Sony Ericsson is joining the conversation with Idou

Disappointing not to see an Android-phone from the Sony Ericsson MWC press conference. But one thing is interesting. For the first time (as far as I know), Sony Ericsson used the internal project name for a phone in public and as part of the launch (at least according to Engadget). The phone is called Idou.

Why is this significant? Well, most companies do like this: before a product is launched it has an internal project name. The final name of the product is decided by the product manager and marketing department right before launch. Up until then, the phone is a secret, so the internal project name can not be leaked. It’s super-secret and very sensitive information.

But now Sony Ericsson is using this name in public, as part of the launch. When I worked for the company a few years ago, this would have been a big no-no. There were (and still are) numerous rumor sites showing pictures of upcoming devices and Sony Ericsson did all they could to stop this. But, this means all the buzz, all the conversation, will be about a product name that’s not “endorsed” by the company. That also means all the Google searches will go to web sites beyond Sony Ericssons control. Sony Ericsson employees will also be forced to use a different term for the same product that their greatest fans are discussing.

That is pretty bad conversation architecture.

I don’t know if this is a shift in the way Sony Ericsson launch their products or just a one time coincidence, but it’s at least interesting that they are lifting the veil just a little bit and opening up to be part of the conversation. It reamins to see if they keep the name when the phone hits the stores, but I doubt it.