EFORE the Android phone, before the
iPod, before the GameBoy, there was the Walkman, the device that taught a generation to expect entertainment on the go.
Fast forward 30 years and behold the digital landscape of mobile phones
that do nearly everything, like taking photos, playing music and, of
course, allowing for video game applications like Angry Birds.
ith sales of tablet computers and mobile
phones expected to increase steadily over the next few years, the market
for portable video game consoles is starting to come under pressure,
analysts say. According to eMarketer, 42.5 percent of the United States
population is expected to use mobile phones to play videos games by
2015, but it remains to be seen how many people will buy a device
dedicated only to video games.
Despite that,
Sony
is hoping to recapture some of its video game luster with the
PlayStation Vita, its newest hand-held game player. The PS Vita, as the
company calls the device, is a stand-alone player but can also control a
PlayStation console. Part of the marketing pitch for the new device,
which will make its domestic debut on Feb. 22, is that users can
continue playing the same game they started at home on their
PlayStation.
John Koller, the senior director for PlayStation hand-held consoles,
said the PS Vita would allow users “to feel engaged and still feel like
they’re playing on a console.” The target audience for the Vita are men
in their 20s who play video games eight hours a week or more and own a
PlayStation3 console.
The trick will be getting those young men to put down their phones and pick up the PS Vita.
The cost of the marketing campaign at $50 million is “the largest
platform launch in terms of marketing investment we’ve ever had,” Mr.
Koller said.
Sony worked with Deutsch, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, to
create the campaign that includes television commercials, billboards,
retail partnerships, digital banner ads and a significant presence in
social media. The theme of the campaign, “Never Stop Playing,” will be
featured on many of the ads as will the Twitter-influenced hashtag,
#gamechanger.
Jason Elm, the executive vice president and creative director at
Deutsch, described the campaign’s audience as “very socially plugged in,
mobile, out and about, both physically and on the Internet.” Using the
Twitter hashtag on the ads would help aggregate all of the conversations
people were having about the product in one place, Mr. Elm said.
While the hashtag conversations will be organic, the company will also
buy promoted Twitter posts that will direct consumers to the device’s
Web site,
playstation.com/psvita,
where they can learn more about the product and make a purchase.
Facebook users will find a tab dedicated to the Vita on the PlayStation
page and how-to videos about the device.
Another part of the campaign, naturally enough, involves putting the PS
Vita into people’s hands. Users looking for a more tactile experience
can play with the device in pop-up stores that the company is calling
Vita Social Clubs in cities like San Francisco, Boston and Los Angeles.
The commercials for the campaign were shot in three days in Buenos Aires
and were meant to show how the Vita “affects you socially,” Mr. Elm
said. In one spot, the male character is using his Vita to continue
playing a game during his commute that he started before leaving for
work. Another spot highlights the augmented reality features of the
console with a narrator explaining how “the world is your next
battleground,” while a third spot shows a man playing games against
other people he sees in the street.
“Gaming is no longer playing alone in a basement by one person with one
machine; it’s all networked,” Mr. Elm said. To reach its core consumer,
the company will show the commercials during television programs like
“The Simpsons,” “South Park” and “Tosh.0,” the popular Comedy Central
show, and during N.B.A and N.C.A.A. basketball games.
Online users will see banner ads across 26 Web sites like Yahoo, ESPN,
CNN and YouTube. Billboards and wallscapes will be seen in cities like
New York, Chicago and San Francisco and radio ads for the Vita will be
broadcast on the Howard Stern show on Sirius Radio during March Madness.
Analysts said the PS Vita was impressive for its technical
specifications and functionality, but questioned whether it would do
well in the market. A report from the market research firm IDC said the
worldwide revenue from dedicated hand-held gaming devices, including
hardware and software from Nintendo and Sony (but excluding mobile
phones like the
iPhone), was $10.7 billion in 2010 and $18.1 billion in 2008.
“The portable hardware market is holding its own but it hasn’t been
faring well over the past couple of years,” said David Riley, an analyst
at the NPD group, a marketing research firm. “Gamers are fickle,” Mr.
Riley added, “The casual gamer is going to lean toward any platform that
provides cheap or free gaming.”
The Vita, which made its debut in Japan last year, will be sold in the
United States for $249 for a Wi-Fi version, and $299 for a 3G version.
The average price for its games ranges from $9.99 to $49.99 — many
mobile game applications are cheaper or even free.
“It’s an amazing device,” said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush
Securities, a financial services firm. Mr. Pachter said that the market
for hand-held games was still active, but under pressure from a down
economy and the free apps available on tablets and smartphones.
“Would you rather have a 10-hour immersive experience for 40 bucks, as
opposed to 400 10-minute experiences for free?” he said.
Painkiller: Purgatory is the ultimate Horror FPS for the
App Name: Cow and Pig Go Home!
