Sony Bravia to spend Rs 100 crore on World Cup campaign; signs Dhoni as brand ambassador

Consumer electronics brand, Sony India is targetting a 40 per cent market share in the flat-panel television segment during the cricket World Cup season from January to March. The company has set a target to sell 2,50,000 units of Bravia HD TV during the period. Sony intends to promote the complete Bravia range, which includes 20 models of Full HD 3D, Full HD LED and Full HD LCD sets.

Bringing on-board the Indian cricket captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the brand ambassador for a year, Sony has chalked out a Rs 100 crore multi-media campaign, including ATL and BTL activities. Dhoni will promote the company's 'The Incredible Game in Sony High Definition' campaign during the World Cup.

In a press statement, Masaru Tamagawa, managing director, Sony India, says, "Sony has chosen cricket to promote 'high definition', as it is the most popular sport in India and makes for a perfect platform to bring HD closer to our consumers."

On the choice of the ambassador, Tamagawa says that Dhoni creates the perfect synergy with the target audience during the cricket season.

Sony's campaign would be spread across various media formats, including television, print, digital, outdoor, in-store activities and special consumer connect initiatives. The television campaign will break on February 11, with more than 3,000 (television commercial) TVC spots planned across 19 leading channels. The print campaign will cover 36 top publications, while the outdoor promotions will deploy more than 100 billboards across the country.

Sony has also tied up with Airtel, which would offer free Airtel HD DTH connections on the purchase of the Bravia Full HD TVs.

The creative duties for the brand are handled by JWT India, while Lintas Media Group is Sony India's media buying agency.