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Sony-Ericsson Starts US$5M Astroturf Campaign

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the whoops-I-seem-to-have-spilled-my-drink-on-you dept.

lairdb writes "The WSJ reports today (31Jul02) that Sony Ericsson will be marketing their new T68i cellphone/camera combo unit via "shills" to create a grassroots buzz. Specific tactics will include fake tourist couples at popular attractions asking bystanders to take their picture, and "leaners": pairs of women ("actresses and female models") at bars playing interactive Battleship with each other from opposite ends of the bar. "[T]he company has gone to considerable lengths to train it's actors to avoid detection [as Ericsson spokespeople.]""

5 of 452 comments (clear)

  1. nothing new .. by jest3r · · Score: 5, Informative

    Back in the day when the shopping cart was invented (were talking 1937 - not amazon.com) the first stores to offer these contraptions noticed that they were not catching on at all .. so what did they do?

    They resorted to hiring models to shop with grocery carts as to "model" the behavior desired for customers.

    Needless to say it worked like a charm ...

  2. Re:T68 vs. T68i - Software Upgradable by sych · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to SonyEricsson filings to the FCC, the hardware of the T68i is identical to that of the T68 - it's just a new cover, new back, and different coloured LEDs behind the keypad.

    The rest of the differences are in the software. In most markets that T68i is available in, SonyEricsson have made a software update available for the T68 - effectively transforming it into a T68i. The software upgrade has been available in most of Europe and Asia for a few months now. Down here in Australia, we're still waiting for it and the T68i to be officially released.

    There are currently two different models of snap-on cameras ("CommuniCam") for these phones.

    The original CommuniCam is the MCA-10, which works with the original T68 and a few of Ericsson's older phones.

    The new model is the the MCA-20, which currently works only with the T68i, afaik.

    The older model has an inbuilt viewfinder, and most of the 'brains' are within the camera itself - the phone is little more than a data device. The newer model has no inbuilt viewfinder - you do the viewfinding on the phone screen itself. More of the processing has been moved into the phone; so the phone now stores the images internally, and can use them for MMS (multimedia messaging), screen backgrounds, caller number presentation, etc.

  3. Re:Speaking of the T68i by cafination · · Score: 2, Informative

    All jokes aside, the T68I is basically the same phone I have (T68M)... I just don't have the camera module. (and mine's sort of metalic looking, not baby blue)

    So here's the basic breakdown on what I've found it capable of, and what it costs...

    Bare Handset: $600 (well 599.xx)
    phone with (new _grumble_) number and 1yr contract: $250 (hey I'm a cheap bastard)

    what it can do...
    TriBand GSM, IR, blue tooth, WAP, SMS, POP mail, basic web browsing, and some other stuff that I can't remember off the top of my head (and, a butt load of games and all the other glitzy crap, that's the scientific term.), I'm not going to crack open the spec sheet or the manual... sorry it's bed time

    though this "marketing" technique is somewhat slimey, it's still an absolutely awesome phone, my lightest and smallest yet, with great battery life... I don't know why they're bothering with such questionable techniques, just put it in a few cell shops under a sign that says "Look!!!! it's shiny! with a color screen!!!"... It should sell like crack-rock

    and those of that actually look at specs before hand, could read about it on a few websites and already have one ;-)

    -cafination

  4. Mandatory CLUETRAIN link. by bons · · Score: 4, Informative

    "Conversations among human beings sound human. They are conducted in a human voice."

    "Whether delivering information, opinions, perspectives, dissenting arguments or humorous asides, the human voice is typically open, natural, uncontrived. "

    "Corporations do not speak in the same voice as these new networked conversations. To their intended online audiences, companies sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman."

    http://www.cluetrain.org/

    --

    No Zen is good zen

  5. Deceptive, and they can lie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative
    Supposedly the actors/models hired for this won't lie when asked if they work for Sony/Ericson, but I wonder how specific the line of questioning has to be? These people are going to waste other peoples' time asking for photos to be taken of them. Ordinarily I'd gladly take a photo of a couple, but these photos are meaningless.

    Sorry but this isn't strictly true. People in advertising and usually big business too are not ethical types.. they'll usually only adhere to the law as far as they believe they can get away with it, hence the likes of Enron.
    For example, there was a story on 60 Minutes (I think it was) a year or two back about how companies were astroturfing with children. I noticed in the background of one quick filmed scene how an adult astroturf guy was on a computer using AOL Instant Messenger pretending to be a teenager in order to 'tell' them about whatever game/music/etc they were 'marketing'.
    They'll also say for example, that the kids chosen to go to a [marketing] competition have 'won', when infact they've been chosen for their looks and popularity.

    Don't put anything past these guys, remember what they said about Windows.