Ad of the Day: Sony Xperia

We've written before about how technology marketers like to use conspicuously analog props in their advertising, to give the virtual experiences they're selling more of a tangible reality. Google is the best example of this. But Sony has been doing this quite nicely, as well—most notably in last spring's global stop-motion Xperia spot directed by Wes Anderson. Now, McCann Worldgroup is back with another tactile, homemade effort for the Xperia tablet. The 60-second spot, called "Frames," is breaking now in global markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Shot all in one take by Partizan director Augustus Punch, it features a long camera pullback through what's clearly a warehouse, back through three giant tablet frames that function as stages for the action. The three frames represent the different experiences that the Xperia offers—surfing the Internet, playing games and watching videos. Actors perform little scenes in each one: A guy takes a photo of a dancer and posts it on Facebook; ninjas play a fruit-slashing game (Fruit Ninja is an actual game, it turns out); and most notably, a '60s astronaut saves a woman from a B-movie monster, as a glowing spaceship descends. The spot certainly maintains the playful vibe of the Anderson ad, and if it's a bit less on the magical side, it likewise doesn't just relate but embodies the notion of technology meeting imagination. The downside of these kinds of spots is that the viewer first has to figure out what's going on, and then how the metaphor relates to the product. This two-step process is more work than a simple product demo would be—see Apple's early iPhone and iPad work for tech advertising that's heavily skewed toward the latter. But there's a richness in the homemade approach that holds up on repeat viewings, and there's something to be said for somewhat more theatrical ad treatments in the tech space. The tagline casts the Xperia as "a place for your imagination to play." It's a product that lets the agency play, too. CREDITS Client: Sony Xperia Spot: "Frames" Agency: McCann Worldgroup Co-Chief Creative Officers: Tom Murphy, Sean Bryan Vice President, Group Creative Director: Mat Bisher Vice President, Senior Art Director: Vi Luong Associate Creative Director: Colin Ilsley Senior Broadcast Producer: Minnie Tran Vice President, Senior Art Producer: Wendy Leahy Business Manager: Ken Krausgill Vice President, Business Partner: Lauren LaValle Account Supervisor: Michael Tsang Film: Production Company: Partizan Director: Augustus Punch Editing: Fluid Visual Effects: Framestore Senior Vice President, Executive Music Producer: Peter Gannon Music: Kishi Bashi Sound Design: Joseph Fraioli Sound Mix: David Wolfe Editor: John Piccolo Visual Effects Artist: Tom Leckie Print: Photographer: Hugh Kretschmer Retouching: Gloss Postproduction

Brand Marketing

Ad of the Day: Sony Xperia

Giant frames embody the tablet's immersive experience in McCann's new single-take spot

Tim Nudd

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Tim Nudd