Amy Kaiser, Jamie Sullivan, Megan Lother, John Reed, Matt Abney, Ian Venskus 11-6-06 Account Planning

Creative Work Plan

Sony Walkman
I. Why are we advertising at all? We are advertising to promote the introduction of the new Sony Walkman NWS705F to the American market, and increase Sonys market share in the MP3 market. We are trying to get the traditional iPod consumers to stray away from the iPod brand and adopt the new Sony Walkman brand.
II. What is the advertising trying to achieve? This campaign is being used to stimulate a quick response. Advertising along with other parts of the integrated marketing mix will need to sell a net 1,000,000 Sony Walkmans from its introduction in November 2006 until the end of December 2006, the holiday buying period. The Walkman NWS705F needs to become Sonys flagship product of Sonys MP3 product line. Advertising is also attempting to increase Sonys market share in the MP3 market from the current 10% share, by differentiating its MP3 player from Apples iPod.
III. Who are you talking to? Our main target audiences for this product are men and women between ages 18-28 of all ethnicities within America. In this product category youngness is not an age, but rather a mindset. So rather than targeting certain age groups, advertising needs to target certain lifestyles. We are targeting people who already own and frequently use an MP3 player and are looking for an upgrade.
MP3 users can be broken down into two main categories: tech savvys and trendies. Tech savvys are attracted to the product for technologys sake. They like to experiment with products and find their own means for using the technology. They also
dont have any problem voicing their opinions about new technology on blogs, and thus are key players in word of mouth communication.
The second category, the trendies use MP3 players as more of an accessory that compliments their style of life. Colors, accessories, and size are more important to the trendies than the tech savvy people. Within the trendies there are two types of people, trend setters and trend followers. By targeting the trend setters and establishing the Walkman as the new it that will take them away from the crowd. The trend followers will follow in the footsteps of these trend setters.
IV. What do you know about the target consumer(s)? These types of consumer have a lack of trust towards official branded messages. They are bored with traditional media and are not impressed with its intrusiveness. They are highly receptive and trusting to word of mouth communication from fellow customers.
V. What is the main idea we need to communicate? In order to communicate our main idea, we need to re-brand the name Walkman. We need to distinguish Walkman NWS705F from other MP3 players in a way similar to what Apple did with the iPod. We want to eliminate the NWS705F from the product name as this only leads to confusion and intimidation among consumers. For example, when discussing our product, we want consumers to call it a Walkman, not just an MP3 player. The tagline that will be used to communicate this message is, walkman. its not the same.
VI. What is the best way of planting that idea? We are taking an integrated marketing approach; focusing more on buzz marketing, public relations, guerilla marketing, and product placement. We will start with buzz marketing in the major markets using buzz marketing agencies as well as celebrity endorsements.
Following the research conducted from our focus group, it is apparent that while most people may go online to research the product, they prefer to go to the store to purchase it. Therefore we will set up point of purchase displays in Circuit City that will bundle the Walkman with a free armband, which we believe will drive people towards the Walkman as opposed to other MP3 players. In consideration of the fact that most purchase decisions are made at the point of purchase, we will offer a contest among Circuit Citys sales regions. The contest will award the salesperson in each region that sells the most Sony Walkmans, a free 3-night trip for 2 to Las Vegas.

