I belive for the most of us it is the games so you can more say it's games loyalty for the exclusives we like best not the brand itself IMO.
How to sell next-gen consoles, Marketing, Positioning, and Pricing [2020]
- Thread starter steveOrino
- Start date
I just want to make it clear I'm not judging anyone everyone can make there own choice, I was just saying it's not the way I think that's all.
I'm probably going to be in the same position or even worse because of flipping lockdown, only to be able to get one console and even that is looking like a dope dream at the moment.
Yea that's fine. I'm not going to fault people for being loyal, they have their reasons, we just haven't asked.
I was about 95% PC before switching to Xbox, and now at the end of the gen I've switched back, I inherited a switch, but aside from buying party games for my children, ti's not something I'm actively pursuing to play with. I'll pickup the PS5 next gen to round things out when I see some titles I want to try. But likely, it's going to be pure PC again for me.
Another huge thing is people don't try both consoles before they buy. If I had tried an XB1 and then PS4 before picking one (which I never actually did; my PS4 was a present 
) I would have picked PS4 on the interface, controller, and 'feel' without any real regard for the graphics. I guess if I had two consoles to try and the interfaces were similar and one was clearly inferior graphics, I'd base my choice on that.
But we don't experience both consoles, not even close. We have vague ideas what they're like and just take a punt on one. In those cases, the devil you know is the safer bet. What if you pick the other console one generation and end up with something you really don't like, such as the controller or interface? You'll regret that purchase very quickly (even if over time you'd become accustomed to it and maybe grow to accept the differences, or even prefer them).
That where marketing is most important. Just showing games is actually pretty weak IMO. There's so much more to the experience. I could probably be coaxed to a platform on a showcase of a nice OS! Show me a console that can power on in seconds, power off instantly, navigate intuitively, that looks good with some nice polish and flash. I don't want to have to learn how to use it. I want it to work the way I think.
) I would have picked PS4 on the interface, controller, and 'feel' without any real regard for the graphics. I guess if I had two consoles to try and the interfaces were similar and one was clearly inferior graphics, I'd base my choice on that. But we don't experience both consoles, not even close. We have vague ideas what they're like and just take a punt on one. In those cases, the devil you know is the safer bet. What if you pick the other console one generation and end up with something you really don't like, such as the controller or interface? You'll regret that purchase very quickly (even if over time you'd become accustomed to it and maybe grow to accept the differences, or even prefer them).
That where marketing is most important. Just showing games is actually pretty weak IMO. There's so much more to the experience. I could probably be coaxed to a platform on a showcase of a nice OS! Show me a console that can power on in seconds, power off instantly, navigate intuitively, that looks good with some nice polish and flash. I don't want to have to learn how to use it. I want it to work the way I think.
Brand loyalty is probably made up of a few factors for most people.
Games, both type and legacy
Company, how you perceive them
Even friends I guess, the in crowd, friends group etc.
All those things can make you loyal to a brand.
It's one of the reasons i think that getting of to a good start is important for the console that is coming from behind.
Momentum counts for a lot. Not just the head line figures in the first few months, that can hide the fact you're not building momentum the way you need to.
You can pull some people across to your platform, but you need to grab mindset from the start.
Games, value, performance, messaging, you could argue that getting any wrong could really affect how well you do especially for ms coming from behind. Sony will be given the benefit of the doubt. Not fanboy comment, they've earned it overall, and it's just the way it is.
Games, both type and legacy
Company, how you perceive them
Even friends I guess, the in crowd, friends group etc.
All those things can make you loyal to a brand.
It's one of the reasons i think that getting of to a good start is important for the console that is coming from behind.
Momentum counts for a lot. Not just the head line figures in the first few months, that can hide the fact you're not building momentum the way you need to.
You can pull some people across to your platform, but you need to grab mindset from the start.
Games, value, performance, messaging, you could argue that getting any wrong could really affect how well you do especially for ms coming from behind. Sony will be given the benefit of the doubt. Not fanboy comment, they've earned it overall, and it's just the way it is.
