2015 Winners & Shortlists

XPERIA AQUATECH STORE

Short List
BrandSONY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
Product/ServiceMOBILE
EntrantFP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryConsumer Products
Entrant Company FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency FP7/DXB Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Brief

Apple and Samsung dominate the mobile market in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Sony has quietly improved its products so much they’re now arguably better. But to win “share of pocket” vs. iPhone and Galaxy, Sony first needed to win “share of desire” by repositioning itself as a brand that people really wanted to spend time with. So when they launched Xperia Z3, the first ever fully waterproof range of smartphones and tablets, we saw an opportunity. THE WORLD’S FIRST UNDERWATER STORE let us highlight this unique feature in a way that turned potential customers into Sony fans.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We wanted the underwater store experience to be magical, but still replicate the customer journey of a regular store. To let people interact fully with the products and talk to the sales assistant, we needed air. That influenced everything about how we designed and built it – from hidden weights counteracting the 20 tonnes of upward force created by the air in the store, to the oxygen circulation pipes that ran underground from the beach and up into the store through hidden channels in the legs. When it launched, the store was fully breathable, illuminated, powered, and even had WiFi.

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

Within 4 weeks brand preference was up 4 points, and our brand sentiment score jumped to 91% positive (compared to a Sony global average of 40%). As our story spread from Dubai to more than 80 countries, the store was covered by Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Wired, Gizmodo, GQ, CNN, T3 and hundreds more. Our Internet film earned over 5.25 million views, and our Twitter followers increased 21%. Total earned media was over $4.5 million. And best of all, Xperia sales increased 115% with retailers across Dubai selling out of Xperia products for over a week.

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

We were promoting the world’s first fully waterproof range of smartphones and tablets. Launching them in the world’s first underwater store was not only a perfect fit for this unique feature, the uniqueness of the concept created an emotional connection with the brand that helped us win new fans – both customers in the store and people experiencing it through social media or press/TV coverage.

Credits

Name Company Role
Paul Banham FP7 DXB Executive Creative Director
Mo Aram FP7/DXB Art Director
Chris Booth FP7/DXB Copywriter
Karl Uhlemann FP7/DXB General Manager Manager Business Unit
Alston D'sa FP7/DXB Account Manager
Khaled Hamza FP7/DXB Head Of Creative Services
Brence Dsa FP7/DXB Producer
Erol Salcinovic FP7/DXB Design Director
Kuba Skowronski FP7/DXB Senior Designer
Sameer Ketkar/Celia Jaber FP7/DXB Senior Designer
Tahaab Rais FP7/DXB Head Of Strategic Planning And Insights
Sameer Islam FP7/DXB Strategic Planner
Aakriti Goel FP7/DXB Digital Strategic Planner
Aisha Khan FP7/DXB Events Manager
Srinivas Kuniyil FP7/DXB Assistant Production Manager
Syed Rizwan Ali FP7/DXB Senior Graphic Designer
Nasir Iqbal FP7/DXB Production Assistant
Sasan Saeidi FP7/DXB Managing Director
Gita Ghaemmaghami Sony Mobile Communications Marketing Director/Sony
Nicolas Firdy Sony Mobile Communications Marcom Digital Manager/Sony