Sony plays up Bond tie-in for Ericsson phone line
Sony plays up Bond tie-in for Ericsson phone line
Leveraging the popularity of James Bond worldwide, Sony Ericsson is launching an integrated marketing campaign for its cell phones in 42 countries highlighting the brand's appearance in the newest Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. The movie will be released in the US on November 14.
Approximately one to two weeks prior to the movie's release in each country, Sony Ericsson will dispatch e-mail blasts to its customers, directing them to a microsite, sonyericsson.com/bond, where they can help solve a mystery and download exclusive mobile phone applications. These include a fake fingerprint scanner and a universal detector so that consumers can appear to have the same gadgetry as Bond in the film.
“Instead of just telling people that there's a Bond phone, we're actually letting them do stuff,” said George Nimeh, managing director at Iris Digital, which developed the campaign for Sony Ericsson. The campaign, he added, is helping the brand “bridge the gap between traditional marketing and much more highly interactive marketing and engagement with existing and potential customers.”
The Sony Ericsson brand is more than just a presence in the new James Bond film, it is “tightly integrated” into it, Nimeh said. A variety of characters use several different handsets during the film, including a limited-edition James Bond phone. One of the unique aspects of this campaign, Nimeh said, is that its various elements can be tailored to meet the needs of local markets.
“James Bond films have a global reach and a very broad target audience,” he noted. However, the campaign will mainly target consumers 18 to 35 years old.
The campaign is part of Sony Ericsson's integrated marketing push behind the C902 Titanium Silver Cyber-shot phone used by James Bond in the film.
The effort also will include TV and online advertising, viral marketing, outdoor media, in-store promotions and an online contest. Many of these will drive consumers to the microsite.
