• by Aaron Baar , September 9, 2008

Sony is linking the use of its cameras in the creation of high-definition broadcasts to better pictures on its HD television in a new campaign that appeals to sports enthusiasts. 

The effort is intended to deepen the company's "HDNA" positioning, which asserts that high-definition technology runs through all of Sony's products, from computers to DVD players and production devices. The new commercials, which employ a panel of sports personalities as well as a nondescript cameraman using a Sony camera, assert that Sony products are used more often to film high-definition sporting events. Therefore, the brand should be trusted for HD viewing.

The retailer-specific spots open in stores where a salesman approaches a customer about his interest high-definition televisions. As the customer asks a question, a wall of flat-panel television drops away to reveal a panel of sports personalities, including Nascar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, sportscaster James Brown, the San Diego Chicken and a television cameraman using Sony HD equipment. In each of the spots, a panelist notes that many sporting events are filmed on Sony HD equipment, so the logical step would be to purchase a Sony HD television.

"If it's shot on Sony cameras, shouldn't you want to watch it on Sony televisions?" William Gelner, executive creative director at 180 Los Angeles, which created the spots, tells Marketing Daily. "You can't have one without the other."

With its sports figure-heavy cast and a heavy rotation that includes NFL Football telecasts, the spots are squarely aimed at sports fans to take advantage of their desire to get the best picture possible to try to recreate the in-stadium experience, Gelner says. "For a lot of people, the main reason they buy HD technology is for the sports," Gelner says.