Why Motorola and Sony Ericsson need to 'get' it

I'm in the PR business here in Manila and I can relate to Steve's experience. What he had gone through during the Sony Ericsson and Motorola events is just sheer PR nightmare! It's stupid not to allow members of the media to document and shoot photos of such significant events. Sony Ericsson and Motorola spent for their events anyway so they should have milked every drop of publicity out of it. It's a shame that Sony Ericsson and Motorola did not have the smarts to think otherwise.

Next time, just put the timer on and place the E90 on your trousers back pocket. With the camera standing outside. And bang!

That does sound shocking.

Surely the main point of a branded-store is to promote the brand, so why refuse the press permission to take pictures of it? Sony Ericsson need their heads examined if they think this no-photos policy is going to help them get the word out about SE phones.

And if Motorola didn't want people taking pictures of the Z10, why the heck did they have it on public display at an event that anyone (even non-press, non-industry people) can attend? It's like holding a press conference without allowing anyone to record what you say.

As Steve says, money is no excuse, it costs absolutely nothing to allow people to take photos.

Create, Edit and Blog videos or images EASILY anywhere (well almost anywhere!!)

I saw the break dancers etc at Moto's stand - I didn't have a clue what they were there for! Now i know. lol

Curiously enough, Esato were allowed to take photos in the store in their store review

Sounds like the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. But, then again the store is run for SE by Carphone Warehouse...

Hi Steve,

I too belong to the PR Business and quite frankly am shocked to the core to what Ruel S., rightfuly mentioned as the PR nighmare.

But i believe, this is not a stand alone incident and there had been factual incorrections in what was being told to you at the London Sony Ericsson Experience store. As far as i can remember, India alone boasts of over 28 such stores.

So the reason to shy away from the media is clear...absence of correct information. Now, on being told that you were from media and would like to quote the gentleman at the store along with the pictures, he was just trying to save his job when he denied to let you do so.

What i feel Sony Ericsson needs to do here is frame a clear cut policy for the media and train the staff managing the experience stores to handle such media queries and cooperate with the media. Also, there should be a media drop in box, where the journalist who would like to approach the Sony Ericsson management can drop in their contact details, and Sony Ericsson gets in touch with them within 48 hours without fail.

These things in place, am sure is going to be a win win situation for all...the publication, its readers and of course for the company as well.

Just hope that someone pays heed to these suggestions or can come up with better suggestions that can be implemented.

- Adish

Adish, the London SE store was announced has the first of its kind when it opened, with more to folow in other European cities...

Regarding the article, i 100% agree...SE, Moto and UIQ should really look to what Nokia/S60 are doing, and change their behaviour

Hi,

this article was posted on Oct 24, 2007. Hence am sure the incident took place within last week. and TBQ, the sales person said, "Sir, this is the only one in the world!".

am sure that there must be many more such stores...agree it could be first of its kind but certainly not one of its kind.

about the article, it might be true in that part of the world but with the Indian media, without Sony Ericsson, no story is complete and Sony Ericson always keeps the media fraternity excited about what's more to come.

if you want, i might be able to help you with some online links, to support whatever i say....

and yes...am not being defensive... 😊 cheers!

Motorola were amazing at the Smartphone Show. Early in the morning (before the public arrived) I was told that while I couldn't take any photos or screen caps of the Z10, they were finished hardware. 20 minutes later, Steve's told they're not finished.

By lunchtime, they were "a concept handset that's nothing like anything we're releasing, and most of these features won't see the light of day".

It did make a mockery of the whole thing when I saw 10 Z10s sitting next to each other on the stand in the morning! (I shouldn't have asked before taking that photo)

Yeah, they don't know how to court the press, and they DEFINITELY don't know how to court their smartphone customers (in fact they treat them as if they don't exist at all after having bought the phone).

SE in particular really need lessons in PR. Why hire Saatchi and Saatchi to run expensive ad campaigns if you don't follow through with basic communication ?

And yes, SE, the online world and the blogosphere really do exist...and they're talking about you....

I agree with the comments of Adish. The staff should have been trained on how to properly handle media queries and a highly-skilled media relations officer should have been present throughout the event's duration.

And as one unregistered user mentioned, I don't see the point why these big companies pay big bucks to major ad and PR companies like Saatchi & Saatchi (Sony Ericsson) and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Motorola).

There are pics of the Z10 here:

http://blog.mobiles.co.uk/mobile-news/motorola-concept-phone-at-the-symbian-smartphone-show/

The Z10 will be a pretty decent handset when it's finally launched but going back to the main topic....
Motorola definitely do NOT get it.
Behaviour at the Symbian expo was pathetic.
Earlier this year they stopped people taking pix on their stand at 3GSM in Barcelona and basically treated anyone that wasn't from an mobile phone operator like sh1t.
The year before at CTIA in vegas I witnessed people being trated equally shabbily on the Motorola stand.
Motorola's attitude towards its public sux 😡

I got a free SE w85i with my t mobile contract, used it only a few times but my nokia E70 is my life.

First you talked to salesmen in a shop: what do you expect from those guys when it comes to deal with the press? They probably don't have any training and the safe stance in that case, probably was to have nothing to do with a journalist rather than doing something wrong. I might have done the same. An unexpected journalist certainly was suspicious to them (an in the movies, the bad guys are always unexpected cablemen or reporters or delivery guys 😊

Regarding Motorola at the smartphone show, we can safely bet that they got a PR briefing. However, when i asked (yes, i was there) them if I could take pictures, the politely told me no, because this was a "concept device" (read "prototype"😉. Anyone who claims to know even a bit of the mobile word is aware that manufacturers don't like to show prototypes to the press. I guess it's a matter of avoiding to set expectations on something that's bound to change.

The point about Steve's post is that it was very very clear to everyone in the know that the phone being shown at the Smartphone Show was and is the Z10. It was not some "prototype" which won't make it to market, it's a device which was meant to be released in October this year, however has now been delayed.

It's not as though Motorola can even claim it doesn't exist, as unfortunately for them O2 leaked the Z10 some time ago.

in fact, the pr of nokia in bulgaria sucks. they are represented by the greek company alpha copy, which doesn't give any phone for test purposes, so it's impossible to make a review of the new models for my work site. in the same time local representatives of sony ericsson and motorola are very helpful in providing their latest phones long before their market appearance.

the irony of all is that i love nokia, but i'm simply forced to write reviews for other brands. ok, maybe bulgaria is a small market, but here the finns are still the most popular mobile manufacturer.
i don't know, should i contact nokia directly or what?

Regarding Motorola at the smartphone show ... Anyone who claims to know even a bit of the mobile word is aware that manufacturers don't like to show prototypes to the press.

...if they didn't want to show the Z10 to the press, why did they have it on full view at a public event attended by the press, consumers and rival manufacturers?

Moto's behaviour at the show made no sense. Banning photos at a public stand is the equivalent of a pub banning drinking.