Tag: Marketing
News Sony's Marketing Is on Fire with PS5's Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Right Now
Standard
Give the top brass at PlayStation’s marketing team a tentpole title to promote, and they’ll generally deliver. Marketing is well underway for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth right now, the next major PS5 console exclusive from Square Enix. And already we’re seeing some pretty impressive promotional efforts right around the world, with the UK...
News Ubisoft Says In-Game Ads in Old Assassin's Creed Titles Were Down to a 'Technical Error'
Which has now been addressed
Update: Ubisoft has responded to this situation with a statement to The Verge. "We have been made aware that some players encountered pop-up ads while playing certain Assassin’s Creed titles yesterday," it says. "This was the result of a technical error that we addressed as soon as we learned of the issue." We suppose...
News Final Fantasy 16's PS5 Marketing Hype Peaks with Official Exhibition at Tower of London
Real-life swordsmith spent months crafting replica
No expense has been spared for Final Fantasy 16’s all-encompassing marketing campaign, and with the PS5 console exclusive launching later this week, publisher Square Enix’s efforts have peaked. The Japanese juggernaut has partnered with the UK’s Royal Armouries – a world-famous museum that...
News You Need to See PlayStation Thailand's New Commercial to Believe It
Coffee shop chaos
Remember when Sony used to make weird and wonderful commercials? This latest effort from PlayStation Thailand ranks right up there. The focus is on a couple who work as baristas in a coffee shop, but the relationship takes a dark turn when the guy starts behaving unusually. Fortunately, there’s a solution to his woes, and all it...
News Mammoth PS5 Marketing Prompts Horizon Forbidden West Pop-Up Café in Paris
Eatin' good in the tribal neighbourhood
Sony almost always goes hard when it’s got the bit between its teeth, but we don’t think we’ve ever seen a marketing effort quite like this from the platform holder before. As you may already know, it’s been erecting giant displays all over the globe – and there’s even speculation of a $6.5 million...
News PS5's Juggernaut Marketing Campaign Could Rush Super Bowl LVII This Weekend
A blizzard from Midgard expected during the big game
The greatest show on turf is just days away, with the Philadelphia Eagles [Boo! – Ed] set to do battle with the Kansas City Chiefs [Meh! – Ed]. Of course, only a handful of true blue born again Americans tune in for the football: the real show will come during the plentiful commercial breaks...
News God of War's Mjolnir Hammers India As PS5 Marketing Onslaught Strikes Again
Thor you might like to see it
Fans could already discover the Leviathan Axe in London earlier this week, and now Thor’s iconic Mjolnir has struck India, as Sony’s aggressive PS5 marketing campaign takes the world by storm. In order to celebrate refreshed availability of its new-gen system, the Japanese giant also
News Horizon Forbidden West's Clawstrider Spotted in the Frozen Wilds of Poland
Where's Aloy when you need her?
Sony's big new marketing push for PS5 really is a global affair. The latest in a string of 'Live from PS5' installations can be found on the slopes of a Polish ski resort. A life-size model of a fearsome Clawstrider — one of the robo-dinos featured in Horizon Forbidden West — can now be seen on the ski slopes in...
News Actual Size PS5 Spotted Being Installed in Dubai
Bigger than the Burj Khalifa
Sony’s ongoing global marketing campaign – which is designed to celebrate the system’s renewed availability – has arrived in Dubai, where a life-sized PS5 is being installed. Alright, so maybe this is a few feet bigger than the actual new-gen console, but we couldn’t resist the gag. We’re not
News Gigantic PS5 Marketing Campaign Brings Games into the Real World
Axe nicely for a photo
Sony is in the process of effectively relaunching the PS5, promising that the system will be much easier to find moving forwards. To mark the occasion, it’s dipping deep into its marketing budget – and bringing some of its biggest brands into the real world. In the case of the UK’s capital, that means it’s installed...
News Ben Stiller Is Kratos in God of War Ragnarok Ad with John Travolta, LeBron James
You read that right
What in the pits of Muspelheim’s lava pools is this? Sony has spent big on God of War Ragnarok’s latest commercial, which sees Ben Stiller dressed as Kratos for a group therapy session with John Travolta and LeBron James. We think the commercial’s trying to play into the complicated relationship between the aforementioned...
News God of War Ragnarok's Mammoth Marketing Onslaught Underway in Mumbai
On rails
There’s no stopping Sony once it puts its marketing muscle behind a project, and God of War Ragnarok looks like it’ll receive the bulk of the manufacturer’s marketing budget this holiday. Kratos’ sophomore sojourn through Norse mythology has already taken over Twitter, and now the sequel has infiltrated Mumbai’s metro. These...
