Ben-DutkaMany journalists, including yours truly, have taken Sony to task in recent years for not promoting the PlayStation brand as strongly as the market seems to require. And while we still believe they have a ways to go – why did we see the Resident Evil 5 ad a hundred times an hour but the Killzone 2 ad a mere three times in two weeks? – there's one source that hasn't failed the gamer for over a year and a half.
I still remember sitting down to do some news back in the summer of 2007 (provided my memory doesn't betray me), and I saw the Day 1 launch of the official PlayStation blog . Up until that time, we only had the "unofficial PlayStation blog" in the form of ThreeSpeech, which, while usually a source of much controversy, wasn't what we needed. What the PlayStation fan and info-seeker needed was a place that was updated with the most recent inside information on a daily basis; a site that kept both the public and the press up to date on anything PlayStation-related. Now, we don't want people to misinterpret the title of this article: the blog isn't just for promotion and hype purposes; it exists to educate and inform, and as such, it has now become one of the best sources on the Internet for any info associated with the PlayStation brand. Well, it drops in a close second to your favorite source, known as PSX Extreme. 😉
Anyway, it's the contrast that interests me: we all still have a few problems with the way Sony handles their marketing in regards to the PlayStation 3 and some of its products, but the blog hasn't let us down yet. Not only are Sony PR guys posting there, but designers, engineers, and other significant members of first- and second-party development teams make frequent contributions. There are videos, screenshots, Q&A sessions, and perhaps best of all, those same contributors actually interact with the readers. If you have a question, they'll likely answer it. As most of our loyal readers know, we operate by the same philosophy: our community is of the utmost importance to us, and we've grown with the belief that the readers are a top priority. The PlayStation blog clearly understands this as well, and it's another bonus.
We go from corner to corner on the Internet, seeking the most valuable and up-to-date news, and as far as we're concerned, there are only two sources you need to visit that will give you everything you need to know related to PlayStation. Guess which two? 😉 We have to admit, the industry is that much more friendlier and accessible thanks to the blog in question.
Nah.. I'd say PSXE comes in at a close second.;)
Id hate to contradict you Ben ( not on Sony's failing advertisment as a whole just the K2 thing) but i saw 1 commercial for RE5 on all the channels i watch and ten million on Kz2…….on MTV ( they're paid to suck M$'s d**k too ) and at laest 10 a day on the others i watch. Just my personal observation.
Well, that's you. Didn't happen to me. 🙂
Depends on your area probably, I saw the KZ2 commercial (singular) about 6 times tops. I saw the RE5 commercial with the 360 logo about 50 times (no joke). I think it might still play now and then.
well MTV is mtv no matter your provider. i have cable my friend has Dish and it was the same thing on mtv. Major networks will usually have the same commercials accross all channels they are being broadcasted on and then have certain slots for local advertisment which is selected by the provider ( and you can tell they're local cause they usually suck ).
The amount of 'provider inserted commercial time' varies from channel to channel. It all comes down to contractual obligations and it can be as complicated as not only how much time, but during what time periods the provider-based commercials are added.
(I work for a telecom provider who will remain nameless and a buddy of mine just took a job in the ad insertion group, which is how I found a lot of this out. I don't know the specifics, but I'm sure that Viacom pushes for minimal provider ad time on its cash cows, like MTV.)
i'll keep my thoughts to myself. i know a lot of people on here will take it way outta context
Well Ben I totally agree… this and the Blog are the only two RSS feeds I subscribe for PS3 news. And yours is 1st!!!
I am the first.
PSXExtreme is the second.
PS Blog is the third.
Agree PS Blog is pretty awesome though
B Dukat are you still reveling in the props that Jeff R. gave you the other day on the Blog?
You are right though. The blog is one of the best communications tools that Sony has incorporated, especially when Sony or the devs take the time to respond.
On a slight tangent here, PSextreme has replaced PSU as my preferred non-affiliated web source for PS3 info. Keep up the good work.
Last edited by jaybiv on 4/29/2009 11:52:57 PM
No, I didn't know he mentioned us. What'd he say?
here you go Ben:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/04/28/uncharted-2-more-multiplayer-details/#comment-211909
i was shocked a little myself to see it mentioned
Heh. Cool.
That's funny as hell. Doesn't shock me that Jeff reads the PS-centric sites, since that's part of his job, but it's pretty cool, regardless.
I saw the KZ2 commercial about just as many times as the RE5 commercial for a while, but the KZ2 commercial faded away after a while and the RE5 commercial managed to linger a bit. I only really watch Adult Swim though…
I actually saw the RE5 commercial just like 5 times ever, but the KZ2 commercial like 20. But I live in Sweden, we may have some different marketing campaigns here I guess.
I love the PSB. It's one of the few 'official news outlets' that I feel is more than just a PR machine. I've chatted a bit with Jeff via e-mail when he first started and he seems very…genuine. The only problem they have, in my not-so-humble opinion, is a fairly common one on blogs and online forums: morons with a gigantic and unjustified sense of entitlement who know how to chant a few buzzwords and get offended when people can't drop everything and answer their every question. Still, if you tune that out, you can get some great information and it's clear that Sony's paying some attention to the good feedback that they get from the blog, since they've made changes based on the more…polite…user requests.
Don't watch much broadcast television. I mainly use it for DVD, Blu-ray, and Playstation.
I like this site and I like ps blog
Yeah that is all great, but at the same time it is kind of sad that the blogs ect… are Sony's best marketing tools, because everybody on these sites already owns psp's, ps2's, and ps3's. Sony needs to be doing major advertising to reach the GENERAL PUBLIC, that does not come to these sites, by advertising on tv, billboards, and everywhere they can. That should be their best marketing.
Amen there Crawdaddy!
TV has be ground zero for any advertising & marketing sales, and on the 3 major broadcasters, not just MTV.
Most of us who grew up on "M"TV know that they've totally forgotten their roots & have become every other kind of crap show except for what their M.TV. actually stands for these days…."MUSIC".