SONY TURNS STORYTELLER FOR TROPFEST 2008 CAMPAIGN VIA EURO RSCG, SYDNEY

Sony Australia, sponsors of Sony Tropfest since 2004, has launched a cross-media promotional campaign through its agency Euro RSCG that culminates in a series of intriguing 60 sec COMMERCIALS to be screened exclusively on the night of the festival.

Written by Euro ECD Rowan Dean, the short-film style ads feature well-known Australian actors Pia Miranda, Denise Roberts and Damian de Montemas, in a series of enigmatic encounters directed by former Sony Tropfest winner Luke Eve.

Built around the theme ‘Life is a story, tell yours with Sony’ the work includes press, online, in-store, and SMS promotions, and experiential activity through Jack Morton, all of which are designed to engage the audience in the run up to the festival and entertain them at Sony Tropfest venues across Australia on February 17. According to Dean, “The Sony Tropfest audience is one of the most influential and hungry creative audiences in Australia. The strategic fit with Sony, who epitomises entertainment and the power of individual imagination, couldn’t be better. In the online and SMS campaigns we challenge them to use their imagination as befits those media. In the TVCs, we take the style, grammar and attitude of short films to intrigue and entertain, whilst suggesting the endless possibilities of stories yet to be told.”

 A series of print ads have also been created by the agency and are aimed at driving awareness leading up to Sony Tropfest.  The press campaign is designed to specifically encourage people to participate in the pre-event online promotion by creating their own short story.  Prizes include Sony High Definition product and tickets to an exclusive ‘Patch of Grass’ at the Sydney Sony Tropfest event.

The promotional campaign created by Euro includes a pre Sony Tropfest event (online promotion) encouraging people to create and submit their own short story.

Multiple activities on the day include an SMS promotion giving the Sony Tropfest audience the opportunity to submit a sentence.  These will then be joined together to create a Sony Tropfest story which is then shown on the Sony Tropfest big screen.

Online, Euro has created a MICROSITE to host pre-event promotion and support on the day activities, and also drive people back online to see footage of the day’s events, find out if they are a promotional winner, and hear more from Sony.

Letitia Hayes, Sony Australia’s Experiential and Sponsorship Manager, said, “Sony Tropfest is a key event on our calendar, offering us a unique opportunity to inspire Australian filmmakers and film-lovers alike. It’s a perfect fit with our brand. This integrated campaign – led by Euro – takes our sponsorship to a new level, building on previous years. The campaign takes us beyond awareness and adds value to the overall Sony Tropfest experience for our audience.”

Client:  Sony Australia

Production Co: Jungleboys