimedia, is a French international provider of solutions for the creation, management, post-production, delivery and access of video, for the Communication, Media and Entertainment industries. Technicolor’s headquarters are located in Issy les...
's Grass Valley
Grass Valley (company)
Grass Valley, previously known as Grass Valley Group, is a privately held company based in California, USA. Grass Valley produces technology for the video and broadcast industry. On January 29, 2009, Thomson announced its intention to sell the Grass Valley business unit...
.
External links
- Shavers:
- Official Philips Norelco website
- Norelco Replacement Blades
- Second Puberty Philips' humorous introduction to their Bodygroom system
- Television commercials