Play Beyond

[StefanS]

In the case of E3, why exactly, if you were Sony, would you spend the advertising dollars on those large ads. Its not like EVERY SINGLE PERSON at the event doesn't realize what the PS2, -3, and -P are...

In this case, it is, however, not about making people aware of the existance of your product. Those ads are there to create an atmosphere and a certain cool vibe about your product. Apple doesn't sell its iPods by making people aware of its product, but by strongly linking their product to a lifestyle and chique. Sony is pushing in that direction: it should be cool to possess a PS3, it should be modern and it should be inspiring. That's the kind of notion they want to imbue in their product.
Advertisement is about a lot more than just awareness.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Advertisement is about a lot more than just awareness.

Yes, I oversimplified. In the case of viral marketting, it doesn't contribute anything, either credibility/desire or awareness, as the product is not identified. Trees and bunnies aren't selling me anything but country walks

 

[patsu]

Viral marketing can work, but what MS did are poor implementations (They're fragmented, confusing and lack follow-up). Nevertheless, they are good examples of how agencies can make money from large corporations

Those are just brand marketing to prep your mind, capture your imagination and associate good things with the "Sony" name. It's also quite successful as a word of mouth tool so far, since every playstation forum I go to, there is a post about "Play Beyond" -- probably alluding to the main theme this year (online ?).

In the casual, offline world... "Play Beyond" must have also raised some interests and questions. They will be addressed by the Keynote I think.

In general, it's not an item on the check list, it's not a standalone topic in itself, and it's not about winning E3. It's about communicating the meat in the most effective manner despite all the noise surrounding it. We are seeing the buildup. We shall see whether Sony delivers the beef.

 

[Nesh]

Yes, I oversimplified. In the case of viral marketting, it doesn't contribute anything, either credibility/desire or awareness, as the product is not identified. Trees and bunnies aren't selling me anything but country walks

Viral marketing is not to make uninterested people interested, but to make little interested people more interested, make people that knew of Playstation's success curious and remind the already Playstation consumers of Sony's strong presence and keep them interested on Sony's product.

 

[thatdude90210]

This isn't viral marketing, it's a motto from basic marketing "You sell the sizzle--not the steak."

 

[patsu]

This isn't viral marketing, it's a motto from basic marketing "You sell the sizzle--not the steak."

Right, but so far what we have seen are just "air cover" branding exercise for the Playstation brand. I made a mistake above by saying it's the "Sony" brand. 3 more hours to play beyond (the box). Whatever that means... *sigh* (look at watch).