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.
Greg Tingle comment...
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!
(Credit: Marketing Magazine)
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