Sony needs to learn from Microsoft’s marketing for PS3
LittleBigPlanet is the highest rated first party game this year sitting at 95 on metacritic. However, despite all the rave reviews and perfect scores, sales have been a bit lackluster when compared to other holiday hit titles. According to Sony, the reason why LittleBigPlanet is not selling like hotcakes seems to be mainly the company’s fault.
In an interesting interview with GI.biz, David Wilson, head of Sony PR UK, revealed that the company hasn’t really been advertising LittleBigPlanet all that much. I have to agree, I have yet to catch a commercial on TV advertising the game.
Although, I have seen Microsoft advertising Gears of War 2 to death on Spike TV. Literally, I counted five ads for Gears of War 2 during the commercial breaks last night and LittleBigPlanet was no where to be seen. According to Sony, the company has been holding off on marketing LittleBigPlanet, because they are planning a huge six figure advertisement campaign in December.
By doing such a move Sony may have killed off any potential hype the game might have had up to several months ago. Hype is a beast that you shouldn’t try to tame, because it could literally come back to bite you.
It seems that Sony has not learned from Microsoft’s past marketing campaigns at all. Microsoft usually markets the company’s first party titles like crazy. Halo 3 is probably the best example of marketing at its best. Microsoft even had 7-Eleven collectors’ cups for Halo 3.
Microsoft has always hyped its first party titles with advertisements before the launch of the game and continued to support it throughout the launch month. This strategy helps build hype right before the launch of the game, securing millions of sales in a matter of days.
In the case of LittleBigPlanet, the only thing that happened on its launch day was confusion. Even I am not sure when the game actually launched. I know the given date, but retailers were either selling the game before the street date or were not selling it even after the official release date, citing a recall that did not happen everywhere.
To be fair, LittleBigPlanet did manage to sell about a million units in a matter of weeks, but considering that this is the holiday season, it should have sold at least twice that. It is not clear if Sony’s marketing strategy will pan out. However, one thing that is for sure, Sony needs to take another look at its marketing strategy.
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36 Responses to “Sony needs to learn from Microsoft’s marketing for PS3”
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November 25th, 2008
Face it Mike LBP was never going to sell like Halo 3.
November 25th, 2008
Little Big Letdown indeed.
November 25th, 2008
Harry you idiot, we aren’t discussing the gameplay here, we’re discussing marketing tactics. Being given the highest metacritic score, most people agree its a fantastic game, its just Sony suck at the marketing. I look forward to the ads during next month.
November 25th, 2008
admit it; you, dave and the other ps3 fanboys were WRONG….again…
the ps3 just doesn’t have the mass appeal of the 360 or wii….. and at that price prolly never will…
marketting has NOTHING to do with it, but leave it to sony to point the finger at something other than the real problem.
sony, like their fanboys, aren’t big on reality….
November 25th, 2008
this could possibly be another example of a game receiving widespread critical acclaim but the expected high sales do not follow. there have been a number of games that have done this over the years.
November 25th, 2008
I agree with Kev
And I was going to get one for X-Mas but I told my wife not to get me one.
I think I’ll wait and see what happens with Home.
I see BLP advertised on TV (only a few times) and every movie I see at the theatre they play it before the movie.
It shows Sack boy running through obstacles and talks about how fun matters.
November 25th, 2008
I read yesterday how so many people who bought the game are starting to hate the game and that it really is not what it was suppose to be and that it is full of pure annoyances that makes the game a failure. Even at E3 last year the setup they did didn’t even work the way it was suppose to but no one noticed and it made the Sony confrence a Bore. Apparently something was suppose to expolde but it was triggered early and exploded off screen when Sackboy was at that part yet. I just knew that this game was going to suck.
November 25th, 2008
Kev
I Love your last line. It sums up the whole PS3 Experience. I gotta repeat it again
Sony, like their fanboys, aren’t big on reality….
I guess that is why their creating Home so they can live in their own world full of potential.
November 25th, 2008
@CAD. you need to stop reading xboxforums.com for your LBP news…and btw, you sound like a fool talking shit about a game you’ve never played.
The game is great. The Metacritic score reflects that.
This is one of those games that will sell through the ps3’s lifetime, as there is no game out there like it.
November 25th, 2008
Unfortunately the majority of gamers only want mindless space marines with shaved heads that run around and shoot shit… Fresh, original, creative IPs have that going working against them off the bat. For a new IP the title sold relatively well in the massively crowed holiday lineup. I’m not sure why Sony would wait until December to start a new marketing campaign. I would think that the majority of people have there shopping done by then.
November 25th, 2008
LittleBigPlanet, never had an appeal to me. Its more like a kid’s game. Which is totally cool for children.
And LTB, just reminds me of Yoshi’s Island, and Worms.
November 25th, 2008
Pranctoast
The article said that the Forums are PS3 Froums and I never go to forums so stop talking smack.
http://www.product-reviews.net/2008/11/24/hating-ps3s-littlebigplanet-lbp/
Metacritic may have given it a good review but I think there should be two reviews for every game that is released. The first review is not really a review but more of an initial experience. A real review should come 1-2 months after a game is released so that all the opinions formed while palying can be given in a more reliable fashion. This is why I stick to player reviews because it gives you more of a consensus on what people think. That is how I choose my game purchases. Some titles I will buy wihtout a review because to me it’s proven but sometimes a game can become worse like the Rally Sport Challenge series.
November 25th, 2008
I like your idea for a second review. GTA4 would have been smacked around in a second review. After the hype settled down.
November 25th, 2008
CAD,
What was the point of posting that link. The blog talked about the writer and one other guy named Gary getting tired of LBP. How does that translate into “so many people”? I will admit, I haven’t taken the time to try this game, so I can’t say whether it is good or bad. But aleast I can be honest about it. You are spewing crap about a game I’m sure you have never played either!
