• by Aaron Baar , January 7, 2010

LAS VEGAS--Sony is looking to position itself as the connector between inspiration and perspiration with a new global positioning theme, "make.believe."

"It's not a traditional campaign or slogan, nor is it an empty marketing message," said Stan Glasgow, Sony Electronics' president and chief operating officer, in a briefing to the press. "It's in all that we do. We're committed to inspiring and empowering consumers."

In the theme (which was introduced in Europe late last year, but made its North American debut at the Consumer Electronics Show Wednesday), the dot is intended to be the point "where inspiration meets creativity," Glasgow said, adding that this could mean different things to different people.

Materials posted around the trade show depicted two sides of a picture "make," in which a game is shown in its sketch stages and "believe" that shows the game in a finished form. Other examples show skateboarders shooting video as "make" and showing those videos in 3-D in a theater as "believe." Other messaging around Sony's booth reads: "Believe that curiosity is the key to creativity."

But the positioning will not be limited to trade show promotional materials. "You will begin to see [the message] in our packaging and the media we produce," Glasgow said. The "make.believe" theme marks the first time in Sony's history that it has had a unified global brand message across all of its businesses, from electronics to entertainment to network services.

The make.believe theme will roll out primarily online through a variety of platforms, including a make.believe channel on Crackle, Sony Pictures Entertainment's premium video network. The site will feature 90-second videos that feature non-actors telling their stories of how Sony helped make their dreams a reality. The videos feature professionals and amateurs, as well as Sony employees, who volunteered to participate. Through Crackle, the company will encourage others to share their own make.believe stories.

Make.believe will also have a presence on other Sony platforms such as MyPlay, FEARnet, PlayStation home and PlayStation Network, as well as outside channels such as YouTube and Facebook.

The positioning was evident throughout Sony's presentation as well. A video introducing the company's new "Dash" wireless Internet device (which would allow consumers to view Internet video, popular sites and retrieve information via a portable screen) featured the line: "Believe that anything you can imagine, you can do."

Other products, such as the Bloggie flash video camera and an eco-friendly notebook, were also meant to empower people to "turn anything they imagine into reality," Glasgow said. "This is the new spirit of Sony."