Case Study: Philips' Norelco
How neck hairs led to the remaking of an icon
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THE PROBLEM
How do you dare redesign an icon? When the Dutch company Royal Philips Electronics (PHG ) pioneered the rotating blade electric razor in 1939 and sold it in 1947 in America as the Norelco shaver, it designed a brand as much as a product. "Norelco" stood for modern, industrial, technological. In the early 1960s, Norelco launched the first fully cordless razor and had 18% of the electric shaver market. By 1978, it controlled 60%.