Last week, my boss approached me with an ad that he stumbled on in the May's print edition of The Atlantic (http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200705). What's remarkable about the ad is that it worked to make him (an avid reader) aware of the Sony Reader for the first time. What's less remarkable, at least in my inexperienced opinion about marketing, is that Sony picked an EMPTY gate seating area suggesting no one is actually using the Reader (which is hardly what they must have had in mind). Sure, the passengers could have boarded the aircraft already, but then, why depict the empty seats? I just don't get it.

If I was in charge of marketing, I would pick authentic Reader fans from MobileRead and run a series of ads featuring real life scenes, such as this one (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10509) by MobileReader LaughingVulcan.

A hi-res image of the ad is attached to this thread.

LaughingVulcan should clean up his room. :-)

Sony picked an EMPTY gate seating area


I guess Sony didn't want to distract people from the small, yet commanding sign of the figure reading a Reader? :happy2: No marketing experience here either, I'm afraid.

What do they mean when they talk about people checking books at the gate?

David/Teleread points out (http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=6476) that the same ad appeared in this Sunday's Washington Post book supplement. And I've received word that it also appeared in last Friday's USA Today.

I like the photo of the airport.. if it was full of people it would look cluttered and uncomfortable, and it would be harder to imagine taking a seat and having a read.

I've been to plenty of airports that have empty rows of seats just a little away from the main throng, they're much more pleasant than being among impatient kids etc.

So from that perspective I reckon it's a good advert. A chilled out opportunity to read books :)

I second that. To me, the ad expresses tranquility and comfort.

Saw this ad on the back cover of the New Yorker around January.

The error is the sign. It definitely shows a person reading a paper book.

The error is the sign. It definitely shows a person reading a paper book.

Isn't that the whole point of the Ad? That the seats reserved for reading paper books are all empty, because everyone is now using a Reader?

If you look at the ad closely, the sign is clearly added in to it - the shadow is wrong compared with the shadow of the seats.

Well, Alex, my impression was it looked like a library, and indicated spaciousness (like traveling light by not carrying a bunch of books).

But now that you've pointed that out, I think it ruined the ad for me - as you said, something does seem to not quite fit.

For one, normally there is so much talking and phone calling going on at the terminal that it can even be hard for me to watch a video with earphones while I wait. Most of my reading is on the plane itself.

For another thing, like you pointed out, it gives me the feel like it's a future tech device that nobody wants to try. It would be nice if there were people waiting, maybe even struggling to hold their book and luggage, and away from the main crowd was a cool dude and his wife traveling light, reading comfortably in peace, each with a Sony Reader. That effect would be great if it ever goes to a TV commercial - with video you could pan from the craziness and crowding of the area with regular book readers away to the calm in-control peace where the Reader readers are. You could even show someone trying to read or watch a video on a laptop, sitting on the floor awkwardly because they had to plug in their laptop!

Hmmm... and I thought the ad was really nice when I first saw it because it was so reflective of a library and the spacious clean feeling that having a Reader instead of paper books provides.

Aha, still the ad does not work. It means that it is too subtle even for the non-casual reader.

I like the photo of the airport.. if it was full of people it would look cluttered and uncomfortable, and it would be harder to imagine taking a seat and having a read.

I've been to plenty of airports that have empty rows of seats just a little away from the main throng, they're much more pleasant than being among impatient kids etc.

So from that perspective I reckon it's a good advert. A chilled out opportunity to read books :)

I agree. I think the ad is about spaciousness, lack of clutter, clean lines, etc. That is exactly the kind of spot I would want to wait for my departure, even if it were away from my gate. It invites you to sit down and read. It makes reading easy and enjoyable when traveling, and I think that is one benefit of the Reader.

:shrug:

i always thought a cool ad would be to print a reader in actual size with a plastic sheet stuck onto it explaining e-ink technology and how the display would look just like the plastic sheet or something like that. This ad really lacks imagination, its simple and clean but I probably wouldn't give it a second look. :sleeping:

I agree that the empty space is wrong. The ad needs at least ONE person, quietly reading their reader! Better yet, a FEW additional people looking a bit frazzled or restless, clearly not at-ease, nearby.

I wonder if this is the ad as it was originally designed? The text suggests there might just perhaps have been a pile of paperbacks on one chair that some passanger couldn't take along.

However, second thought would not have been 'some passenger sure wanted to read a lot', but perhaps 'Oh, so that airline is usually *very* late if someone brought that much to read ...'.

The sign has the feel of an afterthought to me, as signs next to gates tend to indicate where unaccompanied children and the physically disadvantaged should sit if they need help. And that's probably not what Sony wants to suggest either ... ?

A bit too open-ended, that ad. But it *is* an eyecatcher, and reading is somehow 'in the air', even without the sign.

