Sony has hired Phipps PR for a pre-Christmas publicity blitz on the
latest offering for gadget geeks. AIBO is an interactive entertainment
robot that can recognise voices and understand 40 words, as well as take
photos. At around pounds 900, AIBO is not for kids, but in 1998 all
45,000 units of the first generation AIBO sold out - within 20 minutes
of going on sale. The second generation AIBO will be made to order, and
is available from 16 November. The account is headed by lifestyle
account director Imogen Russon and Phipps is tasked with heading the
European launch, which covers Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland, The
Netherlands and the UK.
