SanDisk, Don’t Ad Campaign For Sansa E200 Series mp3 Players

SanDisk has recently decided to take Apple head on. Rolling out their latest oxymoronic ad campaign targeted at being the next Apple – enter SanDisk’s “iDon’t” campaign.

The website manifesto reads, “Calling all free thinkers, contrarians, and malcontents. The time has come to rise up against the iTatorship. To resist the monotony of white earbuds and reject the oppressive forces of cultural conformity. Now is the time to break-free from restrictive formats and a single source for music. It’s time for choice, for freedom, for self-expression–and for all spirits to stand up and say ‘iDon’t’ You don’t need to follow. There is now an alternative.”

The iDon’t campaign currently, centers around SanDisk’s Sansa e200 series mp3 players that are poised to go after Apple’s iPod nano share of the smaller capacity flash memory-based mp3 players.

Its a hoot for a marketing case study and we’re sitting this one out to see the results. It seems that SanDisk is trying to beat Apple at their own game and the psychological dilemma facing consumers will be another interesting aspect to analyse.

This inadvertently, begs the question of whether the marketing guys at SanDisk are remotely aware of what they are up against? Sure, they’ve made their way to MacRiot and gained exposure through this article. If that is the intention, then one up for the SanDisk guys. Riding on Apple’s marketing by creating a buzz with their own but, lets take a look at the product itself.

At the center of the iDon’t campaign is the e200 series mp3 players from SanDisk. A flash memory-based mp3 players possessing a form factor that is not vastly different from Apple’s existing iPod nano series mp3 players. Replacing Apple’s familar touchwheel navigation, with button-based navigation presented in a circular arrangement with a visible attempt, to top Apple’s iPod nano with a larger display. It couldn’t escape our observations but at a glance, the e200’s UI interface can easily be mistaken for that of a Sony Ericsson cell phone.

Although, we haven’t had the opportunity to actually play with a live demo model of the e200 series, its arguable that their button-based navigation may be a welcome change from the sometimes difficult touchwheel interface of the iPod nano. Given the incredible small form factor, that makes holding the iPod nano whilst attempting to spin the touchwheel some what a black art in finger gymnastics. However, it has to be said that a lot still depends on the actual UI navigation interface of the e200 series, in addition to the introduction of button-based navigation.

Despite SanDisk’s galant attempt to ‘be different’, the similarities in form factor between the e200 series and the iPod nano are obvious. However, truth be told, if the contest was decided on looks alone, we’d still go with the iPod nano. The e200 series somehow appears to lack the glitz and sleek lines of the iPod nano. Coming into the market, like something you’d expect to see issued in the US army. With its bomb proof looking, hard lines.

Unlike the iPod nano, the e200 series touts the ability to function as a digital FM-receiver (only available outside of Europe), on-the-fly FM recorder, as well as a voice recorder. There’s no mention of photo display ability, so one ponders the reason for the lager display?

The e200 series basically comes into the fray sporting 3 models, the e250, e260 and e270. Supporting 2GB, 4GB and 6GB memory capacity, respectively.

To be fair, the e200 series does come into the market at a very competitive ‘price-per-GB’ value. Giving the iPod nano a thorough thrashing across the capacity categories.

The e200 series also comes with a user replaceable and rechargeable Lithium Ion battery which again may be a welcome change. Apple on the other hand, does not design the iPods with this feature and although there are a plethora of after market iPod batteries now available, the iPod nano remains one of the most difficult iPods to crack open.

So, if you’re in the market for a small form factor, low capacity mp3 player now there’s a choice of whose ‘sheep’ you’d like to be. Although, Apple doesn’t scream their iPod evangelism from the rooftops; it has reached the masses. SanDisk now playing on this, is prompting you politely to be ‘their sheep’.

If you ask us, despite its shortcomings, we’d still go iPod. There’s something more appealling in the product itself being that it caters to both Windows and Mac markets. Added to that, if you ever manage to lay your hands on one, you’d quickly understand why there’s a cult of Mac out there. Sheep or otherwise,…there’s something to be said about it being part of a whole solution, whilst SanDisk just makes the e200 series mp3 player.