The target audience were mainly Samsung and Apple customers, simply because almost all smartphone users in the Middle East own one or the other. We wanted to ignite the imaginations of the curious ones, the adventurous types. For them, the underwater store created a totally new kind of experience, one they could share with their friends and talk about for years to come – and one that only Xperia Z3 could make possible.

The world’s first underwater store offered potential Sony customers a unique one-to-one interaction with the Xperia Z3 range, demonstrating its waterproof feature in a way they had never experienced before. This incredible environment was designed not only to generate buzz for Sony, but also to encourage direct sales of Xperia during the time the store was open and in the weeks after.

The underwater store was located five metres under the sea, just off the coast of Dubai. A store entrance was installed on the edge of the beach, leading curious people out into the water to then dive down to the store. Inside (where they could breathe normally thanks to an air circulation system) they could get their hands on the full Xperia Z3 product range, put them under the water, learn about their features from the store assistants, take pictures, and upload them live through in-store Wi-Fi. The store was open for just under a week during December 2014, in which time almost 30% of visitors left with an Xperia product. Everyone else was given vouchers to spend in Sony’s land stores.

One month from the store’s opening, Xperia sales had increased 115%, with retailers across Dubai selling out of Xperia products for over a week. Brand preference was up 4 points, and our brand sentiment score jumped to 91% positive (compared to a Sony global average of 40%). As our story spread from Dubai to more than 80 countries around the world, it was picked up in articles by Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired, GQ, Gizmodo, CNN, and T3. We also received global TV coverage, including a Discovery Channel documentary. Our online film earned over 5 million views, and Sony’s Twitter followers increased by 21%. In total, the campaign generated an earned media value of over $4.5 million and more than 97 million media impressions.

Sony Mobile aims to spark consumers’ curiosity through its Xperia smartphone range, helping them to see the extraordinary in the everyday. But given that Apple and Samsung own more than 80% of the Middle East mobile market, it was clear that people weren’t interested in Sony. To win “share of pocket” vs. iPhone and Galaxy, we needed to steal attention away from the giants – which meant doing something totally different. The launch of Xperia Z3, the first ever fully waterproof mobile range, was our opportunity.