18 MCV 08/06/10
MCV INTERVIEW MICHAEL SANDERSON, GENERAL MANAGER, EXSPECT
Exspect the unexpected
Gem-owned peripherals firm Exspect has made a business out of creating alternative and surprising accessories for consoles, mobiles and MP3 players. James Batchelor speaks to general manager Michael Sanderson on how new technologies will shape the future of the brand…
EXSPECT HAS been providing the High Street with quality accessories for six years and still continues to find new ways to enhance gamers’ experiences. Originally producing peripherals solely for tradtional video game formats, the company has expanded its remit in recent years to cater for MP3 players and mobile phones, including Blackberry, Nokia and Samsung devices. The firm has also added a range of wider entertainment products such as speakers and FM transmitters. However, games are still the main focus for Exspect. With strong licensing deals under its belt and a host of new platforms on the way, we spoke to the firm’s general manager Michael Sanderson about the next step...
What are the biggest challenges you face in the peripherals market? I think it’s fair to say that no one is having a brilliant time of it in the current climate, but we are working our way around that by developing unique products that set us apart. We have invested a lot in our design departments to ensure that our development into new lines are well thought through, well researched and well sourced. This ensures that we are developing consumer- friendly products at the right price that are unique to the Exspect brand.
Will you be supporting Move, Kinect and 3DS? We are working like crazy to take advantage of the three new technologies. Being a Sony licence holder, we are working closely with them on our range of Move products.
Our range is extensive on DS and we are working closely with manufacturers to ensure that our range is ready for 3DS. Kinect is challenging from our side due to the lack of accessories needed within gameplay but we are working on other areas in the Xbox arena.
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What was the reaction to you signining Joystick Junkies? The Joystick Junkies fashion brand is getting a great deal of interest from the trade. Exspect’s experience, passion for quality and design combined with Joystick Junkies’ range of lifestyle design-led T- shirts is the perfect combination. Fashion is definitely finding its way into consumer electronics, and our products are being requested by fashion retailers. We have more licensing deals on the back burner so watch this space.
What are the advantages of being owned by Gem?
Sanderson says Exspect is working hard on accessories for PlayStation Move, Nintendo 3DS and Kinect for Xbox 360
How well did your official England products perform?
Not as well as we hoped thanks to the performance of the muppets we call the
E3 was fantastic and we picked up a number of key distributors to take the brand into other territories.
Michael Sanderson, Exspect
England squad. We have done licensing deals in the past where we know the success of the product range hinges on the team’s performance.
The England licence was a success before the World Cup and shows the calibre of licence we are securing.
Exspect has done a lot of work with charities. Why is this important? The success of the Exspect brand has given us the ability to give something back. Our accessories which provide money to the Breast Cancer Charity is something that we feel strongly about, and we’ll be ramping up our range across all sectors of the Exspect portfolio for October’s Breast Cancer Month.
The Whatever It Takes licence is also into its third year, and the ability to use the artwork and signature of some of the world’s biggest celebs on our product combined with the feel-good factor that comes with helping Third World poverty is proving to be a great success.
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Exspect is now in year five of the Gem Distribution partnership and we have seen consistent growth year-on-year. Since the acquisition we have built on our strong iPod and iPhone ranges, and Apple’s annual updates have helped us to enjoy the ride, developing new and unique ways of protecting, powering and enhancing the hardware. Being owned by Gem has many advantages but the main benefit is that the logistics, creative, financial and sales team that make up Gem Distribution is a well-oiled machine. Every business and brand requires these elements but as this is already part of the parent company we have joined, it enables the team in the Stoke office to do what it does best – design, package and manufacture high quality products.
This year’s E3 was the first time you exhibited. How did it go? E3 for us was a fantastic event. We have been to E3 as attendees for many years and we felt that for the first time we were in the right position with the right product roadmap for 2010 and 2011 to make an impact. We picked up a number of key international distributors to take the brand into other important territories. We had a feeling that this E3 would be a good one and it proved a big success, and we had a bit of fun along the way.
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