Sony: Sony Sideline Challenge

Credits & Description:

Brand: Sony
Media: Print
Category: Electronics & Technology
Agency: FCB
Geo: New Zealand
Sony New Zealand: Sony Sideline Challenge
The Sony Alpha6000 Cyber-shot camera performs as well as more expensive digital SLR cameras. So to prove this, Sony ran a competition in conjunction with New Zealand’s biggest national newspaper, inviting the public to use the A6000 to capture six of the biggest sporting events of the year during a single weekend. In Monday’s edition, the six winners replaced all the professional photographers by taking over the sports section with their amateur action shots, every photo effectively an ad for the A6000 camera. This was a first in the paper’s 150-year history and a powerful example of native advertising leading to a 240% increase in visits to the product’s webpage and a 74% boost in market share.
Advertising Agency: FCB, New Zealand
Regional Executive Creative Director: James Mok
Executive Creative Directors: Tony Clewett, Regan Grafton
Creatives: Kevin Walker, Melina Fiolitakis
Head of Craft: Nick Smith
Designer: Mike Braid
Retoucher: Anton Mason
Mac Operator: Bex Wells
Group Account Director: Toby Sellers
Account Director: Michelle Koome
Media Planner / Buyer: Sarah Bymolt, Duncan Timlin
Digital Director: Kate Grigg
Senior Digital Producer: Haydn Thomsen
Digital Designer: Liz Low
Digital Producer: James McMullan
Digital Campaign Manager: Lucy Leckie
APN Group Sales Manager: Nathan Laing
APN Marketing Manager: Nigel Grant
APN Senior Product Manager: Lisa Moore-Bocarro
Brief Explanation
Sony were launching their new ᾳ6000, a compact camera that on paper outperforms most digital SLRs (DSLR).
The problem? Most people aren’t interested in the “on paper” technical specs; they buy on association. In the camera category, DSLRs’ association with professional photographers means most people think DSLRs are better than non-DSLRs.
This association was our barrier but also our opportunity.
Our idea – “Sideline Challenge”: provide undeniable proof that the ᾳ6000 could shoot like a DSLR in the hands of a professional…
…by getting complete amateurs armed with the ᾳ6000 to supply the sports photography for New Zealand’s leading newspaper.
Results and Effectiveness:
This was a first-time blurring of the lines between advertising and editorial in newspapers. The published editorial photos were our adverts, and proved the ᾳ6000 in the hands of a rookie was just as good as a DSLR in the hands of a pro. As a result:
• Sony’s category share increased from 35% to 61% (a 74% increase)
• The weekly Sales Index for the ᾳ6000 model (100 = annual average) improved from 66 (34% under average) the week before our campaign started, to 132 the week after our campaign.
• Visits to ᾳ6000 webpage increased 240% during campaign period
Creative Execution:
Using an in-banner game we recruited four rookie photographers, then sent them to the sidelines of some of NZ’s biggest domestic sporting events.
During the events their photos were streamed into live updating banners and an online gallery, where the paper’s editors made their selects.
Then in the paper’s full circulation, the Sports section featured our amateur’s photos as genuine editorial, positioned alongside each story. The only sign they weren’t professionally shot was a breakout box referencing the name and occupation of the photographer.
A final spread the following Friday told the full story, showcasing the published pictures again.
Insights, Strategy and the Idea:
Our target were “aspirer” photographers, a large volume of people looking for a decent camera that could take better quality shots than their smartphone.
They associate DSLR cameras with professional photographers, so assume that any non-DSLR camera is inferior. They associate sports photography in particular with professionals using DSLRs.
We targeted New Zealand’s most read daily newspaper, NZ Herald, and convinced them to give their Sports photography over to total amateurs using the ᾳ6000. This would dramatically demonstrate that the camera is as good as a DSLR to our mass “aspirer” audience, leveraging the reach and credibility of the newspaper.