Sony Walkman: 'Getting Sony out on the streets'

Alison Segar

The author of this paper explores the route taken to rejuvenate the Sony brand, which was in danger of becoming dull and ‘middle aged’.
Agency: Bartle Bogle HegartyAuthor: Alison Segar

Getting Sony out on the streets The Sony Walkman poster case

THE PROBLEM

Three problems faced the Sony brand in the early 1990s.

Firstly, Sony could no longer rely on technological innovation alone to keep it ahead of its competitors, as had been the case in the past. USPs now lasted months, not years.

Secondly, from a manufacturer's perspective, the complexion of the brown goods market was changing rapidly, with an influx of specialist manufacturers in each sector, stealing gold standard status from older, more established brands....

WARC subscribers can sign in to keep reading

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands