Sony: We'll Never Beat Microsoft on Marketing Budgets

[Logan Westbrook]

Sony: We'll Never Beat Microsoft on Marketing Budgets

In the battle of the motion controllers, one of Sony's top marketers said that pre-orders were encouraging, despite a smaller spend on advertising than its rival.

Peter Dille, SCEA's senior VP of marketing, doesn't think that Sony will ever match the deep pockets of Microsoft's marketing department. Speaking specifically about Move [http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Move-Controller-3/dp/B002I0J51U] versus Kinect [http://www.amazon.com/Kinect-Sensor-Adventures-Xbox-360/dp/B002BSA298/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1284121711&sr=1-2], Dille simply said "I don't think we'll ever outspend Microsoft," although whether he means that it can't outspend its rival, or has simply chosen not to, isn't clear.

Despite the smaller spend, Dille said that pre-orders for Move were "continually ramping up," and that feedback from retailers suggested that they would like to have more stock than they actually did. He added that he hoped it would be a hot product, although he was very aware that people were watching what they spent more than ever at the moment. Dille's comments seem to disagree with those made by Sony's UK marketing department however, which just yesterday [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103353-Sony-Says-Move-is-Not-Necessarily-a-Pre-Order-Product] seemed to be downplaying first day sales, and saying that the Move wasn't necessarily a pre-order product.

Marketing a product isn't just about the amount of money thrown at it, it's also about how that money is spent. The Move campaign apparently won't fully start until the product is released on September 17th, but if Sony continues to do things like the "Yay Buttons [http://www.yaybuttons.com/]" and "Move vs. Stuff [http://www.movevsstuff.com/]" websites - things that are relatively cheap, but are entertaining enough to tell your friends about - that smaller spend may not be a problem at all.

Source: Seattle Times [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/technologybrierdudleysblog/2012855625_sony_boss_on_move_vs_kinect_ps.html] via CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=263948]


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[Aurgelmir]

right. I dont have a ps3 so I wont be getting one and I dont know anyone that is.

I own all the consoles... and I am getting neither move or Kinect.

Hell I have more or less given away my wii since it sucks.


I play games to relax, not wail my arms around like a crazy person.

 

[Rack]

I hope it works for them, it's kind of sad how MS can just throw out a sub-standard project with a marketing budget equivalent to a whole countries GDP and sell billions.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

I might get a Move down the line, especially if Heroes on the Move ends up good, and because a lot of games are going to support Move control...even if optional. And the bundle isn't too costly, either.

That, and unlike Kinect, I don't need to keep my games in a giant living room.

I sit on my bed 2-3 feet away from my TV, after all.

 

[deadxero]

Is it just me, or does every thing Sony says lately sound like an excuse for the low interest in the Move.... and horrible reviews for most of the games seen so far?

I might get a Move down the line, especially if Heroes on the Move ends up good, and because a lot of games are going to support Move control...even if optional. And the bundle isn't too costly, either.

That, and unlike Kinect, I don't need to keep my games in a giant living room.

I sit on my bed 2-3 feet away from my TV, after all.

Don't bother with the Move then, they want you 8 feet from the TV.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

I'm not planning to get either, but I can at least appreciate that Sony doesn't just assume everyone has tons of open space for gaming, because I sure don't.

I owned a Wii for a short while, mainly to play Super Mario Galaxy. Also played Endless Ocean, which was a lot of fun. But neither of these games was really enhanced by motion controls, and I always found myself wishing I could have just played them on a regular controller.

 

[Danzaivar]

I can't wait for all this stuff to come out so we can see what's hyperbole and what isn't. Sony becoming apologists already doesn't really bode well.

 

[Lord_Gremlin]

Not only Microsoft managed to do well with shitty hardware of 360 (RROD), but they actually make people pay for online. Their marketing make wonders, I'll give them that. It's not only makes people eat shit, but also say thanks for it. Well, it's reasonable when people want exclusive - like Gear 2 or Halo 3 - and also have to pay for online. But when people actually buy MW2 on 360 and pay for online...