Consumer loyalty must first be earned, then it needs to be maintained. As long as it's maintained, the consumers stop looking elsewhere because they continue to be satisfied with what they get. The PS4 sold well at launch based on the expected games, not the launch games, because PS3 had accumulated a big list of well received franchises, and they continued to deliver new AAA franchises, PS4 delivered above expectations which will maintain consumer loyalty.
And from the other side, it's difficult to steal a customer from the competition regardless of any superior aspect, or superior games offering, because as long as these consumers are happy with what they get, they won't look in your direction. Sony releasing a couple award winning games on PC was done for that reason, and they said this openly. It's a reasonable strategy.
The biggest drops we saw in consumer loyalty:
ps2 to ps3: launch at an inaccessible price, low production volume, horrible games for the entire first year, then it recovered with price drop and uncharted and R&C, and continued to deliver new AAA, and continued to sell well for the rest of the generation.
wii to wiiu: superb launch numbers, everyone expected all the beloved nintendo franchises, then it turned into a disaster without much games even from nintendo. Sales never recovered.
360 to xb1: Launch was 1:1.5 against ps4, not bad considering the drama and price, still the launch year was the most competitive, it sold well to the loyal consumers expecting a 360-era games output. It dropped below 1:2 afterwards and never recovered. They didn't deliver what was expected.
Great games need to be expected for a good launch, and those games need to be delivered to keep the sales going.
And from the other side, it's difficult to steal a customer from the competition regardless of any superior aspect, or superior games offering, because as long as these consumers are happy with what they get, they won't look in your direction. Sony releasing a couple award winning games on PC was done for that reason, and they said this openly. It's a reasonable strategy.
The biggest drops we saw in consumer loyalty:
ps2 to ps3: launch at an inaccessible price, low production volume, horrible games for the entire first year, then it recovered with price drop and uncharted and R&C, and continued to deliver new AAA, and continued to sell well for the rest of the generation.
wii to wiiu: superb launch numbers, everyone expected all the beloved nintendo franchises, then it turned into a disaster without much games even from nintendo. Sales never recovered.
360 to xb1: Launch was 1:1.5 against ps4, not bad considering the drama and price, still the launch year was the most competitive, it sold well to the loyal consumers expecting a 360-era games output. It dropped below 1:2 afterwards and never recovered. They didn't deliver what was expected.
Great games need to be expected for a good launch, and those games need to be delivered to keep the sales going.
D
Deleted member 11852
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I didn't quite follow this, but I think I disagree. If you discount some form of entertainment based on the manufacture/studio/distributor, you are depriving yourself of more choice - and good games unless you happen is dislike every single game, which would be statistically improbable!
Unless you only exist in a PlayStation or Xbox games marketing microcosm, not consuming any news or buzz from the other platform, you're going to be aware of great games on the platform you don't have. I do recognise the symptom of not knowing what you're missing until you've actually played a game though. I have overlooked so many games because they didn't appeal then when I tried it I was blown away by it.
Yea, I mean. It's one of those situations where a person has only eaten locally their whole lives. And then compare it to a person who has traveled the world eating the world's finest. Their palettes are going to be very different.
I don't want to say to the person whose only eaten locally that they don't have good taste in food, but you can't convince them of something that only they have control over for themselves. I know a person who only likes chicken and not steak or fish etc because their parents never made those other foods for them. Etc. Some people don't like sushi because they can't venture into raw-food territories etc. There are some foods out there that I can't eat either and I'm pretty open to a lot of things.
So yea, I get where you're coming from, I don't want to tell the guys that if all you play is Call of Duty you're a bad gamer. lol.
It's their time, they're welcome to do whatever they want with it. No issue on my back if they don't try some other great titles.
Depends, ive always liked Sony consoles because of their games, up untill the PS2 atleast. During PS2/PSX, they had much more exclusives, nowadays it's maybe 10 really big budget games for a seven year timespan, and all of them happen to be 3rd person cinematic adventure/action oriented. So yes, it's possible swap platform or abandon it during lifetime.
