Sony to switch focus towards entertainment

Sony is looking to reposition itself as an “entertainment company” as it begins to roll out packaged goods such as DVD sets when consumers buy a television.

In an exclusive interview with Marketing Week, Mikah Martin-Cruz, Sony general manager of marketing, says he is moving the brand away from being a traditional hardware manufacturer.

He says the “thrust” of the company’s marketing will be around blending content and hardware. “Content can play a role in each product,” he says. “We want to tie a piece of hardware into an entertainment experience.”

Sony is already selling Blu-ray players packaged with the Spiderman trilogy and Martin-Cruz says the company will be “ramping up” this activity.

Martin-Cruz, who joined Sony 18 months ago, has restructured the marketing department from being a silo-based structure to an “integrated brand-led structure”.

He says the company has a “real focus” on digital. Sony recently appointed i-Level to handle its UK online planning and buying business and the agency will also help Sony study the use of social media.

Sony has also recently become the new sponsor for Formula 1. Martin-Cruz says the deal provides a “great showcase” for the Sony brand, which will allow it to communicate with key market segments and “to demonstrate its HD credentials”.