Sony Ericsson to embark on ‘biggest ever’ campaign
Sony Ericsson is set to launch what it claims will be its “largest ever marketing campaign to date” as part of its strategy to reposition itself as a “communications entertainment” brand.
It plans to invest £7m in marketing three new handsets to be launched in the fourth quarter of the year. Sony Ericsson UK head of marketing David Hilton says the Japanese named phones Satio, Aino and Yari have been earmarked as the big hope to reposition the handset maker as the “leader in communications entertainment handsets”.
He adds that Sony Ericsson will continue to offer its Walkman and Cybershot handsets, but they will be positioned below the new range of Japanese handsets.
Its new focus follows the launch of a music-based entertainment programme aimed at young consumers.
The Pocket TV show, which users will be able to view on their handsets or on YouTube, forms part of Sony Ericsson’s “Not as you know it” strategy. Its aim is to position the brand as a leader in entertainment.
This month, Sony Ericsson will also launch a £4.5m campaign to support its new Walkman handset, which has beefed up video and multimedia capabilities.
The campaign for the new W995 model was created by McCann Erickson and Iris and will launch in the middle of the month.
The investment in marketing comes after the handset maker posted a loss of £6.9m in 2008.
Globally, it has undertaken a major cost-cutting plan aimed at saving £161m on top of the £268m it announced in a restructure last year.
