Though many may not realize, as a creative entertainment company, Sony reaches more people daily than most brands in the world through our technology and content, including music, movies/TV and games. Behind all that content is a community of world-class Creators, equipped with the right tools, technology and support, who push through obstacles to bring their vision to life.
We set out to create a campaign that spotlights the breadth of Sony and brings together the best of what we have to offer, in one spot: real Creators, collaboration, global entertainment IP, and the technology that underpins the creative process, all connected in one spot.
To do so, we wanted to capture the heart and soul behind creativity – the passion that drives every Creator to bring their vision to life. Though every creator has a unique journey, it's our shared drive and passion that connect us all. And by continuing to highlight the infinite possibilities when Creators join forces with Sony’s technology and creative community across entertainment, we hope to become the brand chosen by Creators around the world.
Most importantly, we wanted to evoke this message without saying too much, or handholding the audience through corporate messaging, so it could resonate across multiple global markets, in organic social and in paid media.
We aimed to seamlessly weave multiple real Creators, with Sony technologies used in the creative process and key entertainment IPs, in one connected narrative that both elevates the brand and is authentic to everyone represented. This time, we wanted to tell the story without using any voiceover, to make the message feel universal and capture the energy of the creative process in a music-driven spot.
To do so, we set the spot in a heightened reality – a carefully crafted, minimalist interpretation of a creative workspace, presented like a white void. That way, Creators’ scenes can seamlessly flow into one another, nodding to the shared experience of being in the creative zone while still showcasing the individuality of their own process. We devised transitions that stem from the physicality of each scene to jump to the next, to evoke the sense that each of the crafts are connected.
We drafted the script from our large pool of categories and closely collaborated with all Sony groups to enrich the concept, and hone in on the most relevant Creators and IPs to feature, a mix of emerging and high-profile. All teams were highly excited to participate, and helped develop custom materials to support the story, including never-before-seen peeks at how characters like Venom are animated in the movie.
Over the course of a tight :60 spot, we were able to showcase a strong range of creative talent and processes, including:
It was important for us to credit all Creators and Sony categories shown, and to build on that further on social through collaboration posts and showcasing them to a wide audience. The technology had to be integrated in an authentic, organic way - merely supporting the creative process.
Music was a crucial component of this spot as the propulsive force behind the narrative. We were excited to partner with producer Tomoko Ida to not only have her appear in the video but also compose original music to score the campaign itself – the hero video and the other 10 shorter variants.
We landed on ‘Create Your Way’ as the overarching message, integrated into the narrative of the video, to celebrate both how Creators create in their own unique way and their path forward as Creators. And ultimately, we wanted to show that from every beat to every frame, we're here to help you create your way.
We’re proud of what we achieved not only creatively, but collaboratively in our joint mission to elevate and celebrate Creators. We were able to distill the breadth of Sony in 60 seconds – without a word of voiceover. The connecting thread between musicians, filmmakers, game designers, etc. is the magic of the creative process, and Sony is here to support every step of the way.
The ongoing campaign has been extremely successful. On social, the spot was the first Instagram collab between all major Sony groups: Sony, Music, Electronics, Pictures, Music Publishing and PlayStation – presenting a unified story to our different audiences as the brand for Creators.
This was a global campaign, and it connected with audiences across cultures. In paid media across Japan, UK and India, the campaign doubled benchmarks, with 70M impressions and 22M views. In the US, the campaign is on track to outperform goals with 70M impressions and 14M views.
We have a unique opportunity – and challenge – to bring a range of entertainment & technology and Creators together. We’re excited to continue telling stories that celebrate the individual passion of Creators, and the collaborative world of creative possibilities that unites us at Sony.
