When you think of major gaming markets in the world, the first three that come to mind are of course, North America, Japan and the U.K. Latin America, however, has been seeing increasing momentum and Sony has played a large role in that. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today revealed to IndustryGamers that it's launching its first ever regional ad campaign in Latin America to further capitalize on the growth of PlayStation in Latin American nations.
The ads (scroll to bottom of article to view both) feature a "babyman" playing with PS3 and PlayStation Move in one of the spots and going about a work day in another spot, utterly amused with small things the way babies usually are. The campaign was developed by Saatchi & Saatchi, and the central theme is “Live in a State of Play,” which Sony says "captures the excitement that PlayStation provides consumers to experience the wonder, curiosity and excitement of being young and experiencing everything for the first time. Throughout the effort, images of people engaged with PlayStation are enhanced with the heads and faces of toddlers."
“PlayStation is always pushing the limits of entertainment with groundbreaking technology and game experiences,” said Pablo Del Campo, CEO of Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi and chief creative officer of Saatchi & Saatchi Latin America. “It’s always a thrill and feels like you are experiencing something for the first time. We wanted to seize that emotion in every aspect of the campaign.”
The campaign is expected to engage Latin American consumers "via multiple touchpoints, including television, print, interactive, in-store and social media platforms." Part of this includes a consumer website containing product information and new add-ons and game titles at www.vive.playstation.com and a YouTube channel. Sony is also employing an interesting Facebook page and application, where people can put their voices to a “State of Play” video; so basically, as they speak, users’ words are verbalized by the engaged gamer with the head of toddler.
Also of note, Sony has announced four new localized PlayStation websites for Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru to further emphasize its regional commitment and offer relevant and customized information about PlayStation news and product information.
Sony said the regional ad campaign is designed to "coincide with the company’s most exciting holiday seasons which include the debut of customized product offerings for the region and groundbreaking product releases such as PlayStation Move and Gran Turismo 5." Overall, SCEA’s presence in Latin America has now expanded into 19 countries, including Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Brazil, Peru, Honduras, Belize, Paraguay, Uruguay, Guatemala, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Bolivia.
“PlayStation is experiencing tremendous growth and opportunity in Latin America. We’re providing extended access to the full array of PlayStation products and services in Latin America including PlayStation Move games like The Shoot, The Fight: Lights Out, and EyePet, and are making these products available on the same day as U.S. and Canada,” said Mark Stanley, general manager of Latin America for SCEA. “The company remains focused on creating localized and exclusive experiences that are tailored for consumers in this region and our new advertising initiative is a huge testament to the direct dialogue we want to continue building with Latin American consumers that are looking to enhance their entertainment experiences with PlayStation.”
The last important bit of news is that SCEA is unveiling Latin American specific bundles for this holiday season. Wisely, SCEA is looking to leverage Latin America's passion for soccer. The bundles focus on all three hardware offerings in the PlayStation family (PS3, PSP, PS2). The first set of bundles, available this November, focus on Konami's ProEvolution Soccer and are as follows: PS3 bundle includes Silver PS3 160GB system and ProEvolution Soccer 2011; PS2 bundle includes the PS2 system and ProEvolution Soccer 2011; PSP bundle includes the PSP system (PSP-3000) and ProEvolution Soccer 2011.
And for those who prefer EA Sports' soccer game, a second set of bundles focus on FIFA, and are available this month as well. They are as follows: PS3 bundle with black PS3 160GB system and FIFA 2011; PS2 bundle with the PS2 system and FIFA 2011; PSP bundle with the PSP system (PSP-3000) and FIFA 2011.
Stay tuned to IndustryGamers for our full interview with Mark Stanley about the growing importance of the Latin American market to PlayStation and the games industry on a global scale.
