In recent weeks, the promotional moves of the biggest players on the console market have spread to a great deal. Sony and Microsoft rolled out the heaviest guns and reached for high-caliber celebrities. This was, of course, met with great excitement and caused a lot of controversy. While this type of Xbox promotion was justified (because the equipment was also sent to video game editorial offices earlier), PlayStation 5 first went to world-class stars.
And I honestly have to admit that I was surprised by such a negative reception. I was browsing the comments on the news on the portal, watching industry-related groups on Facebook and various forums. Quite a lot of venom spilled out of most of the discussions, and a misunderstanding of the entire procedure. So I decided that I would share my perception of this matter and try to explain why this action and such moves are a great idea.
First of all – these are huge ranges
The promotion is primarily about advertising. No matter how well planned your marketing campaign is, it doesn’t make any sense until it reaches your audience. It is all about potential recipients. The easiest way to do this is through the channels of transmissionthat can send information to extremely large groups. The mentioned “channels” in this case are Robert Lewandowski and Travis Scott.
Maybe it is worth briefly writing who both gentlemen are. The first one I probably don’t need to introduce. As a journalist, however, I would like to write that he is the Polish national football team player, a Bayern Munich player, last season’s Champions League winner and the best player in these games. Robert Lewandowski is also about ranges. His account 19.8 million users currently follow Instagram. This number may appeal to the imagination.
The second character of the text, Travis Scott, is definitely closer to the younger generation. We are talking about a 29-year-old rapper from the United States, whose popularity has even exploded in recent years. For people who know him “from somewhere” – yes, this is the guy from the huge concert in Fortnite. Books are already being written about the artist’s phenomenon, and anyone who wants to can watch the document on Netflix.
And although I know that the music he creates may not appeal to the lion’s share of readers, the fact is that Currently, 34.4 million users follow him on Instagram alone. Each of his entries has an average of 3 million reactions, and all collaborative campaigns are publicized as few. This should in itself be an answer to why such actions on the part of the Japanese tech giants.
Second – Sunday recipients
In all this complaining we quickly forget one thing. We are mostly hardcore players. And I don’t mean addiction or professional gaming. However, if, Dear Reader, you read new industry reports every day, game premieres are like a small holiday for you, and the new generation of consoles outshines other pop culture aspects of this year, then … You are in the minority! It is true that people like us (and by that I mean myself and most of those reading this post) this is just a part of over 110 million copies of PlayStation 4 sold. There is nothing to look for here anymore.
Anyway, it is enough to enter any news related to the new consoles, where you were asked about your preferences for the next generation. The lion’s share has already made a decision, and many people will not change it. And it seems to me that although many players are in favor of postponing the purchase until the new year, no hardware review will convince them to reevaluate their priorities. We, who are passionate about video games, we have already been caught, and such fish are not caught again. The web was dropped somewhere else.
Hitting a wide audience
The best catch can be organized among the followers of celebrity accounts of this rank. I must admit that I was very surprised by the indignation and hate that arose during the photos of the popular Lewy with the DualSense pad from PS5. Not so long ago, in August this year, Forbes magazine published the list of the Most Influential People on the Polish Internet. The list includes a lot of bloggers, YouTubers and singer … At the forefront, however, was an athlete. You know who. Nobody will influence the Sunday players so much, tempting them to buy.
Next door is Travis Scott. Today it’s hard to talk about him as a celebrity hired to promote the console. After all, the rapper was announced as a strategic partner of PlayStation 5. I’m not surprised by this – his brand is even better at turning to business than music alone.
You do not have to go back far to remember that the star collaborated with Nike (where in fact collaborations are thriving all the time) and, for example, with the McDonald’s restaurant chain. In the USA, probably every kid knows about him. Everyone wants to have such shoes, such clothes, such life and … Same console.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEkjgwiq0QM
In sum…
I perfectly understand what is the reason for the indignation of avid gamers. They did not wait for the next photos of the stars from PlayStation 5. It is not something that may interest you. We love specifications, presentations of new games and their analyzes. We want real industry meat – the best and juicy pieces of information. Here, however, it is necessary to stop and conclude that Sony’s last actions were by no means aimed at us. They are supposed to attract those who are still undrawn.
It is true that video games are no longer a niche hobby. More and more people are getting into this world, and the next titles are flowing into the wide waters of the pop culture mainstream. The giants intend to travel closer and closer to the horizon, only to discover what has yet to be discovered. For this reason, Sony sent consoles to such stars, and Microsoft decided to produce three refrigerators in the form of the Xbox Series X. These went to the hands of people with huge ranges, so that the widest possible audience could see it, and not the greatest experts in kitchen appliances. This is how marketing works.
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