We will also advertise the Sony Walkman through Out of Home advertising. We will place a wrap-around billboard in Times Square covering the length of Broadway between 51st and 52nd Streets delivering 325 million impressions annually. In the two month time period that the Walkman Billboard will be up it will deliver 54,670,000 impressions, and will have a CPM of only $6.16.
Additional integrated marketing we will utilize include: Give away a free Sony Walkman with the purchase of every Sony Vaio laptop Feature products on shows like Good Morning American and/or The Today Show Use Sony artists to promote the Walkman whenever they make appearances on television, radio, or at autograph stations, etc. Sponsor key words on google.com Customize the Sony Walkman website using search engine optimization so that it is one of the top returned sites on top search engines Myspace.com ads Sponsor the Las Vegas Great Santa Run on Dec. 10th which is a 3-day event; give away Walkmans to the first 200 registered racers with Sony artists preprogrammed on them; set up a booth in the exposition Run advertisements during the American Music Awards (Nov. 21st), give Walkmans to audience members in the pit with preprogrammed Sony artists on them, and give away Walkmans to all of the winners in their gift packages Push the Sony credit card online which will in turn make Sony more money
Bus & bus shelter wraps in major markets Sponsor X-Game Qualifications with free giveaways Airport Advertising Guerilla marketing projections on buildings and clouds in major cities Advertise on mtv.com/overdrive/ and vh1.com Run ads in Cosmopolitan, Maxim, People, Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Spin, Stuff, and Wired
We will also choose the top 25 cities and have a custom made car in the shape similar to the Walkman with speakers blaring the music of popular Sony Artists. This will initiate buzz about the product as well as awareness.
VII. How do we know were right? By successfully using secondary research from the Sunday Times and conducting our own primary qualitative research in the form of a focus group representational of our target market, we believe that our proposed campaign will be the most effective in reaching the target market. Our campaign will reestablish brand identity for the Walkman product line. By doing this, it will deliver the desired 1,000,000 units sold from November 2006 through the end of December 2006.

Sony is known as one of the worlds greatest brands, being rated the number one brand in the U.S. by the 2000 Harris poll. The purpose of this integrated marketing strategy is to reinforce both Sonys and the Walkmans brand equity. We feel that the brand equity is stronger than the product itself.
VIII. Creative Sentence The Walkman is the new iPod in name recognition.

NW-S705F

Walkman MP3 Player
2GB1 Built-In Memory/Stores up to 1,350 Songs2 Built-In Active Noise Cancellation6 Clear Stereo and Clear Bass EX Model Headphones with 13.5mm Diameter Drivers (Supplied) Built-In FM Tuner with Presets Quick Battery Charge (3 Minute Charge = Approximately 3 Hours Playback)7 Up to 50Hours Playback4 with Rechargeable Embedded Lithium Ion Battery JOG Shuttle Function for Music Search Compatible with Sony's CONNECT Music Store Plays Back MP3/ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus /WMA(non-DRM) and AAC(nonDRM) Audio Formats3 3-Line Color OEL Display (Organic Electroluminescence) Rotating Display Designed for use in both Left and Right Hand 5-Band Equalizer SonicStage CP Music Management Software Supplied Direct Encoding Possible with Optional Cradle (Sold Separately) VPT (Virtual Phone Technology) USB 2.05 Compatible for High Speed Data Transfer Supports CD Text and ID3 Tagging Available in Black

Features

2GB1 Built-In Memory Store up to 1,350 songs2 on the device. Built-In Active Noise Cancellation6 Combining the Clear Stereo function with the Clear Bass function and using the supplied Noise Canceling headphones with a 13.5 headphone driver unit enables a wide-range frequency and wide dynamic-range playback with powerful bass sound. Clear Stereo and Clear Bass Clear Stereo reduces leaking of the audio signal from one channel to another. Clear Bass enhances the bass sound minimizing distortion. EX Model Headphones 13.5mm drivers collects ambient noise and cancel it out allowing you to enjoy music in noisy environments.6 Built-In FM Tuner Provides accurate tuning of FM stereo radio stations. Presets allow the user to skip directly to the most listened to stations. Quick Battery Charge A three minute charge will provide up to 3 hours of playback.7 Up to 50 hours Playback4 The internal, embeded Lithium-Ion battery provides up to 50 hours of continuous playback or up to 40 hours continuous playback with the Noise Canceling function on. JOG Shuttle Makes it easy to select a new song or a new play list. Simply scroll to find the track you're looking for by turning the JOG Shuttle dial. Compatible with Sony's CONNECT Music Store Connect.com offers one of the most extensive music collections online. Unique features such as Connect Sets and live radio make this a choice destination for customers looking to expand their music collection. It's easy to find and purchase single tracks or entire albums ranging from top hits to independent artists. Plays Back MP3/ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus Audio Formats For customers who already have an extensive music library, use the included software and hardware to store and playback their collection of MP3s. For the customer who is just getting into the world of digital music, Sony's ATRAC format provides higher sound quality and smaller file sizes than many competing formats. This enables the user to store more music at higher quality for longer listening. WMA(non-DRM) and AAC(non-DRM) 3 Playback and Support Supports playback of WMA and AAC audio files to the Walkman device. Perfect for a customer who has a large collection of audio on their PC which was ripped from personal CDs. This allows for transfer of audio downloads, imports and self recorded tracks, but only works on files that are not protected by DRM (Digital Rights Management). 3-Line Color OEL Display Electroluminescence Display offers high quality and a unique look. View information about the music, settings and even time and date in any lighting condition. Rotating Display is designed to accomodate both left and right handed users for maximum flexibility. 5-Band Equalizer Offers 7 different levels for each of the 5 different bands and allows you to set your favorite setting manually. The 5 Modes include: Heavy, Pop, Jazz, unique and Custom for enhanced sound. VPT (Virtual Phone Technology) Converts the played back music with a 3D sound processor to virtual surrounding music. Reproduces the acoustic effect of a studio, live-house, club or arena. SonicStage CP Music Management Software Allows users to manage their music, create playlists, burn CDs, import digital files and easily transfer music to their Walkman MP3 players. Direct Encoding Possible with the optional cradle. Allows you to record an analog audio signal directly from an audio player, such as a CD Walkman, without using a PC. (Optional cradle sold separately) USB 2.0 Compatible5 USB (Universal Serial Bus) provides extremely fast and easy transfer of audio files from computer to hard drive and flash players. Supports CD Text and ID3 Tagging Allows you to easily view CD Text and ID3 Tag information including song title, album title and artist name.

