PS5 is an obvious pre-order success, but what up with Sony's PR/Marketing strategy?

[entremet]

Today it seem we got a huge info dump on their blog. Like waterhose of information after the PR mishaps with their generations talk.

I get COVID19 is a thing, but I wonder why no PS State of Play to look more into this stuff than just some trailers on blogposts? And all at once? Why not give each a day or to marinate and keep fans sated.

The PS4 had a massive launch but comms were way better if I recall and even with a more modest launch library (Knack lol). I'm sure the PS5 will be a massive success when it is all said and done, but, as an enthusiast, the PR/Marketing has been kinda wack so far.

What are your thoughts here?

Bring back Shawn Layden lol.

This video summarizes the crtiiques. It was released this week, so not old.

 

[Turkoop]

Sick of these threads. Every time the same shit.

 

[entremet]

Sick of these threads. Every time the same shit.

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Feel free to ignore. Thx.

 

[Pat002]

I think their marketing strategy is absolutely great apart from the PR fiasco of the latest Ps5 showcase. But the showcase itself was amazing as it's basically every one of their info drop.

Also one of my friend who works in marketing think the same and I value his opinion a lot. Generally speaking every one of their showcases has a nutty production value and amazing games.

 

[Xando]

Communication has been a disaster from sony and i wonder why?

They really nailed it last gen.

 

[Uzupedro]

You kinda answered yourself, there isn't a PR problem out of here/other places on the internet.
I think it could be better tho, can't argue with that.

 

[Vinc]

I don't really understand what the problem is with putting this info on blogs?

There's nothing they showed today that would have warranted a State of Play or presentation- this is fine.

 

[bing]

I think their marketing strategy is absolutely great apart from the PR fiasco of the latest Ps5 showcase. But the showcase itself was amazing as it's basically every one of their info drop.

Also one of my friend who works in marketing think the same and I value his opinion a lot. Generally speaking every one of their showcases has a nutty production value and amazing games.

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Is this the same marketing guy who got you banned last time

The opinion of a friend of mine who works at the marketing team of Xiaomi said it was handled as badly as it could, starting with the meme. I agree with him.

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Because in his experience the marketing should be a serious thing. For example, Playstation and Nintendo way of marketing is the definition of good marketing. Not commenting rumors, leaks, don't handle those with memes, not having a face that represents the brand (Greenberg is basically a Mascotte of Xbox) from the marketing team, since the marketing team job is to actually sell the product with... a marketing campaign. That's why you actually don't see a Greenberg in basically every entertainment company. It's just all around the marketing of Xbox as a whole is less serious, less strict.

He's 12 years that works in the marketing of various big/medium companies, went from Netflix to LG, from OnePlus to Xiaomi now and always says how PlayStation and Disney marketing teams are godly (and you can see why) and are the perfect examples of how you keep a constant quality and when they need to deliver, they deliver big time.

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[Bear]

Wasn't there a pretty mass exodus from Sony in the marketing/comms teams over the last few years?

 

[supercommodore]

They sold out and people are excited. They will share more nearer launch. Why are people getting so worked up about it.

 

[Elandyll]

Coms rollout visibly started yesterday...
So probably not the best time for this thread.

 

[Deleted member 43552]

It's actually fairly simple. The vast majority of gamers aren't checking Reset and/or Twitter every day for news. They're happy to wait for news when it arrives.

 

[ianpm31]

Maybe their marketing strategy is working? Era/internet world can be a bubble sometimes and COVID is probably an issue atm.
PS5 will be the biggest launch in PS history. Jimbo knows what he's doing

 

[Altair]

I just don't get why they felt the need to blatantly lie by saying they believe in generations despite knowing they were gonna have cross-gen for a few of their major titles just like MS. Seems pointless and brought on more backlash than anything. Just be upfront about it.

 

[Video Games Are Dumb]

It's a young team launching a console.
It was supposed to be easy with all this momentum.
But with Covid out there, they needed to think on the fly. But, they can't.
And as I always say, they currently do not have the right people in charge.
But I think this will help build those relationships with the new higher ups.

I think Sony is philosophically struggling a bit more than we know.

edit: and I think they'll learn a lot here and be a better company for it.

 

[Euler007]

People complain when there's too little, and apparently when there's too much. As far as marketing goes, it would be poor form to push too much when pre-orders are all sold out. October should be a pretty steady program.

 

[Deleted member 1839]

Sick of these threads. Every time the same shit.

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Take your whiny ass and stay in OT then.


They definitely could do better but I think they're generally fine.

 

[Deleted member 1003]

What's wrong with blogs? Happened yesterday too.

 

[CloudsFromSpace]

I mean, I guess, but every reveal that they do generates insane amounts of engagement and coverage. They're operating from a position of strength and their every word is hotly anticipated. So in a sense it's almost better for them to stay quiet and let the community bottle up all of its hype between big moments instead of drip-feeding information.

 

[2Blackcats]

We've had a bunch of these threads already. Plenty of reading material there if you're interested

Edit: Dang, first warning. Apologies.

