Marketing Proposition #1 Getting the man to walk again

Wells I'm sure everyone knows iPod is the dominant music device in the world today (it pisses me off when people spell it like that with the little i because we're reinforcing corporate hegemony hehe but I still can't help myself). And of course the Sony Walkman was once almost as ubiquitous in the days of casette tapes and portable cd players. Sony has been playing catch up ever since and I think can blame a series of campaigns that have blurred the definition of a walkman and made the brand nearly irrelevant in portable music. I think, however, with Sony's massive budget they can still get themselves back in the game with a consistent and powerful message to create a brand culture on a similar scale to iPod but of course offering something different. I have no idea what Sony Walkman is anymore, I've seen mp3 players AND I've seen walkman phones advertised and I've just got no idea what is on offer. I think the less the better.. Sony has been big on print advertising for Walkmans but sometimes they've come up with pretty disturbing 'pieces of communication'. Like so...


WTF??? or TFW??? or FTW???? Why the fuck are there som many ways of saying the same thing in geek speak. I really don't get that. But that doesn't matter, because what the fuck is going on with this poster??? I get the message; walkman is the one that started it all and therefore surely the best, but the execution is disturbing. That's a mother's silhouette, and its fricken hot, look at those hips. Sony are using sex to sell with this curvy shadow but its my fucken Mum man, that's sick!!! I'm turned on then revolted...and then turned on again. So I think they're way off the mark with that one.



Now we're getting closer I think. I think Walkman should latch onto colour. Although I think this piece is probably borrowing a little too much from the iPod commerical palette (the famous silhouette with loud background colour ads) I think Sony should focus on associating colour, joy and excitement with the walkman just the same as white headphones are associated with the iPod. This is where my BRILLIANT idea comes in to transform the brand. When iPods first came out I longed to be seen with the white headphones, now EVERYONE has them and I am ashamed to even wear them when I'm borrowing someone else's iPod. Yes I've got problems but as they tell me at counselling, I'm not alone. Those white headphones are personality-sapping now, they represent conformity and don't we all want to think we're a bit different. Yes. But not too different. We probably want to feel different with the knowledge that there are other people out there like us, but not the whole world please. So that's why I reckon Walkman should produce many colours of headphones, I've never even seen a red pair, a pink pair a blue pair. I'm excited just thinking about it. On top of this, Sony should present a consistent message through their marketing communications, jhighlighting the importance and joy of colour and individuality in music and in life. Here's my idea for a billboard...


If you can look past the terrible photo shopping skills (it still took me like two hours though) maybe you'll agree Collins st does again look like this at 5pm with my adjustments. And I think Sony can definitely make a large audience think that that is a bit sad. Look at the guy with the red headphones, all his personality and individuality. Maybe tack on some lame catchphrase like 'Show your true colours'. Anyway you get the idea.

Just grab one from the file

I've been quiet lately because I've been moving out from University residence to my mate's floor in Northcote for the summer. It's a bit of a commune here with heaps of hangers on and Scandinavian couch surfers, there were actually 12 people sleeping here a couple of nights ago, I feel like I'm in the sixties. But right now I should be at my most prolific on this thing because I have seen increased traffic since my 'fave' blogger gave me a 'shout out' (I put terms I don't like in quotation marks, it's post modern pastiche) on his awesome adspace pioneers blog. I also once read Julian talking about Scott Drummond, who was my tutor in a uni subject of mine, small world eh. Funny actually, Scotty boy was always talking about this facebook-like programme called 'small world', wonder if he still does it. Hmm. Thoughts.
Anyway, I tried to scan the above ad and send it to my email but failed so I've taken a very dodgy and uncropped photo of the ad, which appeared on the front page of The Australian last Friday. So av a look at the ad; there are three faces with different expressions for reactions to receiving Christmas presents. The last face is of course the happy one when the character has supposedly received the advertised product (Virgin Blue vouchers). I don't think it is a bad ad, it plays on experiences most of us would have shared and recognise, maybe even causing the goofier of us to chortle, but I don't think this 'piece of communication' would only work for Virgin Blue. It is quite a generic ad, it could really apply to any product in the world, an advertiser could slap any brand in at the end. So this got me thinking, do advertisers just have a file of ideas that are on hand for any campaign they deem appropriate, or do they start from scratch for every product? I'm betting a mix of the two, but I've got no idea really. What I want to know is whether 'creatives' keep notepads with them for ideas, just like a comedian or songwriter, and write out skits or ideas detailing general human experiences that could be used for advertisements in the future. Secondly, I've got a number of ideas like this, for TVCs and other concepts, so should I continue doing this or even produce some and place them on this blog? Do budding marketers need a folio of ramblings?

Reading: Confederacy of Dunces
Listening: Glasvegas- Glasvegas

Both are awesome.