Chapter 5: Developing a Global Vision

Sony to switch PS4 marketing from ‘low-key’ to ‘high-impact’ in 2014

Sony will switch from the low-key marketing tactics used to generate early buzz around the launch of its PlayStation 4 (PS4) console in the UK to a more traditional multimillion effort next year in a bid to reach a broader audience beyond gamers.

It marks the transition into what the technology maker says is “highly visible” advertising after focusing the bulk of its media outlay on targeted promotions to gamers since the brand was first revealed in February.

TV, digital, cinema and outdoor activity will roll out nationwide in the coming weeks promoting the PS4’s “For the Players” strap line. The push will be supported by a retail drive that unifies the PS4, PS3 and PS Vita brands under an umbrella theme to try and pep up sales for all three during the campaign.

Sony has initially targeted gamers in the hopes of shifting 5 million PS4 consoles by the end of March. This strategy will change in Q1 next year, according to the business, as the console’s marketing moves from focusing just on games to promoting its entertainment and connectivity features. It is an approach Microsoft’s Xbox One has employed around the launch of its Xbox One to try and exploit demand over the festive period.  

Murray Pannell, Play station’s marketing director in the UK, told Marketing Week its battle with Microsoft’s counterpart will revolve more around the brands and what they stand for than any previous generation.

He adds: “This will be the biggest campaign in the PS brand’s history. What we’re doing through our marketing aims not just to reach the gamer but also impact the broader audience. These are the people we need to convince that if they aren’t already a PS fan then they need to be. In the not too distant future we’re going to accelerate into the more casual family and kids market.” 

Written by: Sebastian Joseph

 Site sourced: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/sony-to-switch-ps4-marketing-from-low-key-to-high-impact-in-2014/4008590.article

Sony goes global!!!

After releasing the PlayStation 4 in November and nearly doubling its sales compared to the Xbox One in one month in the US the console arrives in Japan. It’s a complete surprise that Sony delayed its release in Japan to dominate the western region of the world in time for the 2013 holiday season. Sony has sold more than 5.3 million units since its release and is still hard to find in stores in the US and in Europe. Sony calls this move the right move in their global vision to bring PlayStation to every corner of the globe. The Japan approach was fairly easy because in Japan the PlayStation 3 still holds dominance and is still in demand with upcoming games for the PlayStation 3 still yet to be released the PlayStation 4 was merely a present for gamers in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. In Japan the product is being offered in two bundles, a regular version that costs ¥41,900, and the other version that comes with the PlayStation camera peripheral for ¥46,100. With the Xbox One far from the Japan market and its popularity being slim to none compared to the PlayStation it’s no surprise that there is more than enough inventory for Japanese gamers to easily get their hands on the new console without having to wait on line.

With Sony having such strong sales in its first 90 days forecasters are predicting the console will not be available for at a free supply rate until April of this year. Its

 impressive how the demand for the console has been and how the market is responding to the PlayStation 4 not only in the US but globally as well. These predictions weren’t imagined by Sony upon release of the console but with such dominance over Xbox One at this point the sky is the limit and with critically acclaimed reviews and scarcity of the console in the US and other western regions in the world Sony is hard at work producing more consoles to be readily available for sale in its markets and stores.