Sony AIBO to launch viral marketing drive
Ideas Unlimited is launching a viral marketing campaign for AIBO, Sony’s artificially intelligent, dog-like robot.
The campaign aims to target sophisticated technology users. Ideas Unlimited account director Simon Parkes says: “Consumers being targeted by the AIBO campaign spend considerable time at the computer. With this in mind, plus the fact that AIBO’s main sales channel is online, the Internet is the best medium for this campaign.”
Gareth Goodridge, direct marketing manager at Sony Entertainment Robot Europe, adds: “We are watching this viral marketing campaign from Ideas very closely. Early reports suggest that this is the right way to go and will give us the flexibility to take it further in the future. We are confident that this new campaign will build on AIBO’s position and create a platform for us to use during the Christmas period.”
Viral e-mailing is the next phase of an integrated communications campaign, enabling consumers to play with the product and experience AIBO first-hand. The planned series of e-mails, beginning on July 27, will be sent out to selected groups and staggered to maximise the viral effect.
Initially it will be sent to existing owners who are most likely to send it on. It will then be sent out to people who have registered for information on AIBO, and finally to personnel within Sony Europe. Using either a text link or an html e-mail with an animated gif embedded, the recipient can download the pet after registering their details. They will then be able to send desktop AIBO on to their friends.
