Sony puts spotlight on its new smartphone Xperia Ion

Like many cellphone vendors, Sony is marketing its latest phone with an emphasis on everything but its original purpose: talking.

Instead the company is using the US introduction of its Xperia Ion to highlight the entertainment experiences a person can have using the device, like playing video games and watching movies.

Since Sony is also an entertainment company, the Xperia Ion ad campaign is an opportunity to highlight Sony-owned content like the coming Spider-Man movie, music by the duo Matt and Kim, and PlayStation video games. The device, a 4G LTE Android phone, will be available through AT&T and will cost $99.99.

"This is not just about launching a device," said Peter Farmer, the vice president for marketing for Sony Mobile in North America. "It's about establishing credibility and visibility for Sony in the smartphone space."

Devoted gamers may remember the February announcement of the ad campaign for the PlayStation Vita, a hand-held game console. The campaign for the Xperia Ion is similar to the Vita's because it also focuses on the ability to experience content on the go.

The television commercial, which will make its debut on Monday on cable stations like TNT, USA and TBS, is called "One Block." The spot features a young man walking home as he passes by a Matt and Kim concert and a scene from the Spider-Man movie, then is tackled by a soldier from a war-themed video game. In the Vita commercial, a young man has similar encounters with virtual characters as he makes his way around a city.

The effort is also a series of firsts for Sony. It's the first time Sony Mobile Communications, the company's mobile phone division, has introduced a phone in the United States since it broke ties with the Ericsson brand. The Xperia Ion is also the first 4G phone for Sony, and it is the company's first Sony-branded smartphone in the United States.

Phones with 4G technology, a more advanced form of wireless technology, are rapidly gaining popularity, according to data released by Nielsen, with consumers younger than 34 most likely to have already bought a 4G phone.

"Specifically we are talking to people who crave entertainment experiences," said Thomas Murphy, a creative director at McCann Erickson, the agency that worked on the campaign.

Sony said the campaign is estimated to have cost in the "mid-eight figure" range.