November 25th, 2008
LMAO. If GamerBlorge says anything remotely negative about the 360, than the Blog and the Bloggers are a scorn on the face of journalism? …. But that piece of trash you posted is valid because it takes a shot at LPB? HAHAHAHAHA! You Xbots never cease to amaze me. The word Hypocrite comes to mind.
November 25th, 2008
‘LittleBigPlanet, never had an appeal to me. Its more like a kid’s game.’
I’ve been on live with what must be 8 year olds playing halo. So just what is a kids game these days? Something they can jump on box or two and then maybe plough 8 hours into making something creative, or one where they point the X at a targer and pull the trigger? Not that I am bashing halo or anything, but seriously, anything without a fucking gun or some titties these days is ‘OMGZ ITZ TEH KIDDIZ!!!!111′
@ Wylie – Its called xbotism and it works in 2 ways :
1 – When 2 people don’t like a PS3/Wii game, that equals MANY people!
2 – When a shit tonne of units RRoD that equals FEW units!
Scientists believe those suffering are idiots…
Oh and, Yes I own a 360, no it hasn’t rrod’d, and no i don’t hate my 360, in fact gets more play time than my ps3.
@ ncaissie – Home is ok, nothing special. I had some fun playing bowling the other nite, but thats about it. Don’t hold your breath.
November 25th, 2008
CAD,
Never EVER cite Product-Reviews.net ever again. It’s full of people like Ivan_PSP pretending their opinion matters.
Remember, you’re always better off withholding judgment until you can form your own opinion.
-Arvis
November 25th, 2008
Sony marketing sucks. Plain and simple. I can count the number of times I see X360 ads, or multi-plat games where the ad ends in an X360 tie-in, or eve multi-plat games without a X360 or PS3 or Wii tie-in at the end but the logos across the bottom leave an impression it was a X360 game. It would help Sony a LOT in the recognition arena if they had a marketing logo more compact but recognizable than “Playstation” word.
November 25th, 2008
‘or multi-plat games where the ad ends in an X360 tie-in’
Thats my main beef.
I think the ads on both sides suck at the mo (the wierd ps3 ads, or the bizard ‘360 head’ ones), but its the x-platform releases that don’t even mention the PS3 that boggles my mind…
November 25th, 2008
Bourne,
So you’re saying that Sony wouldn’t be let down at all about the sales? Because that’s what I was referring to, and that is what the article is about. Fuck you’re an idiot sometimes.
November 25th, 2008
SW,
I’ve seen the Smackdown Vs Raw and NBA 09 ads end with the playstation logo, so Sony aren’t innocent there either.
November 25th, 2008
I was saying my beef was with sony(for bending over and taking it) and NOT ms.
November 25th, 2008
http://www.sonyrewards.com/en/gateway/?offerlink=sr150nowps3
http://www.sonyrewards.com/en/offers/index/ps3shopnow
November 25th, 2008
wow… so much crap… first of all kev… this post.. IS about marketing… Ive seen many ads for Wii Music… does that mean that game is good?? compared to that… Ive seen less ads for Gears of War 2… does that make it bad??
I never saw video game ads before… I liked the ads for the Ps3 christmas thingy… that was cool…
all the other video game ads… problem is… at the end.. they show the 360 logo… even for multiplatform game… so in that way the 360 gets a piggy back ride… only Mirrors edge had the ps3 logo in the end…
its nice to see you boys again… ohhh… yeah… it bring new life onto me… ohh… this amount of crap is so energising…
LBP… is in NO way… a kiddie game… you wouldnt be saying that if you played the game… try creating a decent level retards… I havent played Gears 2… do you see me bitching about its crappy story???
OHH NOO a man looking for his wife… SO DRAMATIC….
damn… cant wait to play that game…
November 25th, 2008
Its weird how you people still dont acknowledge the red rings issue… so far… my friend had it… twice… then… one guy on the Podcastle (podcast) had it… another guy on the Invisible Walls show…
these are gaming industry people… they arent happy with the PS3… but they dont love the 360 either… atleast they have the balls to tell the truth…
November 26th, 2008
Who are you kidding? You don’t have any friends!
November 26th, 2008
Harry, the sales maybe a let down to Sony, but not to me or other LBP owners. Considering there is VERY little marketing to do with this game (especially here in the UK) i think that its a success.
November 26th, 2008
I believe the game is currently at 4th place in the UK charts… that’s not exactly a failure.
November 26th, 2008
well… considering your brit love for Lara Croft… I dont trust you guys… only mericans tell the truth…
November 26th, 2008
Bourne, think that as much as you want, fact of the matter is that the game has not sold anywhere near what $ony expected, which would equate as a sales failure.
November 26th, 2008
Harry,
How about citing your source that definitely states Sony’s sales expectations for the title? You sitting in on their board meetings, friend?
-Arvis
November 26th, 2008
I think Sony wants ALL their exclusives to sell a hundred million units… THEY ALL DO!!! Im makinga statement right now… Microsoft wanted Halo 3 to have sold 100 million units… since it didnt… its a failure…
Wow… that makes so much sense… thanks for the tip guys…
November 26th, 2008
Chris,
I am sure Sony didn’t expect it to sell as badly as it has. Sony didn’t expect a lot of things….
DWH…. actually i am not going to get into what I think is wrong with you.
November 26th, 2008
Chris,
Bourne agreed with me that the sales are a letdown for Sony. Are you going to ask him for a source too?
November 26th, 2008
what the hell harry… I thought we were best buds… dont freeze me out… all I have left is Arvis and Bourne *shudder*… and I think they do stuff to me while I sleep…
November 26th, 2008
DWH, that was just pillow talk, baby.