Specifications

General
Data Transfer Rate: Hi-Speed USB 2.Design: Ergonomic, Ultra Compact, for right or left hand use Music Storage Capacity (Approx): 1,350 songs2
AVLS: Yes Equalizer: 5 Presets (Heavy, Pop, Jazz, Unique, Custom) Format(s) Supported: CD-R, C-RW with MP3/ATRAC3/ ATRAC3plus Audio, WMA (non-DRM)/AAC(non-DRM)3 Antenna System: FM: Headphone Cord Antenna Frequency Range: FM: 87.5-108MHz Station Preset(s): 30 (FM)

Convenience

Automatic Shut-off: Yes

Hardware

Headphone Type: Noise Canceling Earbud Display: 3-Line Color OEL (Organic Electroluminescence) Memory: 2GB (Built-in)1
Battery Charging (Approx.): Quick battery charge (3 min charge = 3 hrs playback)7 Battery Indicator: Yes Battery Life (Approx.): Up to 50 hours playback with embedded Lithium-Ion battery(when fully charged).4 Power Requirements: Built-in, rechargeable, Lithium-Ion battery or USB power

Inputs and Outputs

Headphone Output(s): 1(Side) USB Port(s): 1(Side)

Dimensions

Weight: 1.6oz (47g) Measurements: 3.43"x1.07"x0.58" (87.2x27.4x14.9mm)

Supplied Accessories

MDR-EX082 Noise Canceling Headphones Headphone Extension Cord USB Cable Sonic Stage 4.1 Software CD-ROM Quick Start Guide Color: Black
1. User available memory = 2,035,974,144 bytes, a portion of which is used for data management functions. 2. Calculated on 4 minutes per song in ATRAC @ 48kbps. 3. Does not support secure WMA and AAC files purchased from other music services. Only plays back unsecured WMA and AAC files ripped from CD. 4. Up to 50 hours continuous playback with built-in Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery fully charged in ATRAC at 132kbps in power save mode "Super" , Noise Cancelling/Clear Stereo/Equalizer/VPT are not in use. Battery life may vary based on usage patterns, product settings, environment and battery conditions. 5. Not all products with USB 2.0 connectors may communicate with each other due to chipset variations. 6. Noise canceling function reduces the ambient noise to 1/4. It does not cancel all the ambient noise. 7. Display must be in super power save mode when playing back in ATRAC3plus @ 105kbps. Actual battery life may vary based on usage patterns, product settings, environment and battery conditions. 2006 Sony Electronics Inc. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. Non-metric weights and measures are approximate. Reproduction in whole are in part without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved. Sony ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus, Connect, Walkman MP3 Player, SonicStage and Walkman are trademarks of Sony. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice.

Please visit the Dealer Network for current information at www.sony.com/dn
Sony Electronics Inc. 16530 Via Esprillo San Diego, CA 92127 800.222.7669 www.sony.com

Last Updated: 10/10/2006