Sony Ericsson wanted to use the internet as the lead channel to launch its Xperia line of mobile phones. The X1 is the first handset in the range, and features a touch-sensitive screen and slide-out Qwerty keyboard. Sony Ericsson asked Dare to come up with an 'epic and maverick' digital campaign to promote the handset, amid stiff competition from Apple's iPhone and the impending launch of Google's G1. The objective was to create excitement and buzz around the handset that would exceed the expectations of those who had anticipated the product launch since it was announced earlier this year.
Pitch
Dare is Sony Ericsson's lead digital agency and works with roster agencies Mediaedge:cia, McCann Erickson and Iris, all of which offered their own ideas in response to the brief.
In total, the pan-agency team presented five ideas to Sony Ericsson, including one based on the 'nine personalities' of David Bowie: singer, actor, artist, husband, father and so on.
"The key element of the X1 is that it has a nine-panel interface and the user can decide which of the 'homepages' is at the front," says Dare's board account director Gavin Bell. "The idea was that we could do a window into Bowie's life, with short documentary films showing his different sides - a metaphor for the product."
Sony Ericsson already has a number of celebrity tie-ups, however, and didn't want to add another to the mix.
It was also concerned that younger consumers would struggle to identify with 1980s star Bowie. The cost of using a celebrity was an additional consideration.
As an alternative, Dare came up with fictional character Johnny X: a man with amnesia who has lost his identity.
Sony Ericsson liked the Johnny X idea, and the creative concept was devised in collaboration with the brand's other roster agencies.
Creative
Sony Ericsson claims Johnny X is its biggest digital marketing drive to date.
The campaign is a fast-paced, nine-part episodic thriller, in which the hero uses the X1 to piece together elements of his life following his kidnap by an organised gang.
The plot centres on the eponymous character, who wakes up bloodied on a street in Bangkok.
The idea was to engage prospective X1 buyers by creating an engaging character whose story unravelled over time. The development of the script took a large chunk of the five-month creative process, yet the crux of the idea remained the same.
Filmed over 10 days in Thailand's capital, the idea barely changed from conception to completion.
"It was just details that changed - it was originally set in Tokyo rather than Bangkok," says Bell. "Comparing the original concept to what was produced, it was pretty close - we stayed true to it all the way through."
Yet the shoot did face its share of challenges, he admits. "We were at the mercy of the weather in Bangkok, where it can rain like cats and dogs. The budget was really tight - we produced an 18-minute film on the budget of a 30-second TV commercial. We had to think on our feet in terms of shooting and had to get quite creative."
Media plan
The nine two to three minute episodes ran on whoisJohnny-x.com for three weeks beginning 22 September. The trailer was first seeded on select technology and mobile blogs, then consumer sites. A range of online ad formats were used, showing 30-second versions of the trailer and various clips from the series.
Content was accessible via social sites including Delicious, Digg, Facebook, Reddit, MySpace and StumbleUpon.
Other features included a dedicated YouTube channel, a downloadable episode player widget and a mobile application. Developed by MEC Interaction, the application could be downloaded to any handset, even though it was promoting a Sony Ericsson product.
Features included links to Johnny X content, animated wallpaper, games and Xperia product information. Print and outdoor ads were used to promote the series under the campaign strapline Life to the Power of Nine.
The drama culminated on 10 October, after which all nine episodes were available as one continuous film. The X1 handset was launched the following week.
Launch
The trailer unleashed a torrent of blog activity and hype on the internet. Many bloggers and their followers weren't sure who or what Johnny X was when the first film was released, but they gradually worked it out and the reaction was generally positive, according to Sony Ericsson.
The films were compared favourably with Memento and The Bourne Identity - one user believed they were promoting a real movie. "I won't give the plot away, but it's very cool and I'd 100 per cent pay to see this movie if it were ever to come to the theatre," they said.
Sony Ericsson now promotes the full Johnny X series through its main website.