brand-e

By Simon Fuller. Tacking trio. When mobile phone giants Sony Ericsson and Vodafone UK wanted to promote the new W715 Walkman model, they opted for The Inside Tracks, an online destination offering London-based audio tours, as well as personalised maps from a trio of the music scene’s brightest young things.
The campaign is all about shining the spotlight on the W715’s Find & Go service, which hooks into the handset’s GPS capabilities. So, after downloading each tour, users can, for example, listen to singer Eliza Doolittle chat about her experiences of Camden, while walking the Camden Inside Track walk.
Also featured are Amy Studt and on-the-up singer-songwriter Zarif, both of whom are ready to share their London memories as well as point out all the hotspots.
“The idea was to bring the capital which is already renowned as [a] trend-setting, culturally rich music hub – to life with a youthful, unique experience,” says Richard Dorman, Sony Ericsson’s senior marketing manager for the UK & Ireland. “The Inside Tracks online site is about reinvigorating the traditional with something fresh and bold.”
With the brands involved hailing the campaign a success, will the series expand?
“We’ll continue to look at new and innovative ways to make our handsets stand out,” explains Dorman. “Will the audio tours be back? Yes, I think there is scope to re-use it, but we’d have to find a fresh angle to make it stand out.”
Sony Ericsson has an ear for music – and a good moniker. Not so long ago the company rolled out a online destination, The Inside Track, offering news, reviews and other musical goings-on in association with FHM among others.
This time, it’s all about the little details. Fancy finding out about the boutique which inspired Eliza Doolittle’s fashion sense, while learning about the latest phone gadget? You know which track to take.