2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

The Communications Objective: - To launch the new Sony mobile phone, Xperia Z Ultra, into a very competitive market here in the UAE, communicating its ‘best of Sony’ technology to consumers, and helping to drive in store purchase. The Marketing Objective: To create awareness of Xperia Z ultra, increasing preference by engaging consumers in an exciting way, contributing to a sales target increase of 35% in the UAE during August. (The Context: Sony’s media spends were dwarfed by Samsung in 2013, for every $1 spent by Sony, $5 was being spent by Samsung - the category’s largest investor.)

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

The insight was to use the 'best of Sony' technology during the phone's launch, bringing to life the new Xperia Z Ultra's features. We teamed up with Sony PlayStation and Sony Electronics, to give us a competitive edge and really excite our target audience. We created a custom made augmented reality activation in Mall of the Emirates. Consumers would play a Sony PlayStation game on a large Sony Bravia screen, using the latest AR technology, with the Xperia Z Ultra acting as the controller! We wanted at least 2,000 game plays over the 10 day activation, with a sales conversion.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

There were 2 KPIs for the activation, engagement (game plays) from the consumer, and unit sales. Engagement: There was a total of 3,068 registered games played by unique individuals, with an average of 279 per day, equating to 1 consumer playing the game once every 2 minutes! Sales: 67 participants directly bought the Xperia Z handest after partipating in the activation from Jumbo electronics - worth approx. AED 200,000. This translated into a sales increase of 86% during the 10 days of the activation verses the previous 10 days in the Mall of the Emirates.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The activation showcased the phone's cutting edge Sony technology in a fun, vibrant and entertaining manner, with the consumer right at the center of the action. The consumer, using the Xperia Z Ultra as a controller, could witness the fantastic game play experience that the phone offers, by playing a popular PlayStation game. The game was layered with incredible AR technology, leaving consumers amazed at the phone's gaming capabilities. The AR game was projected onto a large Sony Bravia TV, the same screen as on the phone itself, to demonstrate the clarity of the Xperia Z Ultra's user interface.