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by The Newshound

on Nov 3

Sony Ericsson's Halloween-theme viral for W595

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Sony Ericsson has launched a viral campaign and microsite in the UK to drive sales of the new Sony Ericsson Walkman W595 handset in the run-up to Halloween.

The viral aims to draw the viewer in using classic scary movie cues before a dramatic final climax to build buzz around the mobile phone.

Entitled ‘St Mary’s Ghost’, the browser window shows a split-screen of four night-time CCTV views of a hospital interior. In one streaming, a night watchman sits at a desk watching a computer screen but is startled when his mobile phone rings.

The screen switches to a close-up of the mobile’s caller display, which shows the viewer’s name and number. After a moment, the viewer’s own mobile phone rings and when they answer, they hear the eerie sounds of the scene they are watching in front of them. Ooooooooooh…

At the end of the viral, Sony Ericsson asks the viewer to ‘Share and Scare’ their friends by entering their friends’ details, giving the sender the opportunity to win a W595 handset.

The digital campaign will be supported by a DM drive of phone socks containing guides on features of the W595.

The campaign unsurprisingly targets 15 to 24-year-olds, who use their phone for entertainment, sharing files with friends and messaging each other via the internet.

It’s not bad for good scare and is an interesting way to get through to that particular ‘Blair Witch is so 90s, bring on Saw’ demographic, though it’s effectiveness may only go as far as this Halloween season.

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4 Comments

  • Wrote on 3 Nov, at 11:52AM
Nice work. A few questions raised, which I hope may secure answers. Is Sony Ericsson running with a different campaign to its James Bond 'Quantum of Solace' film product placement, or are they running two separate campaigns at the same time? With Bond's 'Buy Another Day' as it's known in ad and media circles, I would have thought that Bond would have been the focus and where the push would be coming from. Especially after the huge hit that 'Casino Royale' was. Sounds like Sony Ericsson know something that we don't, but then again, isn't the customer always right? I've analysed that and more clarity is required by Sony Ericsson. I would also suggest that Virgin, Aston Martin and Omega are watching this space, so let's get it right to clear it up early in the peace. Trick or treat? ... or I saw a See Saw on the Sea Shore!
  • Wrote on 3 Nov, at 01:02PM
Interesting point. SE its been weaseling its way into our brains via a number of high profile campaigns. How far will it go? I can see an Austin Powers spoof already in the making...

Great tongue-twister by the way! I'll be wrestling over that one for a while tomorrow as I try to work out which horse is going to win the Melbourne Cup.
  • Wrote on 10 Nov, at 05:51PM
I wouldnt be surprised if Mike Myers agent has read this already. Trust me, all the agents and ad campaigns are trying to out do each other. By the way, a birdie told me that Google might just been the worlds most advanced spy agency in the world... and you thought they were just a search engine. The Melbourne Cup was won by Viewed of course, ridden by Blake Shinn, and trained by Bart Cummings, so Barts made history yet again. At the upcoming CAP Down Under online casino conference I will be speaking on the connection between online betting, gaming, brand and media tie ins, and I will put my Bond hat on there and see what news I can spy for you. I think Warnie (who Marketing Magazine has reported on before) and Joe Hachem may turn up, but I dont think Virgins Richard Branson will be. Sports Betting firms like Centrebet, 888.com and Canbet are very likely to attend, and I foresee big shake ups in the Australian sports betting sector. I think that Mr Conroy and friends in the Australian government might just be looking for a bigger slice of the action. The world history shows that when a government or a society tries to close down an industry or make it unworkable by the book, the industry goes underground and often booms. Look at mixed martial arts and underground poker houses for example. Some police departments cant understand why some people market drugs when the underground poker and casino industry is so much more lucrative and less risky. The stakes continue to rise in the Australian gambling industry and its all turning into a red hot hard hitting political news story... bet on it. I will call the news through, maybe on a new Sony Ericsson!
  • Wrote on 11 Nov, at 09:19AM
Excellent! It's great having an unofficial sleuth scoping for news - we can always use it.

From now on you can refer to me as 'M'.
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