News PlayStation's Marketing Department Is Having the Time of Its Life Right Now
Horizon! Gran Turismo! Uncharted!
When it’s on song, PlayStation has one of the best marketing departments in the world. Many of you will recall its mid-pandemic antics when the PlayStation 5 launched, including a complete rebranding of London’s iconic underground. And after a quiet year in 2021, the organisation is going a bit mad right now,...
News PS5's First Commercial in China Is All About Bringing Stories to Life
Single player heaven
Sony may be coveting the multiplayer market a little more under the stewardship of Hermen Hulst, but it’ll always be best known for its single player games. That’s something the organisation’s first commercial in China leans into, as it blends a library scene with stories coming to life in games like Horizon Forbidden West...
News PlayStation Renews Long-Term Partnership with UEFA Champions League
Die besten
The UEFA Champions League – Europe’s flagship club football competition, and the holy-grail for virtually every team across the continent – has been sponsored by PlayStation for over two decades now, and that partnership will continue through 2021 to 2024. Sony has announced that it’s renewed its collaboration with the tournament,...
News This PS5 Ad Isn't Going to Make Stock Any Easier to Find
Play like never before
Whoever made this PlayStation 5 commercial deserves double pay – the editing and animation is awesome. There are no games here, it’s a hardware spotlight which focuses on the format’s main features. Obviously, we’re all quite familiar with raytracing and 60 frames-per-second by now, but for the average consumer this...
News PS5 Product Placement Is Strong in Lil Nas X's New Music Video
Toy factory
American sensation Lil Nas X is signed to Columbia Records, so you know what that means: spot the Sony product placement in his new music video time! Unsurprisingly, the PlayStation 5 features pretty prominently in the Christmas-themed promo, as we see the rapper managing a toy factory with a ton of consoles on the production line...
News This PS5 Promo from Travis Scott Must Be Seen to Be Believed
Quite the journey
Sony loves to get fancy with its console unboxing videos, but when it was teased that Travis Scott would be involved in the unveiling of the PlayStation 5, it was obvious something rather unique was coming. And boy is it. This 10-minute video is a journey through Travis' first encounter with the PS5 out in a desert as he activates...
News Sony's Trotting Out the Celebs Ahead of PS5's Launch
Tons of new Resident Evil 8 gameplay
After months and months of silence which left even us feeling uncharacteristically antsy, Sony has pulled together the PlayStation 5’s marketing campaign right on time, and it’s basically in full-on turbo mode at this point. Example: the platform holder’s trotting out celebrities like Naomi Osaka and...
News Latest PS5 Ad Is All About the Games
New worlds to explore
After Sony failed to highlight a single PlayStation 5 title in its previous western TV advertisement for the upcoming console, the Japanese giant has put out another commercial packed full of them. Of its one minute run time, only the final 10 seconds are used to circle back to the idea of breaking new grounds and flashing the...
News PS5 Advertising Ramps Up Ahead of Launch in the UK
Play Has No Limits
While we're still rather annoyed by the fact we have to wait an extra week, but that hasn't stopped Sony from increasing its marketing hold on the UK as we near the launch of the PlayStation 5. Eagle-eyed fans have begun snapping shots of advertising boards and buses sporting the next-gen console, with some simply showing the...
News The Japanese PS5 Launch Ad Actually Features Games
What are those?
The PlayStation 5 launch advert was designed to be "epic and iconic", but in doing so, it doesn’t actually feature any next-gen games. That’s a criticism you could leverage at the commercial, so why not pretend it’s Japanese counterpart is the one being beamed out to homes across the globe instead? It includes PS5 games! Check...
News PS5 Launch Advert Takes Us to Space
Narrated by Travis Scott
Sony has revealed the official advert that will accompany the PlayStation 5 as it launches across the world in just a couple of weeks time. Narrated by the Japanese giant's new strategic creative partner Travis Scott, the minute-long ad is full of inspirational clips before taking the viewer to space. It then signs off with...
News Travis Scott Presents PS5 Is the Most Extraordinary Marketing You'll See in 2020
TS5
Update: Okay, we now have some context for this commercial from PlayStation. According to a PlayStation Blog post by Eric Lempel, the rapper has signed with the company as a “strategic creative partner”. Here’s a bit more: “We heard Travis is a huge PlayStation fan, so we started a conversation with him that led to this unique...
News Looks Like Sony Will Be Promoting PS5 on Doritos Packaging
Crunch
Depending on which country you’re in, you may spot PlayStation 5 branding on packets of Doritos. This image appeared on Reddit, and looks like a European bag of the popular chips. Seriously, what the heck is Sweet Chilli Pepper flavour – we accept Chilli Heatwave only! Either way, the promotional bag offers the opportunity for consumers...
