The PlayStation 4 is selling like hotcakes – this much we know. However, a much more interesting discussion can be had around how the console has managed to maintain this market dominance. Some argue that the PS4's lower price point has been instrumental in its success, while others point to the platform holder's welcoming treatment of the indie community.
But if neither of these explanations has you convinced, perhaps this new one will. According to research firm iSpot, the Japanese giant has been spending a significantly larger sum on TV advertising in the USA than Microsoft. Indeed, Sony dropped $59 million on commercials through the end of May this year, while the green giant only forked out $34.7 million. Splutter.
So, for our readers stationed in the USA, which of the two major consoles gets more commercial time in your neck of the woods? And more broadly, do you even take notice of television advertisements anymore? Tune in to the comments section below.
[source gamespot.com]
Comments 23
Is this just tv, or also places like YouTube? I feel like it's gotten a lot of exposure on there. Can't say for regular tv as I just use netflix
@ztpayne7 I think the study only refers to TV advertising, so I guess YouTube wouldn't count. Similarly, I rarely watch regular TV anymore anyway, but it's still interesting to see how much Sony is investing in that area.
I live in upstate NY so maybe it's just a regional thing but I still think there's more advertising for the Xbox brand. However, PS4 advertising at this point is vastly superior to what it was like for the PS3 at the same point in its life cycle.
@ztpayne7 Yeah it's gotten way more exposure on YouTube then tv i see more Xbox one ads on tv then i do PS4 ones
Dem commercials tho^.^
@Gamer83 I live in Houston TX i see more Xbox one ads on TV then i do PS4 ones guess it doesn't matter since the PS4 is still selling really well and yeah the marketing for PS4 has been leaps and bounds better then the marketing for PS3 was
I um, find that a little hard to swallow.
In the UK it seems different now i.e during the World Cup games it's just boring Xbox ONE adverts :-/ + SONY has the biggest advertisement opportunity at the moment as they are sponsoring the World Cup but they are completely ignoring the PS4 :-/ Oh well.
Well recently I've been seeing a lot more Xbox One commercials (UK).
I'm in upstate NY and I certainly remember more PS4 advertisements, but recently I've begun to see more Xbone commercials.
Seeing an increase in Xbox One TV Spots during the World Cup! Thankfully, I've disabled "Xbox, on."
I really enjoyed the "Greatness Awaits" commercials in late 2013. The new Xbox commercial... Eh, not so much. Voice commands are cool but PS4 also has them to some degree and I would rather use a controller anyway.
I don't watch any broadcast television anymore so I can't really say. However during the World Cup I have been seeing alot of Xbox One commercials.
I've being seeing far more of the **** XBone commercial here in the UK with Jesse Pinkman (I know that's the characters name not the actor) managing to utter a 'Yo' that he's clearly having to force himself to say...even his no doubt substantial pay check making it only bearly bearable...knowing he's never going to get past that role.. 'XBox, the meth heads choice, yo.'
Core gamers have flocked to the PS4 because of the Internet! TV is great for kids and mom's. Much like the Internet I bet kids in schools are talking PS4 also. Word of mouth has more power than any TV commercial. As well as getting the system your friends have.
@JohnKarnes Yea I reckon most of us know its none of the reasons given here and probably mainly due to the quality of the PS4.
Sounds weird about Sony spending more than M$ but the last Xbone TV add I saw doesnt feel like they really learned with still the TV snap and Voice gimmicks
@Punkinhead145 @Gamer83 Two people on here from Upstate NY?! I'm not alone! Representin' the ADK!
It'd be nice if they advertised the Vita a little.
@Grockumus
Cool. I'm in Saratoga county.
Hello everyone! I'm new to push square, been reading articles from the site for a while actually, but I'm just now a registered member so to speak, lol. I live in NYC in the states and I see a lot more Xbox commercials which leads me to believe they spend more in bigger markets, neglecting the smaller ones. It appears Sony may have a better balance as they treat all NA markets equally, take the road to greatness for example, it consisted of a lot if "smaller" cities and such.
@Dual-shock-spok
Welcome to PushSquare.
Just because Sony spends more, does not mean there are more commercials or they air more often. It could be that they spend more money to make higher quality commercials, quality over quantity.
Since the announcement of the PS4, I have seen one commercial maybe four or five times, and thats it. Money spent on TV advertising is as wasted as money spent on advertising in the phone book, at least to the demographic that Sony and Microsoft are trying for.
@Dual-shock-spok
Welcome to PushSquare! If PlayStation does spend more time Advertising than it's rival Microsoft, then it would explain why PS4 has better sales than XB1 in the US and most of the globe. But it isn't doing so hot in it's home country Japan via MK8 on Wii U.
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