Yes, I’m back, and normal service will now be resumed, although we’re staying on the marketing theme. Nokia have set up an innovative new way to market their Comes With Music service, the one that lets people pack their mobile phones with songs (you know the one, the one that’s like iTunes but with free stuff thrown in).
So, what would be the best way to market your new mobile phones service? A viral video summoning demons, perhaps? Some guy who’s lost his memory, and needs mobile phones to find out who he is? (And yes, both those are genuine viral campaigns)
No. According to Music Radar, Nokia do things differently, and unleash the marketing power of park benches. Ok, granted, they’re not normal park benches, they’re park benches with Nokia ‘Comes with Music’ mobile phones, complete with headphones, embedded in them. You can sit and listen to the best sounds, and since each one’s tailored to where it is, you get the most popular acts in that region. Like, maybe, The Beatles in Liverpool. Or The Stone Roses in Manchester.
Or possibly The Wurzels, in Somerset…
Also, the benches are due to have live performers appearing in their vicinity up until Christmas (one per day, somewhere round the country), so if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see a top act doing their thang. However, if you’re unlucky, I’m betting you get the Bay City Rollers reject shown in the pic on this post. Nokia also say that the benches, and the mobile phones nestled inside them, will be protected by security guards, so no point trying to nick ‘em. Not that certain sections of youngsters today won’t give it a go, of course.
Although, I am kind of intrigued by the idea of seeing someone trying to hide a park bench under their shirt…
Check out the Nokia 5800, all set to be the first touchscreen ‘Comes with Music’ mobile phone! Park bench sold separately…
March 25th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
[...] seem to have done a few of them to promote their Comes With Music service. First off there were the Nokia park benches, with music phones embedded in ‘em (the bench comes with music, y’see). However, [...]