• by Aaron Baar , June 21, 2010

Sony is bringing back the comedy stylings of Justin Timberlake and Peyton Manning to advertise its line of 3D television sets.

Timberlake and Manning were last featured in Sony advertising as two members of an "expert" panel talking about Sony products. In one spot, the two celebrities faced off against each other in a Ping Pong match that featured them speaking Chinese to each other. In another, Timberlake sprouted animated eyes (like those in the movie "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"), freaking Manning out.

"Justin and Peyton are part of the Sony marketing asset list," Ari Weiss, creative director at agency 180 Los Angeles, which created the campaign, tells Marketing Daily. "So when we were looking at who we were going to use for these products, we wanted to use our biggest guns against the 3D products."

In the new television commercial, Timberlake and Manning pay a visit to Sony's Innovation Center (which has already hosted singer Taylor Swift to promote cameras and the sun to promote its Dash Internet device). During their visit, they observe Sony employees creating 3D movies, video games and sports programming. But when they take off their 3D viewing glasses, they and the world around them turn suddenly two-dimensional.

"They're very charismatic," Weiss says. "The camera turns on and they're natural. You get the two of them in the room together and comedy ensues."

In addition to the television commercial, Sony will promote its 3D products -- which include movies, Blu-Ray disc players as well as televisions -- through flash banners, radio commercials and print ads running in magazines such as Entertainment Weekly, ESPN, Esquire, GQ, People, Rolling Stone and Sports Illustrated.

The company will also promote the products through social networking, email, direct mail and free-standing inserts as well as through www.SonyStyle.com, and through Sony Style retail stores.

While 3D televisions are getting significant advertising support from consumer electronics companies, Sony is make a concerted effort to showcase the full-range of its products, including Blu-Ray players and video games.

"Sony is one of the few companies that participates in all things 3D: movies, sports, games," Weiss says. "That's part of what makes their televisions so good. That's why we decided to highlight those things."