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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.]""

2 of 452 comments (clear)

  1. Hey I'm replying to this post on my new T68i by binaryDigit · · Score: 2, Redundant

    I was just sitting at the bar, surfing when I stumbled across this thread. I'm doing all this on my new Sony/Ericsson T68i, it's really cool and I love it, I'd post a picture that I took with it, yup, I said that I took a picture with my cell phone, but /. won't let me. If you all have a minute, I'd love to tell you about it and let you check it out .....

  2. Re:Brilliant secrecy techniques by KyleCordes · · Score: 2, Redundant

    Perhaps the ad campgaign is not the people in the bars; perhaps the actual ad campaign is the free publicity in the WSJ, on Slashdot, and hundreds of other places.