Sony plans to market its pint-size Vaio P Series notebook to the fashion set over the next two weeks by sending laptop-toting models to bars, hotels, and other public spaces around the city. Visitors to Grand Central Terminal caught the first glimpse of the stunt Friday afternoon.
Wearing the styles of six up-and-coming designers—Threeasfour, Elise Overland, and Libertine among them—Sony’s so-called “live mannequins” will infiltrate different venues in demonstrations ranging from the obscure to the mundane. In spaces like Grand Central, choreographer Johnny Byrne had the models posing with the laptops in unusual, synchronized contortions, but in more intimate spots like Lower East Side bars Spitzer's and Libation, the models silently used the computers as Sony’s targeted customers would, checking Facebook or communicating with friends.
Produced and cast by Jack Morton Worldwide, the elaborate P Series launch will eventually find its way to the Bryant Park tents on February 13 and 14. Models will be deployed out front and inside to garner maximum attention. The campaign also features on online element with behind-the-scenes footage of Fashion Week preparations and a YouTube channel to showcase customer testimonials and impressions.
As for the participating designers, Sony’s partnership doesn’t involve sponsorship for runway shows; it merely offers a chance to showcase the designs while appealing to a clientele that might be in the market for a notebook that can fit in a purse. Once the stunt is over, the designers' clothes will be featured in window displays in Sony stores across the country—including its New York flagship, which will host a launch party on February 11.
