Gamers are hardcore; it’s just how it is. They have passion for everything to do with their gaming, from consoles to games to headsets to playstyles. Gamers are also extremely loyal to the brands that they know and love, and it takes a lot to change their opinions of brands in the gaming industry. That is why I was so surprised today when I watched this video and showed it to my gaming friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdWkKKSckNk&feature=channel_video_title
An advertisement that is an anthem for PS3 gamers, I expected my diehard XBOX 360 friends not to dismiss it, but to tear it apart. Instead, their reaction was one of excitement like mine. They began listing off all the characters that they recognized: Ghost from CoD, Drake from Uncharted , Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal, Solid Snake from MGS4, Little Sister from Bioshock, Phoenix from Tekken, the list goes on. They started talking about how great it would be to play all of these games again, and talk of buying PS3s emerged.
I realized that although it is often the case, gamers’ passion does not have to be negatively directed against each other. Here is a case where Sony has created an advertisement that plays on gamers’ shared experiences and nostalgia to unite them and bring them closer together. Sony could have focused on their console’s features or price, comparing it to XBOX, but instead they went for what really mattered for their customers: the experience. Given their target market of young, hormone-driven males, I think that was a good choice.
Categories: