There’s been a lot of mixed opinion about PlayStation’s adverts in recent times, so all credit to them for pushing the boundaries with the new ‘This is Living’ campaign, which invites the audience into a multi-character drama, and is designed to be as entertaining, interactive and evolving as the product itself.
As the campaign progresses, the audience will be invited to stumble upon clues relating to the existence of the characters and the mysterious hotel – from pictures of Cherry on Flickr, to the hotel and avatars of the characters existing in Second Life, each channel of communication is designed to add another dimension to the story.
Darren Carter, Vice President Brand Marketing – SCEE goes on to tell us: “With the launch of PlayStation 3 it has been important to acknowledge that our audience’s expectations are constantly changing and we have to keep pace with that change. They no longer want to be advertised to. This campaign is not designed to be passive. It asks our consumers to get involved”.
Take a look at the films below, or visit the homepage at www.thisisliving.tv/fullscreen for bigger and better versions and let us know what your thoughts are.
Trailer:
Grenade:
Underbelly:
Bruce:
Kovac:
From the looks of the lackluster European launch, it doesn’t appear that too many people want to follow your–er–”Sony’s” version of living.
The ad campaign is frankly masking a painfully obvious problem for anyone outside of Sony’s corporate (ivory) tower–it does nothing to address the multitude of customer service and game-related issues that Sony has brought upon itself.
Just a hint to all the Sony suits that don’t have their heads lodged in their rectums–it’s about the games AND the gamers, stupid. Get that through your skulls, and you’ll be back on top.
Slinging slick, worthless ads won’t do crap to aid a lackluster game lineup, gimped backwards compatibility, or executives that sound like pompous (yet ignorant…) suits.
People want Sony to do well this generation of gaming–the question is, does Sony actually want to do well? So far, signs point to a resounding ‘no’.
Comment by Matt — Mar 23, 2007 @ 7:04 pm
I thought these skits were hilarious. Reminds me of a Wes Andserson movie.
Comment by Neil — Mar 23, 2007 @ 8:51 pm
I’m a huge fan of PlayStation ads.
But this set for PS3 are… less favourable. The “This is Living” tag line means nothing, it’s not recognisable and it doesn’t make a direct link to PlayStation. The general public have no clue what it relates to, and from asking people, they don’t really care. The US adverts were much better(my favourite being the creepy baby), actually focusing,demonstrating(sixaxis) and featuring (shock) the console itself and/or its accessories.
Nobody is living watching this ad campaign. They are dying of boredom.
Fission Mailed Sony.
Comment by Andy C — Mar 23, 2007 @ 9:23 pm
There just TV Ads. You other 2 commenters seem to think they are the key to Sonys success. If you don’t like them then thats fine. But Sony has a reason for this and I’m sure it’ll all make sense in the end. But everyone like to jump the gun and claim Sony as a looser before they have a chance to prove themself.
So, watch them if you like them, don’t watch them if you think they are stupid. But don’t claim Sony is failing when in reality they are getting stronger. If you can’t see that they are, well, sorry for that.
Comment by Chad — Mar 24, 2007 @ 12:21 am
I can appreciate the artistic value and overall quality of these ads - kudos for trying something different. But, I wonder if the “Uhh, what are they advertising for… ?” type of commercial (usually reserved for fashion and cosmetics) is beneficial for a games console brand. Time will tell.
Comment by VMerken — Mar 24, 2007 @ 9:58 am
@ mat
everything was fine,then you had to go and ruin it with a word such as ‘gimped’
also…doesn’t anyone remember david lynchs PS2 commercials?
every things been fucked up in sony’s ad campaigns…thats why i like them
Comment by seedaripper — Mar 24, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
the http://www.thisisliving.tv site has opened up a lot more now…still loads locked. i’m guessing there are lots of films to come. would make a great game… perhaps that’s what they’re going to do?
the characters are cool. no doubt we will see LOADS of game footage over the next few months, but i think this is a great way to introduce it all.
Comment by noki — Mar 24, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
Some people i.e Matt. Seem to be taking the Sony advert personally. They probably just don’t understand them. Yes, Sony PS3 is for gamers and will be played mostly by gamers for the time being. But with the PS3 being such a fantastic console with tremendous potential, why should Sony limit themselves to the traditional gaming market. Evolution is the word. I think Sony recognise that there is a whole new level of entertainment available here, And at £425, the PS3 is becoming a very grown up toy, not just for teenagers with angst. I think Sony have got it right.
Comment by Paul — Mar 26, 2007 @ 5:26 am
Absolutely stunning to look at, plus I don’t think that playstation needs further explanations!
Comment by maud — Apr 2, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
Exactly Maud - Playstation isnt the kind of product that its features must be communicated - everybody knows that it’ll be supreme quality, therefore they can go nuts with the advertising to create a mysterious campaign that exists outside the conventional framework of ’selling points’ - one of the few products that can do this!
Comment by kevin gartland — May 18, 2008 @ 11:31 pm
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