News 2002
Virgin Mobile announces Sony Ericsson as its Official Phone Partner of V2002
29/05/2002
And Virgin Mobile unveils its plans for the festival
- Virgin Mobile Red Light Club – the first ever nightclub on site
- Music provided by Nuphonic Records and Grand Central Records
- Free SMS updates on V2002 news gossip and weather
- ‘Text the Fest’ is now ‘Foto The Fest’ with Sony Ericsson’s T68i + Communicam™
- Borrow a free phone for the weekend with the Sony Ericsson Trial and Dial service
- Festival ‘angels’ to assist festival virgins on site
- Sony Ericsson T68i Mobile Camera hit squads
- Free V2002 ringtone vouchers
- Free phone recharging points
- Free merchandise giveaways
Virgin Mobile today announced Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications UK as its Official Phone Partner in its sponsorship of V2002, and unveiled the activities they will be offering on site.
The V Festival is in its seventh year and the third Virgin Mobile has been the headline sponsor. Sony Ericsson will be the official phone partner with Virgin Mobile, and will be participating in a range of joint on-site activity. It will also be contributing a number of the newly released T68i and R600 phones to Virgin Mobile’s V2002 competitions and promotions.
Sony Ericsson will also be hosting the ‘Text The Fest’ jumbotron screens on site either side of the main stage, which were hugely popular last year and received 25,000 text messages. However, this year, thanks to the ‘hit squads’ armed with the Sony Ericsson T68i and Communicam camera attachments, who will be taking pictures of festival-goers and the stars backstage, and emailing them to the jumbotron screens, there will be an added element of ‘Foto the Fest’ too! The screens will play host to caption competitions, SMS interviews with bands, backstage candid pictures, ‘Hot or Not’ photo votes, and for those who see themselves on the screens there will be prizes!
Red Light Club
The highlight of Virgin Mobile and Sony Ericsson’s activity will be the Virgin Mobile Red Light Club, the first ever nightclub at the V festival. It will have a DJ booth, with music provided by Nuphonic Records (at Chelmsford) and the Grand Central Sound System (at Staffordshire), with a host of big name DJs to be announced over the coming weeks. There will be a hardwood dancefloor, a huge U-shaped bar, a video wall, a VIP bar for Virgin Mobile customers and a beer garden.
Text Updates
In the run up to the week-end and during V2002, festival-goers are be invited to register for free text updates on V2002 gossip, news and weather on site which Virgin Mobile will send free to mobile customers on any network. They can also recharge their phones free of charge at the Red Light Club, and even borrow a Sony Ericsson phone for the weekend on the ‘Trial And Dial’ scheme. Lucky festival-goers will also be able to claim their free V2002 ringtone vouchers, inflatable armchairs, inflatable phones and Sony Ericsson beach balls!
And if it all get too much…..
For those festival virgins who might find the scale of the event a little daunting, or who simply can’t manage to put up their own tent, there will be a team of ‘angels’, provided by Virgin Mobile and Sony Ericsson.
Peter Marsden, Director of Marketing at Sony Ericsson said: “Supporting Virgin Mobile at V2002 is a very exciting opportunity for Sony Ericsson. As a new brand in a highly competitive market, this gives us a chance to show the public what Sony Ericsson represents. Two major strengths of the new Sony Ericsson range are imaging and connectivity. We are pleased that we are able work with Virgin Mobile to showcase this in a fun and entertaining way at V2002.”
James Kydd, brand director of Virgin Mobile, said: “We are delighted to have Sony Ericsson on board with us at V2002. They have a long history of music sponsorship and industry expertise from both of the parent companies, and we are enjoying working with them and their innovative ideas on what we are sure will be the best V festival yet!
“Sponsoring a festival shouldn’t just be about plastering your logo everywhere, but should be about adding to the festival experience. We believe that with the excellent music of the Virgin Mobile Red Light Club, the Foto The Fest hit squads and screens, and the helpers to guide people around the huge festival site, we will be helping make it the festival of the year for 150,000 people!”
