8MP cameraphones duel over advertising idea

PR brainstorming gives similar results

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22 October 2008 14:05 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

You're a mobile phone manufacturer and need to think of a way - outside the normal advertising channels - to promote your new 8-megapixel cameraphone. What do you do?

It seems Samsung and Sony Ericsson have come up with very similar ideas to promote their latest mobile phones.

Both companies have called in a professional photographer to use their new mobile phones hitting the shops this month, therefore giving the device's camera capabilities that extra bit of credible backing.

Sony Ericsson has commissioned professional photographer Matt Stuart to take photos using the 8.1-megapixel C905 Cyber-shot cameraphone.

To be used in the company's latest ad, a number of "enormous" photos taken by Matt Stuart using the C905 Cyber-shot camera phone are placed in unusual locations to demonstrate something or other about spontaneity.

Meanwhile, Samsung has "armed" well known street photographer Nick Turpin with a Pixon handset and "sent him on a journey that will be dictated by everyday consumers".

Each day, using the camera and geo-tagging capabilities of the Pixon handset, Nick will take a photo and upload it to the website for users to view and vote on his next shooting location.

As the Barenaked Ladies sagely say, it's all been done. Especially in public relations or marketing.