What’s In a Name?
TV brands are notorius for aggressive marketing, and that sometimes leads to marketing that is on the edge of being deceptive. Last year Samsung added a number of models to its OLED line that used a technology that was significantly different from Samsung’s own QD-OLED display technology. These sets were, and still are, based on WOLED technology, and purchased from LG Display (LPL), who has been using that technology for years, while those based on Samsung’s QD/OLED technology function completely differently. Samsung has said little about the fact that the company markets both technologies as OLED line, but does not specify which technologies are used in each of the company’s three OLED lines and various OLED TV sizes. In fact, certain models and sizes can have different technologies based on the location where purchased, without the customer knowing which technology they are purchasing., and while Samsung says it guarentees the quality of all of its OLED TVs, if one is looking to purchase a QD/OLED Samsung TV, they could wind up with something else.
Of course, Samsung is certainly not the only one who plays these marketing games and with the announcements of new 2025 TV lines at CES, it seems that LG (066570.KS) has declided that product names do not necessarily mean what they seem. LG has been marketing its high-end LCD TVs as ‘QNED TVs’ for a number of years, which implies that they are quantum dot enhanced (the Q in QNED), yet it seems that this years QNED TV lines are not quantum dot enhanced but rather use software to enhance color reproduction and contain no quantum dots. Consumers, who assume that QNED still means quantum dot enhanced, will find no quantum dot films, bars, polarizers, or color converters in their new LG LCD TVs, despite the fact that they continue to be sold under the QNED name.
It seems that in November of last year Hansol (014680.KS), a Korean specialty chemical producer and supplier of quantum dots for displays to both South Korean display producers, filed a complaint with the South Korean FTC alleging that a number of TCL’s (000100.CH) LCD TV sets, which are labeled as ‘QD’ models, do not contain the elements necessary for quantum dots. While TCL denies the claim, they are being investigated under false advertising statutes.
All in, every time a TV brand tries to slip something past consumers, it erodes both individual brand trust and trust in the CE space overall, giving consumers another reason to hesitate when making purchases. With a number of TV technologies available to consumers currently, decision-making has become far more difficult than just a few years ago, and brands that keep things simple for consumers will likely maintain a steady user base that will return in each cycle. When we spend time in retail stores listening to consumers speak with salespersons about TV buying choices, it becomes evident that most are buying based on price, and are taking the word of the salesperson or something they read on the internet in terms of the technology, so even the hint that they might have made a bad decision once the set is home can cause the consumer to abandon that brand forever. It is hard to imagine that a salesperson could not make a case for or against quantum dots, WOLED, QD-OLED, or Mini-LED when trying to close a sale, so it would seem that there is little point in trying to hide the facts from consumers, but that’s our opinion, not that of brand executives or marketing teams…
Of course, Samsung is certainly not the only one who plays these marketing games and with the announcements of new 2025 TV lines at CES, it seems that LG (066570.KS) has declided that product names do not necessarily mean what they seem. LG has been marketing its high-end LCD TVs as ‘QNED TVs’ for a number of years, which implies that they are quantum dot enhanced (the Q in QNED), yet it seems that this years QNED TV lines are not quantum dot enhanced but rather use software to enhance color reproduction and contain no quantum dots. Consumers, who assume that QNED still means quantum dot enhanced, will find no quantum dot films, bars, polarizers, or color converters in their new LG LCD TVs, despite the fact that they continue to be sold under the QNED name.
It seems that in November of last year Hansol (014680.KS), a Korean specialty chemical producer and supplier of quantum dots for displays to both South Korean display producers, filed a complaint with the South Korean FTC alleging that a number of TCL’s (000100.CH) LCD TV sets, which are labeled as ‘QD’ models, do not contain the elements necessary for quantum dots. While TCL denies the claim, they are being investigated under false advertising statutes.
All in, every time a TV brand tries to slip something past consumers, it erodes both individual brand trust and trust in the CE space overall, giving consumers another reason to hesitate when making purchases. With a number of TV technologies available to consumers currently, decision-making has become far more difficult than just a few years ago, and brands that keep things simple for consumers will likely maintain a steady user base that will return in each cycle. When we spend time in retail stores listening to consumers speak with salespersons about TV buying choices, it becomes evident that most are buying based on price, and are taking the word of the salesperson or something they read on the internet in terms of the technology, so even the hint that they might have made a bad decision once the set is home can cause the consumer to abandon that brand forever. It is hard to imagine that a salesperson could not make a case for or against quantum dots, WOLED, QD-OLED, or Mini-LED when trying to close a sale, so it would seem that there is little point in trying to hide the facts from consumers, but that’s our opinion, not that of brand executives or marketing teams…
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