CES Shocker: Sony Sizzles with New Prototype Electric CAR

I attended CES for nine years straight at one point. It’s an amazing spectacle that everyone should get the chance to attend and drink in at least once. It’s fascinating from a marketing, communications and human perspective. All that said, after nine runs, I’m good. Forever.

That doesn’t mean I don’t still keep a keen eye on what’s going on there. And there was certainly one thing from last week’s CES 2020 that caught my eye…

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6fHmNvvEcE&w=854&h=480]

Yup, Sony unveiled a prototype electric car. The video itself is not groundbreaking. The CE giant’s decision to concept, build and, then, unveil an electric car at CES? Now, that is worth noting. Press have certainly done the same calling it “the best surprise of CES” and noting how “Sony’s electric car stuns CES.” 

This is/was a major initiative for Sony (building an electric car prototype is not a casual endeavor). It’s unclear whether Sony has any real intention of building a car for production. My guess would be no. However, it is smart brand marketing. It’s unexpected. It’s from a brand that obviously makes sense at CES. It speaks to their design capabilities (an increasingly important credential in the world of CE), and it leans into the trend of cars becoming a dominant topic at CES. I can see value from consumers to potential vendor partners to talent and beyond.

Most impressively, and key to the launch’s overall effectiveness from a PR perspective, was just how much of a surprise this was. A true shocker. From industry whispers, there was CIA-level confidentiality on this one — even within the walls of Sony. All except a precious few Sony executives were in on it from the get-go.

Other brand communicators were brought into the loop at the last potential second. And then, there it was. Spinning and grinning on a pedestal as if it was a veteran of industry car shows. That created a sense of unexpected interruption that ot of marketers like to talk about these days. Yup, it’s the “D-word.” Brand marketers take note. If you want a real lesson in “disruption,” take a look at this one from Sony. Disruptive by design. Vroom-vroom.