Sony Ericsson puts up Rs 20 crore to promote its new range of phones

Radio has made a comeback through your mobile, and now it’s going to make its presence felt a bit more. Sony Ericsson has launched mobile handsets that can beam both FM and AM radio – for the first time in India. Thus, by making some extra room in its new handsets, the mobile maker has put paid to all accusations of bias towards FM. Consumers can now listen to cricket match commentaries and the news on their mobiles, thanks to the AM interface.

Positioned as entry level handsets, the two new phones from Sony Ericsson, the R300i Radio and R306i Radio, aim to provide India with an energised radio experience. The two mobiles are targeted at the rapidly growing, entry level radio segment and are priced at Rs 3,500-5,000. Sony Ericsson has also launched two other handsets recently, the T270 and the T280.

Sony Ericsson, which currently enjoys a market share of close to 8 per cent, is expecting to broaden its consumer base with the radio mobile offering. Clearly, the company’s focus is on providing mobiles loaded with the music feature, as evident from its previous emphasis on the Walkman series. The company wants to minimise the gap between its market share and that of other players such as Samsung and Motorola, which currently have market shares of 14.5 per cent and 13.1 per cent, respectively.

Says Sudhin Mathur, general manager, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communication, India, “The unique radio interface and the addition of an AM receiver in the new handsets show a specific focus on the Indian market and will help Sony Ericsson provide customers with an even better radio and entertainment experience. This continues the Sony Ericsson promise of offering our customers a differentiating experience.”

The handset maker will unveil a 360 degree marketing campaign in March. Saatchi & Saatchi, which handles the creative duties for Sony Ericsson, is currently working on the brief for the future campaign.

Says Sanjib Dey, executive vice-president and branch head, Saatchi & Saatchi Delhi, “The theme and the plan for the new campaign has been figured out. The core proposition, the music and the radio will be brought out together.”

Hrithik Roshan, the brand ambassador for Sony Ericsson, will appear in the campaign for the newly launched phones. The advertising budget for the phones is estimated to be around Rs 20 crore.