 

[Deleted member 887]

Today it seem we got a huge info dump on their blog. Like waterhose of information after the PR mishaps with their generations talk.

I get COVID19 is a thing, but I wonder why no PS State of Play to look more into this stuff than just some trailers on blogposts? And all at once? Why not give each a day or to marinate and keep fans sated.

The PS4 had a massive launch but comms were way better if I recall and even with a more modest launch library (Knack lol). I'm sure the PS5 will be a massive success when it is all said and done, but, as an enthusiast, the PR/Marketing has been kinda wack so far.

What are your thoughts here?

Bring back Shawn Layden lol.

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their marketing is fine. I'm seeing it everywhere

 

[Dphex]

Well...i will repeat what i have posted already

frankly, they did so many things wrong in this whole PS5 rollout, at this point i have a bad feeling about this console, literally the only thing that ensures them people going forward is the amassed goodwill of the PS4 generation, other than that they did everything wrong so far.

hiked first party prices, no Dualshock 4 for PS5 games, games that were thought of PS5 launch exclusives suddenly also on PS4, the Spider-Man remastered bonanza where they want people to buy the Miles Morales Ultimate to play that game, Jim Ryan silent on the things that would be interesting to know...

Sony is giving a very bad look at the moment, there is no denying in that. they should be careful with their non communication and awkward decisions, if they continue with this course, the wind could change direction swiftly blowing directly into their faces.

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The whole PS5 thing is giving PS3 rollout vibes at the moment and that is something myself and for sure some other people have not expected at all.

 

[LanceX2]

Sony has such a mindshare and lead that it literally doesnt matter what they do. They are complacent again as in PS2 Era etc.

Im clearly an Xbox player and Sony killed it with the PS4 but this launch is by far their worse in memory.

PS3 was great ezcept 599.

 

[Arex]

They're just alternating the week with MS lol

 

[Expy]

The pre-order success is due to the way they're approaching their marketing for the most part. So, even though Era, and some enthusiast/hardcore Internet places don't feel like they're doing well, that doesn't mean their message isn't reaching their intended audience.

 

[platocplx]

Quality over quantity of marketing hits pretty much.
some people like Tons of updates. But they clearly want to have a blitz of info.

 

[Plinkerton]

I get COVID19 is a thing, but I wonder why no PS State of Play to look more into this stuff than just some trailers on blogposts? And all at once? Why not give each a day or to marinate and keep fans sated.

Click to shrink...

I think they're more concerned about getting the information out there than about the method. Although I agree with your last point; it would have been cool to have some sort of weeklong event where they spotlight one launch game a day, rather than just dumping everything out at once.

 

[crimsonECHIDNA]

They sold out and people are excited. They will share more nearer launch. Why are people getting so worked up about it.

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ConcernedEra

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Have you been ignoring this week?

Cause Sony has been on fire since yesterday and it doesn't seem to be close to be over

 

[mreddie]

I get the feeling October is the big push.

We're already seeing ESPN games sponsored by PS5 and Champs League is coming back today so I think the push will start soon if not now.

 

[entremet]

What's wrong with blogs? Happened yesterday too.

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It's just that channel. Marketing is a mix. MS already had real life consoles in the hands of influencers.

 

[Deleted member 3183]

Sony has such a mindshare and lead that it literally doesnt matter what they do. They are complacent again as in PS2 Era etc.

Im clearly an Xbox player and Sony killed it with the PS4 but this launch is by far their worse in memory.

PS3 was great ezcept 599.

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Pretty much. This behaviour seems to occur for the market leader every time. Sony for the PS3 launch, Microsoft for the XB1 launch, etc

 

[Nameless]

-Global Pandemic means things are more fluid & chaotic than usual.

-Sigficant corporate restructuring

-Overwhelming interest & popularity always leads to increased nitpicking, complaining, and FUD

 

[ZeldaNoAtelier]

I think everyone has some difficulty following up on their success. Nintendo after Wii, MS after 360, etc. When you're at the "top" your perspective is different, and they might not even be aware of it sometimes
Xbox is only doing good moves because it's cornered, not the goodness of their heart.
Sony isn't feeling pressured, at least not yet, so..things happen.
That's my take on what's been going on

 

[Deleted member 1003]

It's just that channel. Marketing is a mix. MS already had real life consoles in the hands of influencers.

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That will happen soon to for PS5. Patience.

 

[cheesekao]

It's just that channel. Marketing is a mix. MS already had real life consoles in the hands of influencers.

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Do you expect Sony to react to everything MS does within the same time frame? Seems like Era is the only place I visit that takes issue with Sony's strategy.

 

[ianpm31]

Sony has such a mindshare and lead that it literally doesnt matter what they do. They are complacent again as in PS2 Era etc.

Im clearly an Xbox player and Sony killed it with the PS4 but this launch is by far their worse in memory.

PS3 was great ezcept 599.

Click to shrink...

We must be from two different worlds. The PS5 launch games and first year lineup absolutely annihilates anything PS has ever done from a first party perspective in year 1. No way they are being complacent. PS4 and PS3 launch lineups were shit and for a good while.