News Play Has No Limits Is the PS5's Official Slogan
Greatness awaits
Just in case you didn’t catch it during last week’s reveal stream, Play Has No Limits is the official slogan for the PlayStation 5 – at least for now. Trailers for Sony’s next-gen console end with the brief message, alongside an animation of the console’s iconic symbols. The catchphrase replaces previous mottos like...
News New PS4 Commercial Shows Where Sony's Fall Focus Lies
The holy trinity
Marvel’s Spider-Man! Call of Duty: Black Ops 4! Red Dead Redemption 2! Of all the titles for the PlayStation 4 to hang its figurative fedora on this fall, we reckon Sony’s picked the right ones here. This new Best Place to Play ad will likely run online over the course of the holidays, and while it’s nothing particularly...
News Quirky New PlayStation Ad Channels PSone Era Marketing
Play fearlessly
There’s a new PlayStation commercial, and if you’ve been around since the PSone days, then this may feel like familiar territory. It’s more of a mood piece, built upon the slogan ‘Play Fearlessly’. To be honest, we’re not sure we fully understand it; we could put on our Media Studies hat and write a more thoughtful...
News Sony Extends UEFA Champions League Sponsorship
Les grandes équipes
PlayStation hoardings have been a part of the UEFA Champions League since 1997, and they’re not going anywhere for another three years. Sony has announced that it’s extended its sponsorship of the elite European club competition, meaning that we’re probably going to see PlayStation 5 banners before the relationship needs...
News This Spider-Man PS4 Billboard in Los Angeles Is Bad Ass
Thwip
No expense is being spared marketing Insomniac Games’ new Spider-Man title it seems, and in addition to the absolutely enormous mural that Sony’s erected for E3 2018, it’s also splashed out on this amazing animated billboard which overlooks a junction in Los Angeles. The eye-grabbing full-motion video wraps around a building, and is...
News God of War's Final Marketing Meeting Was Ruff
Release the hounds
PlayStation UK has been blowing its marketing budget on comedy commercials for a few years now, and it always seems to find a way to turn cringey concepts into laugh out loud clips. This new one, depicting the “final marketing meeting” for God of War, is a hoot, as it emerges that the game’s name has been misheard. The...
News God of War Sponsored Football Team FC Porto and It Was Weird
God knows why
To celebrate Father’s Day in Portugal next week, Sony partnered with football team FC Porto ahead of its game against Boavista. And the resulting collaboration is, frankly, pretty freakin’ weird. Below you’ll see the Primeira Liga team’s starting eleven, Photoshopped to look like Kratos. Yeah, these commercial deals are getting...
News No Way! Lara Croft Teams Up with Lucozade for 90s Nostalgia
Brings back a Lara memories
We’re not sure whether it was the case in other countries, but Lara Croft was an absolute superstar in the UK throughout the latter half of the 90s. The character adorned the cover of magazines, frequently topped the video game charts, and was also chosen as the “face” of Lucozade. The advertisement embedded below...
News Sony Projected a God of War Commercial onto a Basketball Court
Thor you'd seen it all?
Sony’s really banking on God of War doing the business for the PlayStation 4, so it’s perhaps little surprise that it projected a new commercial onto the court of an NBA game in Oakland this weekend. As far as we can tell, this is a CG advertisement which is odd when you consider how good the game looks, but the platform...
News First Ever PS4 Pro Commercial Copies the Go Compare Ads
Fantastic
If you’ve been unfortunate enough to watch British television over the past ten years, you’ll be familiar with the Go Compare guy – a chubby dude with a fake moustache who performs opera in a variety of weird and wonderful scenarios, informing unwitting consumers about its insurance evaluation website. This new PlayStation 4 Pro ad...
News This PS4 Black Friday Ad Is Well Worth Watching
Psychic superpowers
PlayStation Europe’s got surprisingly good at these comedy PlayStation 4 commercials – in fact, it’s been on a bit of a roll for a while now, so kudos to the marketing department for coming up with them. This latest Black Friday ad is another decent one, focusing on a fortune teller who’s trying to predict the PS...
News PS4 Is the Best Place for Sports, Claims New Commercial
It's in the game
Sony’s putting that new FIFA 18 deal to good use, launching a new advertising campaign that claims the PlayStation 4 is the best place for sports. To be fair, when you’ve got exclusives like MLB The Show 17 and Gran Turismo Sport in your arsenal, that’s kinda hard to argue against. The clip also includes NBA 2K18 but is...
