100 years of Sharp and what you can learn from its longevity

[This is a sponsored post]

I’m often amazed at how far technology has come in such a short space of time.

Take a look at your family. I was fortunate to know all my grandparents and we still have four generations of our family alive. And the changes from when my grandmother was raising five children, to how I live my life now, as a mother, are nothing short of remarkable.

I have a washing machine that I can set and forget, a microwave to defrost or quickly cook food, television and DVDs to keep me entertained, not to mention computers, the internet and an array of i-Devices.

All that in just a few generations.

And so it was with some surprise I discovered that Sharp, the electronics company, was celebrating its centenary this year.

100 years.

They are older than my grandmother.

Now, living out the back of beyond, I’m fairly sure my grandmother didn’t see a Sharp product until perhaps I was a baby and they splashed out on their first colour television set.

But they were certainly a part of my childhood.

I remember the old TV with the wood veneer back with the solid Sharp logo centred underneath the screen.

I remember the fancy microwave the Mr bought to our relationship years ago, it was both a microwave and a conventional oven, and it last well over a decade, replaced with a smaller, slicker version in a kitchen update, and given away, still in working condition, to a friend whose microwave had packed it in (obviously wasn’t a Sharp).

I remember, as does the Mr, our Sharp calculators, the smart scientific versions with the orange buttons that we used to struggle through trigonometry, a staple in every student’s backpack.

Five fast facts about Sharp:

Sharp was indeed founded in 1912, in September, by Tokuji Hayakawa, and started as metal workshop in Tokyo.
Its name comes one its first inventions ~ the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil from 1915.
In the 1920s, it started producing the first Japanese radio sets. It had relocated to Osaka after the 1923 earthquake.
In 1953, it started producing televisions.
And that calculator’s beginnings were in 1964, when it produced the world’s first transistor calculator, which cost a whopping $US1400.

Five things creatives can learn from Sharp:

You’ve got to start somewhere: It’s hard to believe this multinational electrical company started with a pencil. Not just any pencil, but a pencil nonetheless.
Don’t give up: The earthquake destroyed the pencil business, so the company moved on and into radio technology. As one door closes, another opens. Things might have been different is this opportunity and not presented itself.
Innovate, innovate, innovate: Did you know Sharp created the first camera phone in 1997, releasing a version to the Japanese market in 2000. Technology that has certainly come along way since the 256-bit technology.
Get your name out there: Sharp was the principal sponsor of the Manchester United football team, one of the best and well-known in the world, for 17 years. Despite their longevity and reach around the world, they still saw the value in getting their brand front and centre.
Something for everyone: Out and about, spot the Sharp product. As well as coming into your home with TVs and kitchen appliances, Sharp also have a large business range including cash registers and multi-function devices, and also have a large solar division.

To celebrate 100 years, Sharp has a 100 days campaign leading up to the anniversary on September 15 as it also looks forward to the next 100 years. As part of the Sharp will make a contribution for every purchase of AQUOS TV and Plasmacluster air purifier during the campaign. The proceeds will go to the support of health programs such as vaccinations.

And it is also asking you to be a part of the Sharp 100 Years celebrations by sharing your anniversary moments.

Post pictures or videos on the website of you and your family and friends celebrating anniversaries or other commemorative moments and you could win a trip to the US west coast or Sharp products. The images and videos will be made into a film and displayed through the website during the campaign period. Enter here. This competition is open until September 15 to residents of Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates.

You can find out more about Sharp and its history at the 100 years website {it’s pretty cool!}