MP3 players are no longer the hot property they were 10 years ago, but Sony has come up with a novel way to get people buying.
![](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/0ed08c3b69c7eb0509f30b34fc0a452e00c5b893/hub/2014/02/11/09c19b26-bf2e-11e3-bddd-d4ae52e62bcc/walkman_1.jpg?auto=webp&width=644)
(Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia)
Sony’s waterproof W-series Walkman has been around for a year or so, but, given that it’s a product with a very specific niche — people who don’t want to damage their phones with jolts of sweat or water while exercising — it probably hasn’t sold as well as the company would like.
Cue creative agency Draftfcb. In partnership with Sony, it devised a way to market the Walkman directly to its target demographic: by putting the Walkmans in bottles of water in vending machines. These vending machines were then placed at pools and gyms around New Zealand — right at the feet of its intended buyers.
No price was mentioned, but we’re guessing its got an RRP of NZ$99.95 (AU$99).