Plenty of gadgets claim to be waterproof, the iPhone, the Kindle, yet the team at Sony has taken this one step further. Their NWZ-W27 Walkman was sold in water-filled packaging.
Sony are so confident in their product that the Walkman from their NWZ series is now being sold inside a water bottle, to confirm its H2O durability.
The product’s initial target audience was fitness enthusiasts who wanted to enjoy music whilst they work out, because of its compact design and 4GB memory. And for those who want to use it in the pool, its waterproof design has greatly improved its marketing strategy.
In order to satisfy the cynics and to rival bigger brands like Apple, Sony hired New Zealand company DraftFCB to help re-think its marketing. Cleverly, the company decided to engulf the Walkman in a full bottle of water and sell them in vending machines at gyms and swimming pools around New Zealand.
The very literal approach taken received great admiration, welcoming news for Sony, of course. It was, however, unclear whether this strategy impacted sales or not.
Whilst it may not convince everyone to part with over £70 of their money, it’s certain that the advertising is making a splash. The NWZ-W270 is available in blue, pink, white, and black in APAC from March 2013 onwards
Somehow, we don’t think this Walkman will be rivaling this anytime soon, however…