 

[DiscoAtThePanic]

Cracked did an article specifically about this. Microsoft has always done advertising poorly. Think about how bad their "I'm a PC" Windows Vista campaign looked compared to the Apple "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" commercials.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18749_7-ad-campaigns-that-prove-microsoft-was-never-good-at-this.html

 

[mjc0961]

Cracked did an article specifically about this. Microsoft has always done advertising poorly. Think about how bad their "I'm a PC" Windows Vista campaign looked compared to the Apple "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" commercials.

http://www.cracked.com/article_18749_7-ad-campaigns-that-prove-microsoft-was-never-good-at-this.html

Not like Apple is any better, I point to their same campaign you mentioned, the "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" commercials were also shit. Okay, you spent 30-45 seconds bashing Windows, good job Apple. Now I want to buy a Mac. *eye roll at Apple*

Pretty much any electronic companies I can think of are shit at advertising, though. Apple is shit. Microsoft is shit. I can't even remember the last time I saw Nintendo put out an ad. And Sony was pretty much shit up until somebody came up with the Kevin Butler character: first good idea Sony's marketing department has had ever.

 

[Jonny49]

I'll choose Sony's adversing over Microsoft's any day of the week. At least they have a sense a humour.

 

[V8 Ninja]

File this under "No Duh". Bill Gates probably already has 15 swimming pools made up of $100 bills, so it's not a surprise that Sony won't stand a chance when it comes to wasting their money.

...

...(zing)...

 

[Electrogecko]

Seems to me like Sony can't STFU or stop comparing themselves to the competition- and in something as juvenile as marketing budget at that. The only reason this article exists is because people tend to think favorably of the underdog companies that don't advertise as much. Microsoft may have a larger marketing budget, but if I had to guess, I would say that Sony's spending a lot more on PS3-centric ads than Microsoft is for the 360.

 

[L34dP1LL]

I dont like the underdog angle that Sony is trying to pull here. They're a massive company and when their console came out, it was the most expensive one. Dont try to feed me BS saying that you dont have budget for marketing.

 

[SelectivelyEvil13]

Eh, Sony and Microsoft are in denial that they're just copying the Wii's premise of motion controls. This is just their spastic, Motion control "prepubescent" stage, where they try to "find themselves" by essentially speaking out of their rear-ends. They can just hurry on releasing this rubbish so the two can sit in their corners and sulk during their arm-flail puberty. Perhaps when they mature a little, they will realize that most people would appreciate more games than more peripherals that will collect dust half the time.

All considered, Microsoft to me is in a greater position to try and push Kinect hard. The Move has button-input (indeed, yay buttons, woo-hoo...) so it's not completely out there, nor is it really shaky/risky technology what with its similarity to the Wii. Kinect is quite a new venture, and given Microsoft's current record of Hardware quality (HD-DVD Drive, mics, the bloody console itself), yeah, they're going to have to shell out some cash to try and persuade the more skeptical crowd.

 

[poiuppx]

Marketing or no, you can count me as among those likely buying the Move month 1... my only reason to delay is to see which games folks favor out of the launch library, so I'll be spending my greenbacks wisely.

 

[Vyress]

Not only Microsoft managed to do well with shitty hardware of 360 (RROD), but they actually make people pay for online. Their marketing make wonders, I'll give them that. It's not only makes people eat shit, but also say thanks for it. Well, it's reasonable when people want exclusive - like Gear 2 or Halo 3 - and also have to pay for online. But when people actually buy MW2 on 360 and pay for online...

Applaud this man for his post is full of truth.

On a serious note, I can't agree with you more. Great analogy too. ^^

 

[Raziel_Likes_Souls]

Two words: mon-tage


Who needs a big budget, when you have a montage?

 

[Radelaide]

All I heard was, "We don't have the budget Microsoft does. We're so indie it hurts!"

Sony, unless you start giving away diamonds and blowjobs away with the Move, it's not going to take off like you think it is. You are not Nintendo. You simply do not have the ability to make people want something like this like your Japanese counterparts, 'kay?