BARCELONA —Sony Ericsson’s marketing experts took to the stage Sunday evening to razzle and dazzle a standing-room-only crowd before the opening of Mobile World Congress. The big stars of the show were the W995, a Walkman phone; and the Idou, complete with a 12.1-megapixel camera and 3.5-inch screen for the movie-enjoying experience.
Three things Sony Ericsson will be discussing with customers this week are securing the customer base that it has; finding new revenue opportunities; and sustaining its brand positioning.
Sony Ericsson says its Entertainment Unlimited sums up what it’s been working toward since the join venture was launched in 2001 – the fusion of communication and entertainment. The proposition involves integrating the mobile phone into other devices in the home, so consumers can share and enjoy entertainment through the TV, PC and Hifi systems.
Lennard Hoornik, head of global marketing and vice president at Sony Ericsson, says Entertainment Unlimited lets the company reinforce its position as THE communication entertainment brand.
Media Go, which transfers, plays and organizes entertainment, will debut on the W995 Walkman, which supports GSM/GPRS/EDGE at 850 and 1900 MHz, besides European frequencies. It will be available in selected markets starting in the second quarter.
The Idou basically is set to combine the Walkman, Cybershot and gaming experiences so well-known by Sony. It will be available the second half of 2009. Idou is just the project name; the go-to-market name will be released later.
Sony Ericsson is a member of the Android-based alliance and is developing on the Android platform, but it has not yet announced a specific device based on Android.