Blogger: Posted by Jeff Rubenstein // Social Media Manager
Post Title: PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read
Date: September 20, 2009
Link: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/09/playstation-around-the-web-what-we-read-67/
The main topic at hand since the first day of class has been about social media, and how web 2.0 is changing PR. Here I felt was a perfect example of how a company is using Web 2.0 to not only promote the product or brand which they are selling, but to open a dialog, weekly, with their customers. Basically, Sony rounds up a number of articles from a number of blogs around the internet and recommends them to Sony Playstation Blog readers. I decided to run some metrics on the blogs they recommended to look for trends. The first and most obvious trend was that, although all these blogs tend to remain unbiased, all the articles recommended were regarding something involving Sony or the Playstation brand in some capacity. This is not unexpected as this is the official Playstation blog, but where Sony was reading their articles of choice also interested me. So, I broke the blogs down into the following categories:
• Focused Industry Publication – examine one specific sub-culture of gaming
• Game Review Publication – a critic of video games and the culture surrounding it
• Non-industry Publication – a publication outside the video game industry
• Personal/Company Publication – a publication with emotional or corporate biases
• VG Industry Web Aggregator – a publication which collects information from all the previously mentioned publication and present that, with editorial style interpretation.
From the data we can see a few things; first, the majority of the articles come from VG review websites, which are the more traditional professional journalist outlet. Second, the only recommend one Personal/Corporate blog, which is good because these blogs tend to be biased simply due to the blog being written from a more “personal” perspective. Speaking of biases, the Focused publications only exist in half the space Review Publications do. Probably due to the fact that many focused publications may not include Sony content. Lastly, the Web Aggregators are hot on the heels of Game Review sites. Not only because they have editorials, but the web aggregators pool news from all the other sites on the web, making getting industry information that much easier. Non-industry publications tend to be National News Networks or Technology Driven Publications, which examine some aspects of gaming, not the largest group by far. Lastly, If only to appease myself, I wanted to see if there was a trend in which console Sony was promoting through recommendations.
The results yielded a 60/40 split with the PS3 taking center stage. At the current price points though, the PSP is the one more likely to suffer, as its latest iteration, the PSPgo, is only $50 (at $250) less than a PS3. It will take much more convincing marketing from Sony to justify that price point. Especially, since the PS3 has Blu-ray and can compete in multiple markets. The other refers to an article on Playstation Branded shoes, which are so limited (24 pairs), it almost seems like Sony wanted us to see something cool we can’t buy.
Blog: Set on Stun
Blogger: Shawn Deena
Post Title: Veruca Salt Alert — I WANT IT NOW — Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Console
Date: September 16, 2009
Link: http://setonstun.com/2009/09/veruca-salt-alert-i-want-it-now-modern-warfare-2-limited-edition-console/
The reason why this post is significant from a marketing stand point, is that this is relatively uncommon of Microsoft to not only create a limited edition, but to also make it available to the public. Most limited edition consoles are of already existing skus, which have been modified aesthetically for the release of a specific game, and is limited to less than 10 units. Instead, Modern Warfare 2 is getting a worldwide release, on a new sku of the 360 which contains a larger hard drive; as well as, an extra controller and a copy of the game at no extra cost. For Activision, the publisher and Infinity Ward the developer, it really displays the level of commitment from Microsoft, as they are developing the console for a Third-Party game. Not only will this hopefully result in a direct increase in sales for the console manufacturer, but it may even spark more sales of such custom Modern Warfare 2 accessories, which include; controllers, headsets, keyboards, mice, faceplates, and even night vision goggles?! Just when you thought a video game brand only applied to video games. There certainly is value there, by bundling the extra controller and game with the console, not only is the aesthetic appealing, but so is the price point. I have to think that this process would still be complicated for the marketing team at Microsoft, as the number of parties involved increases, over say, using a Microsoft licensed game, like the Halo 3 Edition 360. Not only are you working with a publisher and developer, but many times there are arrangements between retailers on who will actually distribute the product. A perfect example is how HMV and GameStop have exclusive rights to distribute the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Prestige Edition (not the console bundle) in Ireland and the UK, respectively. As for the bundle, it will be out November 10th, if you want to take advantage of this limited time offer.
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