Case Study
Sony Ericsson Xperia™ case study—an example
of innovation in technology and entertainment
Sony Ericsson is in a sector that is experiencing
continuous growth and expansion, with new
competitors and sophisticated devices hitting the
market every day. What’s more, the smartphone
industry is known for its memorable advertising
campaigns. For all these reasons, Sony Ericsson needed
to create an innovative and creative campaign for
the launch of a new series of Android smartphones—
the Xperia™—that would capture consumers’ attention.
Through its media agency, MEC INTERACTION, Sony
Ericsson approached Microsoft Advertising about
partnering on a campaign to tap into Microsoft’s large
audience of young consumers interested in technology
and entertainment.
The campaign focused on men and women ages
15-30, the demographic of the majority of smartphone
consumers. It tapped into nontraditional media
advertising and bet on the high impact of Microsoft’s
tools to create an emotional bond with consumers.
Sony Ericsson proposed the concept of “Communication
Entertainment” with the launch of the Sony Ericsson
Xperia™ X10, the first phone from the company’s most
sophisticated product line. The campaign sought to
increase brand recognition, position Sony as a leader
in the market niche, generate traffic to spur interaction
Target:
• Men and women ages 15-30
• High purchasing power
Countries:
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru,
and Venezuela
with the products and services, and direct the
audience to a more intimate and committed
experience with the brand and its platform.
Microsoft Advertising developed a strategy to
engage consumers using an interactive game—
including both online and offline elements—which
directed consumers to the Xperia™ platform on
Windows Live® Messenger. Once there, they were
given the instructions on how to play the game.
The game was a competition with five stages, and
the winner was the person who managed to
complete the stages in the shortest time. One winner
from each country received an Xperia™ smartphone.
After the game was over, consumers could navigate
to the Sony Ericsson website and share content
through Facebook and Twitter.
The goal in each stage of the game was to reach one
million page views. The campaign far exceeded that
goal. The main messaging during the games was:
• Sony Ericsson provides you with everything you
need to stay connected.
• Xperia™ is an all-in-one experience. You can stay
connected to everyone on all platforms with your
Sony Ericsson Xperia™.
The campaign leveraged Microsoft Advertising’s
massive audience using tools such as MSN, Windows
Live Messenger, Hotmail, and the BEET (Branded
Entertainment and Experiences Team). The result:
Sony Ericsson had a way to reach its target
audience of young consumers interested in
technology and entertainment.
Duration:
These are the winners of the Xperia™ X10 Challenge. Congratulations!
Stage 1: 6 weeks
Stage 2: 4 weeks
Final results:
Stage 1:
• Expectations were greatly exceeded
• Nearly one million hits (960,000)
• 2,811,713 page views
• 65,000 registered users
• Average exposure time on the website: 2 minutes
• Video:
http://msa.cachefly.net/XperiaX10/XperiaX10.html
“For the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10
smartphone, we wanted to make a major impact on
Stage 2:
our customers, positioning the phone and the brand
Stage 2 was even more successful than Stage 1:
as a leader in communication and entertainment,
• 598,213 visitors
and in the Android platform. In Microsoft we found
• 414,140 unique users
an ideal business partner to achieve the results
• 1,867,517 page views
we desired, in addition to having an affinity with
our brand.”
• 3.12 page views per unique user
• Average exposure time on the website: 2:26 minutes
• 44,029 registered users
• Large user response to the proposed games
–Adaliz Vicens, Director of Marketing,
Activation and Public Relations for
the Americas region of Sony Ericsson
About Microsoft Advertising
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