SVP of Imageworks Interactive chats about the company's transition to a full-service interactive agency and gives advice for developing entertainment brand campaigns and more.
Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment recently announced that its digital marketing and production group has joined forces with Sony Pictures Imageworks, the Academy Award winning, state-of-the-art digital production studio dedicated to the art of visual effects production and character animation. Imageworks Interactive will function as a full-service agency and be offering its services to clients outside of the Sony Pictures family.
Jodi Harris: This is a bold move for a film studio. How did the transition to a full-service agency happen? What factors encouraged Sony to tackle business outside its own comfort zone?
Emmanuelle Borde is senior vice president of Imageworks Interactive, the full-service interactive agency and digital marketing arm of Sony Pictures Imageworks. She is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the group and for overseeing the creative, marketing, production, technology, and product development in support of the interactive efforts, both online and mobile, of Imageworks Interactive’s clients.
Emmanuelle Borde: While the Imageworks Interactive name is new, the nature of our business has not changed over the years. We've always acted as a full-service interactive agency, offering comprehensive digital marketing strategy, online research, customer relationship management, product development, technology infrastructure and website design and development to our various Sony clients, from Columbia Tristar Worldwide Marketing Group to Sony Pictures Television to the Home Entertainment division. What has changed significantly in the past few years is the volume and scope of work in each area of services we provide to our clients. For instance, community marketing used to refer to building and monitoring a message board. Today, it includes a wide variety of programs including social networking initiatives, multimedia blogs, RSS, widgets and an array of Web 2.0 tools.
The transition to a full-service interactive agency has happened in a very natural way, following the growth of digital marketing within the studio's marketing efforts. Even though we are part of the Sony Pictures family, we've always considered ourselves as an agency and the various Sony Pictures divisions we support as clients.
Digital marketing and client services are definitely our comfort zone.
For Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment, coupling the marketing and production group with Imageworks was a natural fit. Imageworks Interactive expands the full range of services offered by Imageworks, and we are benefiting from Imageworks' experience in infrastructure management, artist development and client services in terms of working successfully with both Sony and non-Sony clients.
Harris: Have you started working with any non-Sony clients yet? Will Imageworks Interactive focus on entertainment marketing or is the plan to branch out and work with other category marketers?
Borde: The addition of outside businesses to our client roster actually started years ago through our Global Promotions and Strategic Alliances initiatives. We got to pitch and build various projects from companies like Intel, American Express, Ford, Rayovac and Qwest.
These projects were different from the type of projects we were used to and we saw a great opportunity to grow our expertise and business while bringing diversity to our work. Joining the Imageworks family is the perfect opportunity to solidify our role as an agency for both internal and external clients.
Every marketer strives to create an enticing, entertaining and relevant campaign that will resonate with its target audience. We know how to entertain and interact with audiences and customers. We are always continuing to build our expertise in global brand management and the extension of major brands into the digital space. We know the digital world and we are constantly pushing the envelope of technology. Our skills are highly transferable to other businesses.