Sony Ericsson announced that five-time
Grammy Award-winning artist Usher will headline Sony Ericsson’s Walkman
music phone campaigns in North America. The partnership covers the
United States and Canada, in addition to more than twenty countries in
Europe and will include title sponsorship rights for Usher’s North
American tour later in the year.
Sony Ericsson will engage in joint marketing activities with exclusive wireless operator, AT&T in the United States.
“This partnership with Usher is the ideal campaign for us to build
on the leadership that we’ve established in the mobile music arena,”
said Karen Morris, Sony Ericsson vice president of marketing in North
America. “Consumers will be able to get the ultimate mobile music
experience, thanks to Sony Ericsson and Usher.”
“New and exclusive content from Usher’s new album and tour on
AT&T is the kind of mobile content our customers have come to
expect,” said Andy Wilson, vice president, marketing for AT&T’s
wireless operations. “This program with Sony Ericsson allows our
customers to connect with Usher wherever they have their mobile phone.”
Usher echoed those sentiments saying, “This is a great partnership
for me as an artist. The Sony Ericsson brand is young and vibrant and
with the new Walkman phones making a lot of noise, it’s perfect timing
for us all.”
Synergistic Brand Alliance
The campaign is well timed, as sister company Sony BMG will release
the follow up to the global best selling album ‘Confessions’ on May
27th. The new album is aptly titled ‘Here I Stand.’
“This is very much a strategic alliance for us rather than ‘synergy
lip service,’” said Donna Clower, senior vice president of strategic
marketing, Sony BMG Label Group. “We have successfully worked with Sony
Ericsson on many occasions; this is the first time however that we are
in synch from the launch of a campaign and across so many countries. As
a brand, they understand the creative nature of our business and we
look forward to working with Sony Ericsson again throughout our
long-term campaign with Usher.”
Usher’s manager Benny Medina shares the same sentiments, “We have
been working on pulling this together with our label LaFace/Zomba (Sony
BMG) and Sony Ericsson for some time and are very excited to be working
with such a great brand. They speak our language and share our values.
With Sony Ericsson as our partner we are looking forward to a great
year ahead and beyond.”
VALUE-ADD OFFERINGS
The Sony Ericsson Walkman™ phone campaigns fronted by Usher will
deliver many added value offerings to music fans throughout the year,
including but not limited to:
- The hottest Walkman™ phones
- Access to exclusive content
- Unprecedented access to the artist through exclusive competitions, including meeting Usher on the set of a video shoot
- VIP status and the hottest ticket in town when the tour hits North America