Tim Rogers on Sony’s marketing strategy

Okay, so you might’ve already seen the first Nintendo TV commercial (altogether now: “Wii Remo-kun…”) that launched in Japan a couple of days ago. You might’ve taken a look at the various Wii ads making rounds in Australia and in the U.K., and even heard about GameStop’s Wii coutdown timer.  And you’re probably wondering, with the Wii and PS3’s launch drawing near, “where the heck are those PS3 ads“?

Well, if you haven’t seen those yet, you can check out some of our articles that covered those. Anyway, pardon if I digress, but don’t you think a bombardment of PS3 ads (with the launch and all) has gone well, a bit MIA? Tim Rogers from Next-Generation gives us a piece of his mind to shed light on the said matter.

According to Rogers, Sony does go for minimal advertising (in Japan, at least). If we backtrack to the PSP’s launch two years ago, you might notice that the said device wasn’t that heavily marketed. However you might have also noticed that several photos showed hundreds of Japanese fans eagerly waiting in line for the PSP’s launch EVEN IF they already pre-ordered it. Rogers calls them “prevotees” (short for preemptive devotees). These people have basically gone gaga over the handheld.

Now, how exactly was that hyped up, if advertising wasn’t the culprit? Well, let’s just say that Sony has properly addressed its niche audience of its upcoming product. A lot of info are released in gaming magazines, then come launch, the product’s shown in its full glory. Specs and features were showcased, hoping that most consumers will be stunned at its capabilities.

Then games were shown, and soon enough ads started popping out. Of course, tons of people were already hooked by this time, so most likely, the ads just merely enforce the product’s capabilities, to the now-captivated consumers.

The launch is a crude idea – it’s almost heartless. Get the hardware out there! Slay as many consumers as you can! Only then can television commercials advertising new games pop up.

So, don’t be surprised if you aren’t seeing many PS3 ads. According to Rogers, the launch is the best advertising you can get, and hopefully he’s right.

Okay, so you might’ve already seen the first Nintendo TV commercial (altogether now: “Wii Remo-kun…”) that launched in Japan a couple of days ago. You might’ve taken a look at the various Wii ads making rounds in Australia and in the U.K., and even heard about GameStop’s Wii coutdown timer.  And you’re probably wondering, with the Wii and PS3’s launch drawing near, “where the heck are those PS3 ads“?

Well, if you haven’t seen those yet, you can check out some of our articles that covered those. Anyway, pardon if I digress, but don’t you think a bombardment of PS3 ads (with the launch and all) has gone well, a bit MIA? Tim Rogers from Next-Generation gives us a piece of his mind to shed light on the said matter.

According to Rogers, Sony does go for minimal advertising (in Japan, at least). If we backtrack to the PSP’s launch two years ago, you might notice that the said device wasn’t that heavily marketed. However you might have also noticed that several photos showed hundreds of Japanese fans eagerly waiting in line for the PSP’s launch EVEN IF they already pre-ordered it. Rogers calls them “prevotees” (short for preemptive devotees). These people have basically gone gaga over the handheld.

Now, how exactly was that hyped up, if advertising wasn’t the culprit? Well, let’s just say that Sony has properly addressed its niche audience of its upcoming product. A lot of info are released in gaming magazines, then come launch, the product’s shown in its full glory. Specs and features were showcased, hoping that most consumers will be stunned at its capabilities.

Then games were shown, and soon enough ads started popping out. Of course, tons of people were already hooked by this time, so most likely, the ads just merely enforce the product’s capabilities, to the now-captivated consumers.

The launch is a crude idea – it’s almost heartless. Get the hardware out there! Slay as many consumers as you can! Only then can television commercials advertising new games pop up.

So, don’t be surprised if you aren’t seeing many PS3 ads. According to Rogers, the launch is the best advertising you can get, and hopefully he’s right.