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Company: Oakley
3D Eyewear Brand: Oakley 3D Eyewear
Key Features: Proprietary HDO-3D technology uses passive,
circular polarization in high wrap frames. Greater curvature around the
eyes provides wider field of view while maintaining optical clarity and
minimizing glare. Ghosting or “crosstalk” is virtually eliminated.
When it comes to branding, few companies do it with as much
panache as Oakley. It’s no surprise, then, that the sunglass superstar
is making a dramatic entry into the rapidly emerging 3D eyewear category
through a high profile partnership with Disney. The result of that
collaboration is Tron Limited Edition 3D Gascan, a special, one-off
product that accompanies the release of “Tron: Legacy”—a
much-anticipated Disney 3D film opening in U.S. theaters on Dec. 17.
“The premiere of Tron: Legacy is a great opportunity for us to
introduce moviegoers to the unique innovations of Oakley 3D eyewear,”
said Oakley CEO Colin Baden.
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COLIN BADEN
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Based on Oakley’s popular Gascan model sunglass, the Tron Limited
Edition 3D Gascan is accented with graphics derived from the movie. The
glasses come with a custom Microclear bag that also sports Tron
imagery.
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Oakley Tron limited edition 3D Gascan. |
Stephen Teglas, vice president and general manager of fashion and
home North America at Disney Consumer Products, said, “Collaborating
with Oakley provided Disney with a great opportunity to interpret the
aesthetics and themes of Tron: Legacy into cutting edge eyewear for fans
to enjoy.”
In an exclusive interview with VM, Baden revealed that Oakley
began developing its 3D eyewear two years ago, when it first sensed that
new 3D hardwear and content providers were coming online.
DreamWorks Animation SGK were the first to express interest in a
3D eyewear solution. “Jeffrey Katzenberg started rattling our doors
saying ‘Hurry up, hurry up, get in the business,’” said Baden. “We had a
meeting with DreamWorks, and they showed us all the different formats
for 3D. It became obvious to us that passive technology was the easiest
to develop a platform as far as gaming and theater are concerned. It
doesn’t involve all this onerous stuff,” he said, holding up a pair of
bulky, unfashionable active-shutter 3D eyewear. “We put our specific
energies toward plano because of the ease of access to the market,”
added Baden.
To gear up for the 3D market, Baden said Oakley is collaborating
with “everyone,” from Disney to other 3D content providers and to makers
of 3D TVs. The company intends to follow the Tron Limited Edition 3D
Gascan with other Oakley branded 3D glasses, but will also pursue
opportunities to provide 3D lenses to other brands owned by parent
company Luxottica as well as produce OEM product on a contract basis, he
noted.
Chris Petrillo, Oakley’s category manager for watches and 3D
optics, said Oakley does not recommend that its 3D eyewear be worn as
sunwear.
“We’re optimizing our lens for the intended use,” Petrillo told
VM, adding that sunwear and 3D eyewear have different light transmission
requirements. “What we’re after with our 3D lens is the most immersive
experience.”
The Tron Gascan model can be customized for other applications
using different accents. “We picked Gascan because it lends itself to
the design solution,” Petrillo explained. “We have a great opportunity
now to tell our summer blockbuster story, our holiday blockbuster story,
our Super Bowl story, our ESPN story.”
Oakley is releasing The Tron Limited Edition 3D Gascan this month
through its own stores and website as well as through select Sunglass
Hut locations. The stores are located in malls with 3D-equipped theaters
showing Tron. The glasses will retail for $150, compared with $120 for
Oakley’s standard 3D glasses.
Baden said Oakley plans to broaden distribution to include
optical retailers and independent eyecare professionals as the company
expands its 3D line. However, Baden feels “it is still a little early to
put this into retail,” because 3D is still a new and evolving
technology. He said in order to sell 3D eyewear effectively, optical
retailers need to create a premium presentation to attract consumers.
“We need to build a way to get consumers connected to real legitimate
optical products,” he said.
Although “big box” consumer electronic chains as well as on-line
optical retailers and conventional optical retailers are all vying for a
piece of the 3D pie, Petrillo believes the optical channel is uniquely
equipped to succeed.
“The optical community is the only one capable of educating the
consumer and giving the consumer a positive experience,” he asserted.
“It’s up to them to understand the business so they can develop a point
of view that helps the consumer.”
Baden’s message to optical retailers and ECPs is straighforward: “This is not going away, so get educated.”
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