Sony Ad Campaign for Digital Imaging Products Uses Humor to Capture Life's Precious Moments

Sony Electronics today launched an integrated marketing campaign to support its digital imaging product line. The campaign, developed with BBDO New York, uses humor to show how Sony Cyber-shot® cameras and Handycam® high-definition camcorders help capture life's most precious moments ... the right way, the first time.

  (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070404/LAW090-a
          http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070404/LAW090-b)

The campaign encompasses multiple consumer media outlets and platforms, including print, television, radio, online, in-store and out-of-home. There will also be promotional tie-ins linked to Mother's Day and the upcoming Sony Pictures Entertainment movie, "Spider-Man 3."

Three 30-second television commercials highlight the special features of Cyber-shot digital cameras and Handycam HD camcorders by showcasing real-life moments where technology can sometimes fail.

The first two TV spots for Cyber-shot cameras bring to life situations where a strange object -- in this case a horse's behind and a stop sign -- have replaced a loved one in order to illustrate what happens if you don't have a camera with "face detection" technology. It's a humorous way to illustrate that when photographing people Sony's face detection technology dramatically reduces the chances of taking a failed photo.

The third spot for a high-definition Handycam model also uses humor to bring home the fact that you can't re-live life's special memories, so you should be sure to capture those moments right, the first time. In the TV spot, a couple sweetly enjoys a shared yet awkward moment bathing their adult son in a kitchen sink. The scenario reinforces the point that had they used a Sony camcorder 20 years ago, they would not need to put their now grown up son in such an awkward position today.

The additional radio, print, out-of-home and point-of-sale materials reinforce the same themes of what happens when technology fails you and the importance of capturing life's special moments correctly the first time around.

The campaign will also be highlighted at 39 Sony Style stores across the country, which will feature live, interactive face detection technology displays, continuous loops of the television spots in high definition, and store windows showcasing the campaign.

The ads will premiere on April 2 during Fox's "Prison Break" finale and CBS' "2 1/2 Men," and then will air on additional network television programs and select cable outlets.

The print component also kicks off on April 2 with a sponsorship of a special USA Today Major Baseball League Baseball feature and a Sunday New York Times "Why We Travel" photo feature. The print campaign will also be featured in numerous general interest, pop culture, enthusiast, parenting and travel books.

The out-of-home elements will include billboards, bus shelters, bus wraps and phone kiosks. They will debut in May in multiple markets nationwide. The online presence will encompass sponsorship of Internet web sites like Yahoo's tech center, MSN's homepage, Disney's activity pages and more.

There are also a multitude of in-store elements available to Sony's authorized retail partners to integrate the campaign into their store locations. Promotional items, such as shelf talkers, post wraps, end caps, hang tags and posters, are available for in-store as well as ad mats, ad bugs and screen fills to help merchandise through retailer circulars.

Finally, to extend the campaign to Latino consumers, BBDO in conjunction with AIM, Sony's Hispanic agency, have developed a Spanish language Cyber-shot spot called "Futbol," which will air on Univision, Galavision and Telefutura this spring.

This will be supported by the "La Experiencia Sony Tour," an interactive consumer exhibit that will travel through five U.S. markets this summer. The tour will be staffed with bilingual experts demonstrating the latest Sony products. Local radio promotions will support this tour with the focus on select Cyber-shot cameras and Handycam camcorders.

  Contact:

  Yolanda Hunt-Boes
  Sony Electronics Inc
  yolanda.hunt-boes@am.sony.com

  Jocelyn S. Weiss
  BBDO New York
  jocelyn.weiss@bbdo.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070404/LAW090-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070404/LAW090-b
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: Sony Electronics Inc

CONTACT: Yolanda Hunt-Boes of Sony Electronics Inc,
yolanda.hunt-boes@am.sony.com; or Jocelyn S. Weiss of BBDO New York,
+1-212-459-5393, jocelyn.weiss@bbdo.com, for Sony Electronics Inc