Ye, fits my above description somewhat. Exclusivety isn't that much of a thing anymore as it was with previous generations, less titles i'd miss, less reason to get the platform.
I'm in the same boat, thinking the same. I'm a diehard pc gamer but have had a PS for the exclusives, the ones that intrest me atleast, but a PS5 is going to have to offer more exclusives that dont land on PC warranting me a buy. Maybe later in the gen, but then again it seems more of their games land on PC. Can't decide anything yet, that will take a few years for the PS5 (and XSX, its still a thing
), to accumulate aaa games i think.Nope, they are exploiting releasing their games on PC, probably after some years it has been on PS, when the sales are exhausted, and reach more sales, the PC is a different market, some just won't buy a console.
Please don't take pity on me for depriving myself of playing PS4 games. Whatever. I play awesome & great games on the platform I chose for a number of different factors. I decided that the cost involved investing in another platform is not economical feasible. And I've seen the other games & decided it's probably for the best. I can get as good if not better on the one I have.
Tommy McClain
Tommy McClain
Difficult yes, but the time to try to do it is with a new generation.
That there's fighting talk! Game lists at 20 paces.
D
Deleted member 11852
Guest
I don't think this has anything to do with brand loyalty, I think this is actually a sign of a healthy impartial market where the majority are not blindly buying brand x.
It does show it's a weak bond. But it also shows what makes it break. It doesn't go from 50/50 to 10/90, and the only reason the PS3 is thought of being a "failure" is because it didn't retain their consumers. It took a LOT of flaws to cause this drop. And the XB1 launch was abysmal, yet look at the launch period on any gaming forum, there's a lot of evangelism which is directly linked to brand loyalty. Same for the PS3 launch. Same for the WiiU launch. It's very widespread online but not as much among the general gaming population. Hence a "weak" bond.
If there was a brand of oranges that was twice the price and always smaller side by side at the grocery store, it would sell almost none as long as the other brand keep stocks. That's zero brand loyalty. You look at the oranges, you look at the price, you buy it. There wouldn't be millions of posts and news articles about how this brand of orange doesn't taste as good as this other one. Or a thousand youtube videos "Doles gets HUMILIATED with their shitty oranges! Doles fanboys are crying! 200 grams oranges for 5.99! LOL. Dole is DONE!".
(I don't know how much oranges weigh)
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Actually you ve got the multiplatform games plus those awesome exclusives that define the brand. So yes it is partly true. It is not like there arent other games to play besides some exclusives.
Of course during the PS2 and PS1 era, there were so many exclusives, it was as if the majority of major franchises were exclusive on a Sony platform.
It kind of "helped" that platforms were significantly different from each other and thus costly to port (in few cases impossible too). The lead platform and likely the only platform to get the title was the one with the biggest userbase.
The environment was also in such a way that a company could strike special deals with developers like Sony did with Namco for Arcade based hardware.
The PS brand is still recognized for those PS1 and PS2 titles that eventually became multiplatform in the later generations and Sony is trying to keep this image with new franchises
Thing is, do you want to 'offer' some performance/settings etc for all those 3rd party games to be able those few 1st party games.
Noticed that, we have never had so many remasters/remakes i think. Goes to show how great the 6th generation of consoles was in terms of games.
won’t be much of a list coming from @AzBat
seriously though, each to their own - my Xbox mate can’t live without halo, gears & forza so I totally get it
doesn't need to be a big listwon’t be much of a list coming from @AzBat
seriously though, each to their own - my Xbox mate can’t live without halo, gears & forza so I totally get it
The man is the master of the seas.
doesn't need to be a big list
The man is the master of the seas.
Exactly. Plus I don't need a list of a hundred games if I can only play is 1 at a time. ;-) But yeah a huge selection would be nice to be able to pick over. So far I've got more than a enough from Game Pass to keep me busy. And with more investment from MS into 1st parties & Game Pass I should have plenty coming in the next-gen too.
Tommy McClain
There is an advantage to be the leader but you need first to deliver a good product PS3, Wii U and Xbox One were bad products. Sony and MS seem to have a good product this time but we will be sure only when we will have the price.
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