The holiday push is an extension of the existing PlayStation 2 brand promise, a world of entertainment in which dreams and aspirations can be realized, as defined under the "Live in Your World. Play in Ours.(TM)" umbrella. This year's campaign stays true to the existing vision while evolving the theme to define the PlayStation 2 gaming experience as the "The Only Place to Play." In addition to the brand thematic, the new campaign is also designed to communicate the highly attractive PlayStation 2 consumer value proposition.
"As the industry leader, it is our responsibility to broaden the reach of gaming deep into the mass market," said Andrew House, executive vice president, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "Our brand campaign demonstrates to new audiences that PlayStation is 'The Only Place to Play' through our commitment to value, choice and a fun, exciting entertainment experience.
"The holidays, as the biggest shopping season, offer a unique opportunity to reinforce that PlayStation 2 products are not only the most desirable gifts but also affordable options," added House. "As an example, the 'Greatest Hits' software line, the most popular and established titles developed for the platform, are impulse buys retailing for less than $20."
The campaign kicks off on television through three separate spots running across network, syndication, cable, and kids programming. The first two ads, "Future" and "Jingle Bell Rocks," began airing in early November and feature footage from a wide variety of key PlayStation 2 titles. The brand spot, the third in the series entitled "Playground," will air in both 30-second and 60- second executions and demonstrates exciting and fun events happening to otherwise normal people. At the end of the spot it is revealed that PlayStation 2 is the direct cause of these immersive, unusual occurrences, which empower and entertain both the participants and a growing crowd of observers.
Beginning in December during the busiest movie-going period, the company will kick off the cinema campaign in more than 1,800 theaters and on 8,000 screens. Two 30-second trailers will be seen by millions of moviegoers through the company's national buy with Screenvision. Both will utilize the massive in-theater venue to accentuate the splendor of the PlayStation 2 gaming experience, visually, sensually and emotionally.
The television and cinema portions of the campaign will close with the value message featuring the PlayStation 2 Combo Pack, a package that includes the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, Network Adaptor (Ethernet/modem) (for PlayStation®2), and a copy of the online-enabled game, ATV Offroad Fury(TM) 2, all for $199 suggested retail price.
The print and outdoor components will feature two product messages, carrying through the value theme, and one of five different taglines that talk directly to the PlayStation 2 gaming experience as part of consumers' varying lifestyles. The taglines include: "Technically, this is 'doing something around the house,'" "No matter how fast they grow, it'll still fit, " "Want to conquer the world? Here's your chance," "The Only Place to Play," and "Tell your parents you want to study the classics."
Consumers will find the print advertisements in news and entertainment magazines, including Entertainment Weekly, People Magazine, Time Magazine, TV Guide, US Weekly, etc., and newspapers in the top 10 markets throughout the country. The outdoor execution will include billboards, bus shelters, bus kings, and wild postings in target markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington D.C., Cleveland, St. Louis, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Houston, and Dallas/Ft. Worth.
The online advertising will run across broad-reaching sites such as entertainment, gift-giving and kids destinations. A sample of the online media buy features domains like AOL, Yahoo!, Disney, iVillage, etc.