Sony to tackle iPod with Walkman advertising campaign

by Mark Sweney,, Marketing 19-Oct-04, 15:30

LONDON - Sony is responding to the popularity of Apple's iPod with a multimillion-pound pan-European ad campaign around its iconic Walkman.

The TV, press, poster and digital campaign marks the first time Sony has promoted its entire Walkman range. Despite being a pioneer in portable music, Walkman has more recently taken a backseat to Apple's hugely successful iPod.

The activity, created by Fallon London, will use the strapline "Feel the music", the first specifically created for the brand.

The ads will promote four products to show that the Walkman caters for a variety of music occasions and consumers: Walkman with HDD (NW-HD1), a direct competitor to the iPod; Walkman with flash memory, which holds about 150 tracks; the Hi-MD Walkman, which is a big seller with the youth market; and the Atrac CD Walkman.

Six advertising executions will use time-lapse films to show how urban artists are inspired by the music on their Walkmans. The songs used will be available for download via Sony's online music service Connect.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum here.