Sony Mobile Bags Triple Lynx Honours for ‘Say it Like Bond’ Campaign

The Skyfall – Xperia™ ion Campaign Wins Gold in Interactive Category and Silver awards in Promo Activation and Direct Marketing at Dubai Lynx Awards 2013

Dubai-UAE: 17 March, 2013 – Sony Mobile Communications won top honours at the Dubai Lynx Awards 2013 for its unique James Bond-themed promotional campaign, ‘Say it Like Bond’. The campaign was declared gold-winner in the Interactive category and silver-winner in the Promo Activation, as well as Direct Marketing categories, at the gala awards ceremony held on 13 March.

Executed by Sony Mobile’s advertising agency, Fortune Promoseven (FP7) Dubai, the ‘Say it Like Bond’ campaign highlighted the Sony Xperia™ ion, which was used by the iconic 007 in Skyfall, the latest film in the James Bond franchise.

Set up outside the cinema halls at the Mall of Emirates, visitors were attracted with props from the film, including a London phone booth and a 2012 Aston Martin DBS. Participants were asked to enter the phone booth, fitted with an Xperia™ ion, and render an impression of James Bond’s famous line, ‘The name is Bond, James Bond’. Using Arduino technology and a voice analytics engine built into an app on the phone, voice imitations that were a 95 per cent match to that of the Skyfall star, Daniel Craig, immediately unlocked the doors and started the engine of the Aston Martin, thereby signalling the winners of an Xperia™ ion.

Spyridon Gousetis, Director of Marketing, Sony Mobile Communications Middle East and Africa, said: “The campaign was an instant success from day one. In the ten days that followed, over 5,200 participants tried their luck at mimicking Bond. Interestingly, 43 people delivered a near-perfect impression and won the Xperia™ ion. The campaign saw a 60 per cent increase in footfall across our outlets and 30 per cent rise in sales of the phone.”

Gita Ghaemmaghami, Marketing Communications Manager, Sony Mobile Communications Middle East and Africa, said: “The brief was to generate excitement around the release of ‘Skyfall’. All the ingredients were there to be used. It was just a matter of piecing them together to give participants an experience as close to the film as possible and offer them a chance to witness the hero of the hour, the Xperia™ ion, in action. The result was a highly interactive execution, delivered with style.”

The ‘Say it Like Bond’ campaign won two awards at MENA Cristal Festival held in Lebanon last month, including the Media Cristal silver award for ‘Best use of Mobile’ category and the Digital and Mobile Cristal bronze award for ‘Mobile Marketing’.

Sony Mobile Communications has been spearheading innovation with its unique engineering expertise and design that define the Xperia™ range of premium smartphones. Incorporating the best of Sony experiences for users, Sony Mobile offers advanced mobile communication and entertainment features in its product portfolio.

To view the ‘Say it Like Bond’ activation, visit:

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“make.believe” (make dot believe) is a Group-wide brand message that unites Sony’s communications initiatives across electronics, games, movies, music, mobile phones and network services. “make.believe” symbolizes the spirit of Sony – the power of creativity, the ability to turn ideas into reality and the belief that anything you can imagine, you can make real.

About Sony Mobile Communications:
Sony Mobile Communications is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation, a leading global innovator of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. Through its Xperia™ smartphone portfolio, Sony Mobile Communications delivers the best of Sony technology, premium content and services, and easy connectivity to Sony’s world of networked entertainment experiences. For more information: www.sonymobile.com