News PlayStation UK Loves a Good Comedy Commercial These Days
This is a decent one
One of Sony’s strengths (and arguably also one of its weaknesses) is that each global division of PlayStation acts somewhat autonomously, meaning that commercials and marketing strategies are formulated and tailored to the tastes of a particular region. And for whatever reason, the folks at PlayStation UK enjoy a good comedy...
News Sony to Back PS4 Exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn Hard
Platform holder betting big
In case the abundance of merchandise didn't already give things away, Sony's banking on Horizon: Zero Dawn being the next big thing. And just to reinforce that point, PlayStation UK boss Warren Light has stated in an interview with Games Industry.biz that the platform holder's "backing" the brand new intellectual property...
News PS4 Exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn's Marketing Onslaught Has Started
Earth is ours no more
Sony sees Horizon: Zero Dawn as its next major first-party franchise, and so it's started work advertising the PlayStation 4 exclusive alongside the onset of the New Year. This commercial aired during the PlayStation-sponsored Fiesta Bowl overnight, and is a fairly well executed riff on the 2017 celebrations. Expect this game...
News The Last Guardian Billboards Prove the End Is in Sight
In a flap
It's almost here. The wait for The Last Guardian has been torturous at times, but Fumito Ueda's magnum opus is finally upon us – and Sony has splashed out on a few billboards to remind everyone. Spotted somewhere in the States, the promotion shows a forlorn Trico peering at the robed protagonist from all of the marketing materials. A...
TGS 2016 PlayStation Japan's New Commercial Must Have Cost a Fortune
We can do everything
PlayStation Japan's been putting out some silly ads of late, but its new flagship commercial takes itself very seriously indeed. The clip centres on the slogan "We can do everything", and appears to show ordinary people in extraordinary scenarios. The message, we assume, is that PlayStation takes you to incredible places. It's...
News Sony's New PS4 Commercial Is All About Greatness
It awaits, y'see
Sony's rolled out a summer commercial for the PlayStation 4 in North America, which is all about greatness. As a partially enthused voiceover witters on about the word, the ad includes footage of No Man's Sky, Gran Turismo Sport, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and The Last Guardian. It got us hyped – how about you?
News Sony's Bought an Entire Channel 4 Commercial Break for Uncharted 4
Why not, right?
Fans of Gogglebox – the bizarrely popular British television show which shows people watching, er, television – will be in for a treat this evening: Sony has bought the entire first ad block during tonight's episode on Channel 4. According to a press release, it will use the time to run a live Twitter competition, while showing...
News Uncharted 4 Will Score PlayStation's Largest Ever Marketing Campaign
X marks the spot
Remember that post we made about Uncharted 4: A Thief's End advertising hoardings surrounding the Champions League semi-finals this week? Sony has now confirmed that its plotting its largest ever marketing campaign for Naughty Dog's latest – well, in the UK at least. The latest issue of MCV outlines exactly what it's got in store:...
News Uncharted 4's Marketing Machine Is Entering Overdrive
Sony starts unprecedented promotional push
Sony is backing Uncharted 4: A Thief's End hard. The platform holder – often criticised for not promoting its first-party games – is blowing its entire budget on Naughty Dog's next big game, plastering the PlayStation 4 exclusive on London buses and around football stadiums. While we don't have a pic of...
Weirdness Snake, Roy Campbell, and Psycho Mantis Are, Er, Promoting Ford Cars
Vehicles to surpass metal gear
There's the odd ad every now and then where video game publishers will unite with companies to advertise something that never fails to surprise. Among many examples, Konami is no stranger to this with the Metal Gear franchise by promoting Doritos and a Japanese energy drink. Nintendo has even teamed up with...
News PS4 Remains the Best Place to Play, Says Sony
Any arguments?
Sony's dropped a new chest-pumping trailer for Spring 2016, reiterating that the PlayStation 4 remains the best place to play. The clip centres on console exclusive games like Street Fighter V, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, and MLB 16: The Show, before re-iterating that all Call of Duty: Black Ops III map packs can be played on the...
News The Ratchet & Clank Movie's TV Commercial Is Baaah-d
Feeling sheepish
If there was ever any doubt of the target market for the Ratchet & Clank Movie, then this TV commercial just about sums it up. It centres on the Sheepinator, and actually caught us a little off guard – it may just be so bad that it's good. It got an unexpected giggle out of us anyway – but we're not sure it's going to make...
News Sony Boasts About the PS4's Japanese Lineup with Sick Beats
That's a rap
Sony started last year with a deluge of PlayStation 4 releases in Japan, and it looks like it's adopting the exact same strategy in 2016. The marketing tactics have changed, however: the platform holder has just uploaded a video featuring a handful of the device's upcoming titles set to some crunk beats. It's probably the dumbest thing
