Sony Mobile Communications has launched its new global brand positioning ‘Everyday Extraordinary' to its customers via an integrated campaign. The campaign heralds a bold new approach for Sony Mobile and is firmly rooted in Sony's founding spirit of inspiring and fulfilling people's curiosity, and bringing this brand ethos to life by engaging with consumers in an inspiring and distinctive way. The work exemplifies how Sony empowers its customers to experience the extraordinary in their everyday lives, and features real Sony Mobile customers who bring this sense of empowerment to life through evocative statements which begin with ‘I can'. Ruediger Odenbach, Vice President of Sony Mobile Communications MEA, said: “We had a very positive response at Mobile World Congress to our new communications approach and we are excited to launch this bold and differentiated creative platform to our customers. It truly celebrates customers by putting them at the heart of how we communicate, and showcases the immersive and creative experiences that our best in class products deliver, putting the power in their hands to discover the extraordinary in the everyday.” Sony Mobile collaborated closely with teams around the globe to reach out to customers and invite them to participate. Campaign development has involved extensive social listening across the brand's own Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channels to identify Sony Mobile fans who have voiced appreciation for the brand. Facebook pages have been searched and a lucky few were selected and flown to Barcelona where they were filmed by award-winning director Simon Ratigan, known for his much-admired approach and skill for finding magic in the most surprising of places. The platform will be deployed in media including outdoor and in retail, but the main focus will be online. This is where richer content around the customer stories and their relationship with the brand will be housed, and where other users from around the world will be invited to join in and add content. The media plan marks a deliberate move by the brand to ‘overcommit' in the online space and bought media will include YouTube pre-rolls and VOD. The film content is a beautiful visual expression of the superior Sony Mobile experiences that empower each of the seven real users to discover more in the world around them. One, shown at dawn, features a fashion blogger and DJ from Madrid called Brianda that shows how she can ‘stay awake for days', in a reference to the Xperia handset's two day battery life. In another we see how the device means users ‘can see in the dark' as a filmic vignette of an owl at night flies in slow motion across the screen. In a third, the voice-over reads ‘I can survive underwater' and shows a customer in a magical under-water world as a way of communicating the phone's premium waterproof1 (IP 65/68) design. Film content will be seeded via an 80” ‘manifesto' film and 7 separate 20” films will be used as pre-rolls. The other four ‘powers' making up the 7 are: Hi-res Audio, SmartWear wearable technology which tracks personal fitness goals, Digital Noise Cancelling audio and PS4 Remote Play, which allows gamers to connect their Xperia device to their PS4 via home Wi-Fi and use the DUALSHOCK4 Wireless Controller to enjoy PS4 games anywhere in the home. Music was scored by Kid Arkade, a recent Sony Music signing, who fuses classical and contemporary music styles. Alongside the films, seven print executions which carry the same messaging and customers have been created with photographer Tom van Schelven. The film premieres on YouTube last Thursday and will roll out in the Middle East and Africa at the beginning of May. — SG
