Sony Australia has formed an alliance with youth brand, Volcom, and is sponsoring the Volcom summer series of surf and skate events, Volcom Skate Rock and Volcom Starfish. Mariko Nakagawa, personal audio product manager for Sony Australia, said Sony's marketing team knew it had to come up with an original marketing strategy if the company was to capture the 14-25 year old audience, who are much more sceptical of advertising than their parents.
said Nakagawa. "We had to find a way to communicate that would not make them cynical."
The Walkman logo has been redesigned and now resembles a smudged 'w' next to big dot, which, according to Nakagawa, represents an era when groups or individuals are linked together by networks. The big dot next to the 'w' apparently signifies the brand's vitality.
"The challenge was to incorporate the cutting edge digital technology that Walkman products now embrace, without losing the original ethos of personal freedom, independence, imagination and creativity,
said Nakagawa.
In Australia, the Stenmark Organisation handled public relations for the relaunch campaign, FNL was responsible for creative work and IKON handled media planning and buying.
