Stop + Play
Sony Walkmen [Spec]
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Nineties nostalgia reigns, fashionistas favor wired earbuds, and just about everyone is fed up with the always-on overload of the internet:
The Walkman is ready to waltz back into our lives.Reintroduced in 2016 as a high-end audiophile device, Sony is primed to position the Walkman for wider consumer adoption.
The goal: Conceive a spec campaign to re-ignite interest in the Walkman among a younger, wider audience by connecting it to contemporary cultural trends — without losing the brand’s heritage and emotional resonance.
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Sony faces competition from modern streaming apps and multi-functional smartphones.
The challenge would be to position the Walkman not just as retro, but as a better, more intentional way to enjoy music in a world of constant interruptions. -
Simplicity is luxury.
In a culture of endless scrolling and work-life blurring, true escape isn't found by adding more — it’s found by stopping.
For music lovers, there's a growing hunger to disconnect from chaos and reconnect with pure listening. The Walkman offers exactly that: a dedicated device that lets you stop the noise and simply play.
The Line
STOP + PLAY
Thousands of songs, a thousand less distractions.
STOP + PLAY with the re-imagined Sony Walkmen.
Social Extention
The duality of the Stop + Play tagline makes it perfect for engaging swipe ads on social.
Influencer Activation
The irony isn’t lost on us. To deepen engagement without betraying the campaign’s anti-distraction ethos, we partnered with music-focused content creators across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Influencers received new Sony Walkmens — but with a twist: they couldn’t post on their channels about them. Instead, they selected five followers to receive a handwritten letter sharing the songs they were listening to, their reflections from a day offline, and personal messages.
After the experience, creators posted recap videos and Stories, reflecting on how it felt to disconnect, rediscover focused listening, and reintroduce analog creativity into their lives.