Cranbury, NJ (December 19, 2000) Songbird Hearing Inc., maker of the world¡¦s first disposable hearing aid, today announced the introduction of two new enhancements to its Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid that are intended to broaden the device's appeal.
The company is now incorporating a high-tech, translucent shell, which is designed to better blend in with all skin pigments. Early next year, Songbird will also be available in a smaller soft tip size for people with naturally smaller ear canals.
'We expect these innovations to broaden Songbird's appeal and our target population,' said Frederick J. Fritz, Songbird Hearing Inc.'s President and CEO. 'The translucent shell is a cosmetic modification that will benefit consumers with a variety of skin tones. The addition of a smaller-sized ComforSeal Tip™ will help us accommodate more people, especially women, who may require a smaller hearing aid.'
''We promised our users that one of the benefits of using the Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid was that new technology would never be more than 40 days away,'' continued Fritz. ''We've proven that to be true - in our first year alone, we've brought our users two significant product improvements.''
A recent market survey by an independent firm showed that eight out of 10 people who tried Songbird found it to be even better than they expected. In addition, 92 percent said the product was easy to maintain, while 86 percent said they felt more comfortable interacting with others while wearing the Songbird.
''Expectations are so important. We're excited that in this early stage, we've been able to make such a large share of our patients happy,'' said Fritz.
''We will begin national television and print advertising for Songbird in January, although many practices are beginning their own advertising and promotional programs this month,'' Fritz explained. ''They are finding terrific success with direct mail campaigns to lapsed patients and patients who may have visited their practices, but decided to wait rather than purchase a hearing aid - Songbird really seems to fit the needs of these patients very well. Other practices tell us that open houses and newspaper advertising have enabled them to jump-start their Songbird dispensing. In our test market, we saw that the one-two punch of Songbird advertising plus practitioner promotional programs resulted in maximized appointments and fits.''
The Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid is specifically designed to treat people, particularly baby boomers, who have hearing loss resulting from life-long exposure to decibel-blasting music and other forms of noise pollution.
Fritz described his company's innovation as ''driven by the knowledge that there are millions of people between the ages of 45 and 64 who experience mild-to-moderate hearing loss, but have been reluctant to seek treatment.''
''We can now offer this population a hearing aid that satisfies their unique needs. Songbird is designed to be convenient, virtually invisible in the ear, extremely comfortable, and very affordable,'' said Fritz. ''But, even more important,'' he added, ''it offers sound quality comparable to the very best in the industry.''
Songbird Hearing Inc. is a privately held company based in Cranbury, New Jersey. The company was formed in 1997 to develop a line of disposable hearing aids based on highly proprietary technologies exclusively licensed from its parent company, Sarnoff Corporation (formerly RCA Labs). The Sarnoff Corporation is widely recognized as one of the top research centers in the United States.
For more information about the Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid, please call
1-877-5SONGBIRD (877-576-6424) or visit www.songbirdhearing.com.
