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(Extracted from How Asia Advertises by Jim Aitchison)
Brand Enhancement
The Problem:
Locally and globally, the Sony Walkman faced major challenges in a very competitive market. New products and gadgets proliferated, all fighting for consumer attention. Competing brands entered the market weekly with new features, new designs, all at attractive prizes.
The name “Walkman” had become generic and was used by competitors and consumers to describe their portable audio products. Sony saw the need to expand its Walkman offering and reinforce its Walkman branding.
In Malaysia, Sony’s brief was to communicate the many Walkman formats and enhance its existing branding. The brand targeted teenagers and young adults, aged 15 to 35, urban music lovers who are always on the go.
The Strategy:
The key insight was that Walkman, a very personal product, was for people who self-entertain. They were primarily urban youth who did not own a car. They relied on buses and LRT (Light Rail Transit) to get them to work and around the town. Commuting was a major, time-consuming activity. They had no choice but spend hours each day waiting for connections and riding past the same scenery. For highly energetic youths, commuting was an uncomfortable and boring part of their lives. Time passed slowly, making them feel stressed and alone. Mostly, they did not consider the need for a Walkman. They still thought of the Walkman as something that was only “cool” to have during their younger school days.
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The positioning therefore involved the enhancement of the Sony Walkman branding. The Walkman had to be perceived as not only for “kids”, but also for everyone. It was more than a piece of equipment. It was a means of escape, an antidote to the stress of life, and an antidote to mobile urban loneliness. Walkman offered the emotional companionship of music. And music was there for everyone, in good times and bad times.
Strategically, the Sony Walkman brand personality became that of a friend, a companion. The proposition: With Sony Walkman you’re never alone.
The creative idea was based on the notion that music is a presence that can be felt, a presence that takes the edge off loneliness. The agency humanized that thought by creating a brand icon in the form of a musical note whose presence is projected whenever one listens to a Sony Walkman. The musical note character symbolized the companionship offered by a Walkman. For the first time, Sony Walkman possessed a unique visual icon that conveyed an emotional promise – and a brand icon that separate Walkman from its competitors.
The campaign launched in Malaysia with press, magazines, outdoor posters, and ambient advertising where young people walked – like staircases ay LRT stations.
The Results:
Despite the campaign’s short run, there has been an extremely positive response from the consumers and it has received overwhelming recognition from the industry as well.
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