Panasonic Adds New Meaning To The Term “Color MFP”
Panasonic Communications Company of North America recently announced the addition of color for its MFPs. No, not a
color device (Panasonic's latest business color entries include the
DP-C213,
DP-C264
and
DP-C354),
but rather a “color” device.
Instead of the traditional
gray MFPs of yesterday, Panasonic now allows customers to choose from a variety of
colors such as red, blue, yellow, black and a limited edition color, rose
quartz.
Color Defined
According to Panasonic, the
company chose the four main colors, not only to distinguish the company from
other manufacturers, but also because each color has its own meaning. “Yellow
actually increases metabolism and it gets people not only happy, but thinking,
and there’s a creative venue yellow might fit in better than black, let’s say,
or blue, which has a different meaning to it. So each of them has a specific
meaning that certainly fits in to a corporate atmosphere,” said Janet Rodgers,
manager of brand marketing, Panasonic. According to Panasonic, these new color options
are designed “to improve worker productivity and morale by enhancing and
enlivening today’s typical bland office environments.”
Dr. Debra Davenport, chief executive and president of The Davenport Companies, Inc.
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Dr. Debra Davenport is
chief executive and president of The Davenport Companies, Inc. A leading
corporate workflow consultant on the topics of entrepreneurship, social
capital, management, marketing, branding, and career development, she was voted
one of Arizona's “Most Influential Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs.”
Davenport defined the four
colors as follows:
Yellow: A cheerful positive
color that creates a good place for concentration.
Blue: A widely loved,
soothing color that connotes respect and loyalty.
Red: A stimulating,
high-energy color good for a corporate war room or other high-energy locale.
Black: A sophisticated,
elegant, affluent color.
“Many offices and work
environments and equipment are monochromatic grays, beiges and whites, all of
which lack the stimulating properties of, say, red or yellow, and can be
perceived by some workers as depressing,” said Davenport.
Research on color and how
it affects mood, which was recently published in the journal, 360, noted
that when individuals are exposed to the color red, adrenaline is released and
senses are heightened. In contrast, when exposed to blue, the body temperature
lowers and people are calmer. While warm colors evoke energy and excitement,
cool colors produce a sense of tranquility. In the article, it was also reported
that the color gray was most closely linked to feelings of boredom, sadness and
grief.
This unit was created during Panasonic's experimental period in order to gauge some of the reaction to color.
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While the colors are not
designed for any particular vertical, Rodgers says the knowledge Panasonic
representatives are learning about color will help them know which verticals
will accept what types of colors in their office environments.
Although currently the MFPs
cannot be customized to a customer-specified color, in the experimental stages
of the color campaign, Panasonic tried out copiers in bright orange, metallic blue,
and red and black. Currently, only the five colors mentioned above will be
offered for the DP-C264 and DP-C354.
Package Deal
The purchase of a
particular color is only offered as a package deal in which users must add the 1,100-sheet system console as well as $700 for the color.
According to Bob Curci, Panasonic product manager, the company has already received
interest in the colorful products from a company whose corporate color scheme
happens to match one of the available colors. Panasonic declined to disclose the
interested company.
