Should've Sony taken a more aggressive marketing approach?

With this gen winding down and the recent praise Sony has been getting for PS+, it got me thinking: why hasn't Sony been more aggressive this generation with their advertising? Sure, we got Kevin Butler flaunting $299 and the Move, but nothing like this:

While this tactic didn't work for Sega, Sony has a huge card up it's sleeve: free online. We already know this, but I suspect many consumers don't. This is a huge advantage the PS3 has over the Xbox and yet Sony still hasn't played this card. Why not? I'm sure it would've swayed a lot of people--shit--it could've even forced Microsoft to abolish Xbox Live Gold. Either way, Sony slipped big time.

You make a big push when you launch new hardware. Expect ads from all 3 console makers to be in full force this holiday season. Sony and Microsoft have new platforms to establish and Nintendo has to make sure they aren't lost in the shuffle.

I know your post is addressing Sony's marketing but I feel Nintendo needs to step it up this holiday. That have to communicate that the Wii U is a new piece of hardware, not some Wii accessory which I still hear people mistake it for when in video game aisles of stores, and that while underpowered when compared to Sony and Microsoft's offering it provides a unique experience like no other.

@msavo said:

You make a big push when you launch new hardware. Expect ads from all 3 console makers to be in full force this holiday season. Sony and Microsoft have new platforms to establish and Nintendo has to make sure they aren't lost in the shuffle.

I know your post is addressing Sony's marketing but I feel Nintendo needs to step it up this holiday. That have to communicate that the Wii U is a new piece of hardware, not some Wii accessory which I still hear people mistake it for when in video game aisles of stores, and that while underpowered when compared to Sony and Microsoft's offering it provides a unique experience like no other.

I once read an article where either Miyamoto or Iwata said that they kind of had to learn how to best market the Wii U, alluding to how much the marketing changed for the DS from when it was first released to later years of the product's existence on the market. I agree that they need to somehow emphasize that this is not an accessory to the Wii.

When Reggie went to Late Night With Jimmy Fallon he demoed, out of all the games in Nintendo Land, the Ninja Castle mini-game. That's one of the single-player mini-games. He could have played Mario chase or Luigi's Mansion with Jimmy Fallon and other Late Night staff or audience members, and people would see how much fun the console can be on multiplayer because everyone would be laughing and having a good time, but instead he played the Ninja Castle one? Why did they make that decision? That game shines most in its multiplayer modes! Clearly! That's what they should be demoing! That's what so many people loved about the Wii!

So occasionally Nintendo can be a bit misguided with its marketing, apparently, and that is somewhat the case with the Wii U's marketing. But I hope they improve it, and I think they will.

@Snail: I hope they do improve as well. Also they have to get a hold on their online and account access across both the Wii U and 3DS. There is no excuse to not have one login for both devices and one wallet for both devices. I have $15 on my 3DS right now but if I bought a Wii U today I would have $0 there. Say what you will about Sony but they got that shit together even on PS3 and PSP and now Vita is one step deeper with shared Plus status, PS1 classics etc.

Sorry for going off topic btw.

New god of war commercial is pretty strong.

You know, when the cigarette companies were told they could no longer advertise, they celebrated? People still bought cigarettes, and they didn't have to waste money on advertising.

@prestonhedges said:

You know, when the cigarette companies were told they could no longer advertise, they celebrated? People still bought cigarettes, and they didn't have to waste money on advertising.

If that were the case, why did they advertise in the first place? Hollywood already did it for them.

I don't know. I have stated numerous times that Sony should be more in your face to the competition. They have the most diverse first party exclusive games, the most first party studios, free to play games, and free online. They should let the world know but instead they decide "fuck it".  

The key phrase is "this gen winding down". Pumping marketing dollars into a current gen platform when the next one is just around the corner is a waste of money.

The PS3 install base has been pretty stable AFAIK. Spending a few million to increase it by 0,1% this late in the cycle is better spent getting the PS4 / Orbis into the hearts and minds of consumers post-Feb 20th.

I do think Sony needs to up their marketing a bit better, I mean most of their games do sell fairly well over time (going by how many get in the "Greatest Hits" category) but they certainly need to push their titles out there more. Have something like "Halo" or "Zelda", you know just market a game like that and get it everywhere.

The only game I saw them do this with was Uncharted.

Sony doesn't know anything about marketing.

Maybe it's a Japanese thing.