 

[svnty6rs3]

So before people were complaining about not enough info being out. Now it's a problem that they are dropping too much great info on their first party games?

What is going on here? Should they have handled the pre-order situation better? 100% YES.

From a Marketing standpoint i'm not sure what more they should be doing. Their ads have been running during almost every commercial break on streaming TV. Their live showcases were breaking all sorts of records across channels like YouTube and Twitch. Their pre-orders as you said have sold out like crazy and every single poll i've seen has people saying they want a PS5 over an XSX at like a 70-30 spilt. Even IGN said what they saw with the PS5 they have never seen before and that's including Black Friday.

By any measurable metric, their marketing will be looked at as a success because at the end of the day the whole point of Marketing is to convince people why they should choose your product and it seems like that mission is accomplished.

 

[Doc Cottle]

Your marketing is only as good as your nearest rival, back for the PS4 build up MS was shooting itself in the foot every other day. This time round is a very, very different story. They're doing a decent job, dropped the ball a few times though and momentum definitely feels like it's with MS. Still 6 weeks and some big activities to come before final judgment I feel.

 

[EricTheGamerman]

Sony has such a mindshare and lead that it literally doesnt matter what they do. They are complacent again as in PS2 Era etc.

Im clearly an Xbox player and Sony killed it with the PS4 but this launch is by far their worse in memory.

PS3 was great ezcept 599.

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This is nowhere near the catastrophe that was the PS3. PS3 didn't have any quality exclusives until like 2 years in and came out at $200 more expensive than the Xbox 360 which was killing it with games and support at the time and also released one year earlier than the PS3.

The PS5 launch is going relatively well all things considered. They could stand to communicate a bit more and they obviously do not have the same infrastructure that Microsoft does for services and features, and like Microsoft is specifically pulling out all the stops after they botched the Xbox One's launch so hard. PS5 has been focused on games all year and that focus has continued. Sony has a really solid year one to the PS5, and I think that's clearly what they're trying to leverage versus Xbox's Game Pass where Xbox doesn't really seemingly have anything ready for Year One of the Series X/S after Halo Infinite was delayed into 2021. Like Sony has made some missteps, hasn't been super communicative about features and how some things will work, but I think it's relatively fine and the success beyond obsessive forum goers who crave the constant flow of information shows that.

Edit: I also think it's just been so long since people have seen Microsoft seriously compete with the Xbox brand that they're overstating the position Microsoft is in (it's certainly a good position, but this is genuinely Microsoft actually trying again after basically ceding most of last gen to Sony).

 

[VirtualCloud]

If im being honest I think they've done a great job at marketing to the masses. While the enthusiast crowd isn't happy with the amount shared so far or with the clarity of their message, it seems like everywhere else the ps5 is killing it. I genuinely don't think things like lack of info on BC, UI, and tear downs matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Kaiken]

Yeah I agree. Communication has not been Sony's strong suit for this new gen. It's amazing how positive the Xbox outlook is considering the lack of 1st party games releasing day 1. I'll be favoring Sony day 1 as usual and building a PC for XBGP but man, people are getting a bit rowdy and for good reason. I just hope Sony acknowledges this with some clear details hopefully soon.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

It's just that channel. Marketing is a mix. MS already had real life consoles in the hands of influencers.

Click to shrink...

So did Sony. They will start releasing videos during this next week i think?
So not that far from MS...people as usual are overreacting.

 

[AstoundingFox]

Bring back Shawn Layden lol.

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I miss Shawn. Every time you saw him on screen, you know something epic was about to be announced.

 

[Transistor]

It's definitely been messy, that's for sure. However, we're still more than a month out and big details (Demon's Souls, Spider-Man Remastered) have started to pop up, as well as store pages and whatnot. They might just do a big media blowout in the next month or so leading up to launch.

 

[entremet]

I think everyone has some difficulty following up on their success. Nintendo after Wii, MS after 360, etc. When you're at the "top" your perspective is different, and they might not even be aware of it sometimes
Xbox is only doing good moves because it's cornered, not the goodness of their heart.
Sony isn't feeling pressured, at least not yet, so..things happen.
That's my take on what's been going on

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No, I think the PS5 will be successful. Hugely so. I just find the marketing so mediocre for such a powerful brand. Blogs and trailers so far. There's a lack of hunger.

I know Sony used to have these prelaunch events in NYC--I got invites previously. They can't do that now anywhere due to COVID. Those were very hype.

 

[AndrewDean84]

Their communication has been poor.

Maybe because they don't want to share bad news?

 

[HMD]

Wait, what happened today?

 

[Pulp]

The messaging around some of the crossgen games have been not optimal but as a whole it has been fine imo. Obviously the strategy has worked in their favor

 

[Asriel]

People complain when there's too little, and apparently when there's too much. As far as marketing goes, it would be poor form to push too much when pre-orders are all sold out. October should be a pretty steady program.

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People complain when there's too much information? Really?