The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has launched a public relations program and an industry relations campaign to help achieve the mission of its recently formed Home Networks and Information Technology (HNIT) division. The two new programs are part of CEA’s efforts to foster the adoption of networked consumer electronics products and their connection to the Internet, including new consumer research.
The public relations campaign includes an interactive CD-ROM tutorial, entitled home TECHhome, which contains animated tutorials about home networking, virtual tours of a networked home, captioned photos explaining the installation process, video clips of industry professionals explaining the technology and Web links to more information.
The association has also published TechHome Office(tm), a consumer guide to home office set-up, and will redesign its consumer Web site, (www.TechHome.org), which will explain the benefits, capabilities and techniques of interconnecting electronics in the home.
According to a recent CEA consumer research survey, while the most popular home networking applications are safety and convenience features, such as automated lighting and thermostat controls, interest in entertainment and information features showed a large increase compared to previous surveys.
