Teen golf sensation Michelle Wie hasn’t won a single tournament since turning pro, but sponsor Sony still plans to get its money’s worth.
Wie will be at the center of a Christmas holiday season ad blitz from the Japanese consumer electronics giant as part of a five-year, multimillion-dollar endorsement deal she signed last year.
While filming on the campaign hasn’t gotten underway, Sony execs were busily boasting of their 16-year-old star yesterday to a roomful of reporters at the swank Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the Time Warner Center.
The plan calls for Wie to hawk Sony products, ranging from high-definition screens to digital cameras in a series of TV spots. Sony declined to disclose how much it was spending on the campaign but described the amount as “significant.”
One ad will show Wie serving up Sony Cybershot cameras on a tray as if they were cookies. Another spot has her relaxing at home – in Hawaii where she grew up – with a snowman appearing on three Sony Bravia TVs.
Sony execs said the approach is unusual for the company, which typically rolls out individual ads for products rather than running an umbrella campaign.