WIRELESS AND MOBILE NEWS

Sony Ericsson announced that five-time Grammy Award-winning artist Usher will headline Sony Ericsson’s Walkman music phone campaigns in North America. The partnership covers the United States and Canada, in addition to more than twenty countries in Europe and will include title sponsorship rights for Usher’s North American tour later in the year.

Sony Ericsson will engage in joint marketing activities with exclusive wireless operator, AT&T in the United States.

“This partnership with Usher is the ideal campaign for us to build on the leadership that we’ve established in the mobile music arena,” said Karen Morris, Sony Ericsson vice president of marketing in North America. “Consumers will be able to get the ultimate mobile music experience, thanks to Sony Ericsson and Usher.”

“New and exclusive content from Usher’s new album and tour on AT&T is the kind of mobile content our customers have come to expect,” said Andy Wilson, vice president, marketing for AT&T’s wireless operations. “This program with Sony Ericsson allows our customers to connect with Usher wherever they have their mobile phone.”

Usher echoed those sentiments saying, “This is a great partnership for me as an artist. The Sony Ericsson brand is young and vibrant and with the new Walkman phones making a lot of noise, it’s perfect timing for us all.”

Synergistic Brand Alliance

The campaign is well timed, as sister company Sony BMG will release the follow up to the global best selling album ‘Confessions’ on May 27th. The new album is aptly titled ‘Here I Stand.’

“This is very much a strategic alliance for us rather than ‘synergy lip service,’” said Donna Clower, senior vice president of strategic marketing, Sony BMG Label Group. “We have successfully worked with Sony Ericsson on many occasions; this is the first time however that we are in synch from the launch of a campaign and across so many countries. As a brand, they understand the creative nature of our business and we look forward to working with Sony Ericsson again throughout our long-term campaign with Usher.”

Usher’s manager Benny Medina shares the same sentiments, “We have been working on pulling this together with our label LaFace/Zomba (Sony BMG) and Sony Ericsson for some time and are very excited to be working with such a great brand. They speak our language and share our values. With Sony Ericsson as our partner we are looking forward to a great year ahead and beyond.”

VALUE-ADD OFFERINGS
The Sony Ericsson Walkman™ phone campaigns fronted by Usher will deliver many added value offerings to music fans throughout the year, including but not limited to:

• The hottest Walkman™ phones
• Access to exclusive content
• Unprecedented access to the artist through exclusive competitions, including meeting Usher on the set of a video shoot
• VIP status and the hottest ticket in town when the tour hits North America