By Aye P Ubaldo
Ho ho ho! It’s always an early Christmas in the Philippines. Even with Halloween encroaching on the ‘ber’ months, and picking up a lot of fans along the way, Filipinos are still Christmas-crazy. Sony Philippines is cashing in on the season, and before November launched Loud & Clear, its campaign encouraging Filipinos to create and share random acts of kindness, and steer people in the right Christmas cheer.
Launched in late October to run until January 25, Loud & Clear features its own hashtag #PassTheCheer. What’s to cheer about, you ask? Known for its premier lines of gadgets and electronics, as well as mobile phones and tablets Sony released the Sony Xperia Z3, the latest in the series of mobile phones. With it the Z3 Compact, and Z3 Tablet Compact.
“At Sony, we strive to create an impact in lives of consumers not just with innovative devices and services but with rewarding opportunities such as the Loud and Clear campaign,” said Nobuyoshi Otake, President and Managing Director of Sony Philippines. “In line with this, we are bringing our new high-resolution audio and enhanced 4k video technologies so kindness and happiness can be captured and shared at their loudest and clearest this season.”
It’s a happy Christmas, truly, as Sony Philippines’ Marketing Officer Jhoey Benedicto extolled the fine points of the Xperia line. “It only weighs 152gms, with battery life of up to 2 days, lasting longer than the usual smartphone. The Xperia Z3 can take shots underwater because it has the highest waterproof rating. The audio is in high-res, and it’s 20 percent brighter so it allows great viewing even outdoors,” said Benedicto.
And for diehards of the PS, the Sony Xperia Z3, “is the only smartphone with PS4 remote play,” she added. Now, that is something!
Sony is extending and magnifying the season’s cheer by a series of storefront activities with its pool of ambassadors. Watch out for Liz and Laureen Uy, Luke Landrigan, and Michelle Gumabao among others as they visit chosen Sony Centers to bring exciting surprises to consumers. Catch them from November – December 2014 in any of the four Sony Centres at Trinoma, SM North Edsa, Glorietta, and Mall of Asia.
“How’s that for an early Christmas? It’s so early even Nobuyoshi-san declared at the launch, “This is my first time Christmas in Philippines, and I’m surprised Xmas it’s this early.”
But clearly the Sony heads are lucid, so there is logic in the move. “The market is strong, especially in this period, so it’s a smart move to launch ahead of the competition. We will have activities using the ambassadors, visiting shops at random, surprising the customers,” shared Alvin De Vera, Senior Director-Brand Activation Management.
But this is a month of Cs: Christmas and Cheer, and CSR. “#PassTheCheer shows we are trying to promote values to Filipinos. We’re encouraging Filipinos to find someone that does a good (deed) for someone. Hopefully this will go viral. We hope that trying to pass on cheer to their friends will catch on, and we’ll have a good Xmas this year,” said De Vera.