:shrug:

i always thought a cool ad would be to print a reader in actual size with a plastic sheet stuck onto it explaining e-ink technology and how the display would look just like the plastic sheet or something like that. This ad really lacks imagination, its simple and clean but I probably wouldn't give it a second look. :sleeping:

I come from a sales and marketing background, I used to work in advertising. In my opinion, Shawn, you hit the nail right on the head. This ad is easy to pass, it's great as one page of a 4 page brochure, but doesn't stand well by itself. Put a big picture of the reader in the ad, explain the features and benefits in the text of the reader, and THAT will stand out. this ad is very low key and casual, big photo of the face of the reader and it's blunt right there in your face.

This ad isn't horrible by any stretch, it's just too subtle, and not very eyecatching.

It did catch Alex's boss' eye.

:shrug:

i always thought a cool ad would be to print a reader in actual size with a plastic sheet stuck onto it explaining e-ink technology and how the display would look just like the plastic sheet or something like that

Haven't you seen them? They have stacks of those at Borders. They are Reader-size and made of thin cardboard that folds out paper-doll style - very similar in design to the ones Sony used with the PSP.

Regards,

Matt

These ads have been in the airline magazines ever since the Reader came out. You know those magazines you find in the seat pocket in front of you. Hit you when you're vulnerable. You are reading the airline mag because you finished off your book and don't want to have to go dig for another one. You then see the ad and wish you had one of those so you could have multiple books at your disposal without having to move and disturb your neighbors.

Now there's a good ad visual: Passenger #1 reading a cheesy-looking in-flight magazine, and looking not too happy about it, while passenger #2 is happily reading a reader next to him.

(I specified "him," because these days only males can be represented as dumb or luckless in advertisements. By extension, passenger #2 will invariably be female with a model's figure, well-dressed for business, and clearly smug about it!)

(Who's bitter?)

In my opinion the ad is negative in that it suggests that if you are using a Sony Reader you no longer have a place to sit.

I suspect the real reason the sitting area is empty? Saving money for the future ad campaign featuring Paris Hilton and the new Sparkle Cover. :D

Hmm... I'm not sure people would want to see a bunch of us in a newspaper ad. :wink:

No offense to anyone, I just don't have the most "popular media" friendly look.

-Adam

Hey, Sony... ignore alynch. I clean up real good! :D

Just remember, you cannot use your Reader during taxi, take-offs, and landing, as it is an electrical device that will interfere with the plane instruments. :rolleyes5

The look of the ad also isn't just about conveying some message, it's also about catching your eye. I think the ad looks very good, and the composition is just excellent.

If there were any people, the look would become less elegant and you wouldn't notice the ad. Even one person might spoil it.

Frankly, I don't know why you guys express such disbelief at seeing two rows of empty chairs at an airport. I see it lots of times, especially if you get to the airport early like you're supposed to.

P.S. the reason the ad for the Reader barely shows the Reader is because sony probably thought if the main subject of the ad was the prs500, it wouldn't impress because people wouldn't believe the screen. All screens in ads are photoshopped to be unrealistic, and so if Sony tried to impress you with the screen you'd think "yeah, right, whatever." There's nothing else to show off about the Reader, so you have an ad with a huge pic of an airport.

Want to know where the people are?

They all ran off to a SonyStyle store.

Well I guess the fact that you are dicussing it implies the marketing suceeded :)

Well I guess the fact that you are dicussing it implies the marketing suceeded :)

Do you say so?
Unfotunatelly, it is being dicussed by people who already have the reader and they don't have to be persuaded to buy it.

(where the "given" is that the author wants to promote his/her book AND understands technology--- so let's leave Rowling out of it, as her time too will pass ---), and combine the TWO in ONE ad and then sit back and see what happens.

Now: put them all ON a plane with a crowd of passengers OUT of their seats and reading over this person's shoulder who -- NOW, GET THIS! - is the OWNER of the SONY READER! (Make certain there is quick shot to indicate the plane has yet to take off.)

ASIDE: Sony, I'm still waiting for your negotiations with Knopf.


Don

My Sony Reader never gets noticed in public. The iLiad though, everyone thinks I've got some huge ancient PDA and they make comments like "Were those old Palm Pilots really that big"? :D

Now that Paris is headed for jail maybe she should be taking a Sony Reader with her to pass the time? Get on it Sony!

rofl.

I only jest; guess they are preaching to the allready converted :) Seriously, I accept we do need the product to suceed or we will have another bunch of ebooks that are as useful as 8 track audio cartridges. I recently spent $50 on books for my Palm T|X got hooked and ordered up the Sony Reader and now have to reby the bl))dy books again. I think I am going to start buying everything in MS Reader format and converting to .lit using Book Designer. Sony Reader should arrive today - I hope !

Keith

My Sony Reader never gets noticed in public. The iLiad though, everyone thinks I've got some huge ancient PDA and they make comments like "Were those old Palm Pilots really that big"? :D

Now that Paris is headed for jail maybe she should be taking a Sony Reader with her to pass the time? Get on it Sony!
Didnt I see a lot of post from you i the Illiad forum? Seem to recall you gave up on the product in the end. I seriously considered buying one but was concerned it could finish up a dead duck with the inherant hardware issue like battery life and reliability. ... Keith