Handset firm opts for wider reach

The battle of the handsets continues to rage with the major players continually trying to put one over their competitors. Nokia continues to lead with its user-friendly mobile phones while Samsung through its officials recently announced it was going to launch over 60 new units this year alone. Instead of slugging it out with the others, the Sony Ericsson team has tapped a marketing strategy that draws on the support of partners including a beach resort in Boracay, an airline firm and a recording company. This is not the first time the mobile phone company has worked hand in hand with other companies. When it launched its range of Cyber-shot handsets last year, it partnered with South East Asian Airlines (Seair)- which is once again part of this year’s promotion. Sony Ericsson’s Marketing Manager Patrick Larraga described the strategy as a "360 campaign" because it covers a lot of consumer touch points. "At every point of the process, we ’talk’ to the consumer," he told BusinessWorld. Unlike the traditional route most companies take where a print, TV or radio commercial is enough, the purchase of a Walkman phone before the May 31 deadline is only the start. The Big Idea "The Big Idea is for the consumer to be at the center of a summer-long party in Boracay," Mr. Larraga said, "one that stretches on until the first week of June." Once school ends and summer begins, students make their vacation plans. More often than not, Boracay is the beach of choice and as he pointed out, those on holiday tend to bring their music with them. This is where Sony Ericsson Walkman phones enter. In his presentation, Vince de la Cruz, the company’s Product Group marketing manager quipped, "With the new Walkman phones, you can now throw away your iPods and MP3 players." While that would be too drastic a reaction, the phones, namely the W3501, the W380i and the W890i are competitively priced and come embedded with the song "Eto na ang summer" that was especially composed by the Sony BMG band Callalily. "With these phones, we address the needs of a broader audience," Mr. Larraga said in a statement. The promotion Each qualified purchase of a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone entitles buyers to join the raffle where the grand prize is one of five Bora Party Packages for two. Winners will receive Seair Adventure Passes for two giving them unlimited travel to any of the airline’s destinations within 45 days; a three-day and two-night stay at One MGM Boracay; and P25,000 pocket money. The top five winners can also opt to fly to Boracay for each of the Music Tripping weekends from May 3 to June 7 — accommodations for the succeeding weekends, not included — to catch the concerts of several local bands under the Sony BMG label. Five other winners will also receive round-trip Seair tickets for two to Boracay with a three-day, two-night stay at One MGM. The tie-up with Sony BMG is understandable although Sony Ericsson’s Mr. Larraga explained that they narrowed down their choices to bands the youth could identify with including Callalily, Pupil, Cueshe and Moonstar 88. At the launch held at One MGM Boracay last weekend, Callalily provided a foretaste of their May 3 concert by performing several tracks from their two albums as well as "Eto na ang summer." While the launch went without any hitches, Mr. Larraga said that aside from the monetary expense needed to mount the 360 campaign, it also involves a lot of work. "When you’re doing something that goes beyond the traditional print ad or press release, you need to work with people who are willing to see the bigger picture and go beyond what is expected of them." Full cooperation from all partners, therefore, is a non-negotiable but going by the success of Sony Ericsson’s previous campaigns, they seem to have everything down pat.