AfterDawn: News

Sony spending $50 million on PS Vita marketing

The PlayStation Vita will see Sony's largest marketing push, ever, when it begins shipping in the U.S. next week.

Sony will spend over $50 million to promote the handheld console, its largest marketing push for a gaming console, to date.



Using the marketing firm Deutsch, the company has created a line of ads, each with the tagline "Never Stop Playing." Gamespot says these will include ads on "26 websites including Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, as well as on television, during The Simpsons, South Park, Tosh.O, and NBA and NCAA basketball games."

Furthermore, Sony will promote the Vita on billboards in the U.S. in New York, Chicago and San Francisco and via Sirius XM radio.

The console launches in the North American markets on the 22nd.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 Feb 2012 20:56

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• 9 comments

• Steel-Ice

  $50 games
  Sony proprietary memory stick
  No built in storage to save games
  Forced to sign up for an AT&T contract for the 3g version with a 200 mb($20) or 2 gb($30) data limit.
  
  All the reasons I'm going to pass on the Vita.
  

  14.2.2012 21:41 #1

• Mealox

  Originally posted by Steel-Ice: $50 games
  Sony proprietary memory stick
  No built in storage to save games
  Forced to sign up for an AT&T contract for the 3g version with a 200 mb($20) or 2 gb($30) data limit.
  
  All the reasons I'm going to pass on the Vita. 1:There is only 1 game so far that is 50$, which is Uncharted.
  2: True.
  3: There is no contract.

  14.2.2012 22:45 #2

• brockie

  Originally posted by Steel-Ice: $50 games
  Sony proprietary memory stick
  No built in storage to save games
  Forced to sign up for an AT&T contract for the 3g version with a 200 mb($20) or 2 gb($30) data limit.
  
  All the reasons I'm going to pass on the Vita. Vita is £209 on Amazon with a free 8 gig mem card

  15.2.2012 00:54 #3

• xaznboitx

  Free wifi is every where so no 3g needed

  15.2.2012 03:06 #4

• LordRuss

  I still think $50 million could have been better spent. Seems to me if your product is of high enough quality, wouldn't the device basically sell itself?
  
  Before the haters start nut biting, I understand the 'instant gratification' of wanting a profit on this device as quickly as possible, but $200+ still for a handheld & in this economy. Especially when tablets are comparable (yes, yes, sans the buttons & proprietary games) for the same price...
  
  Unless 'you' are the one buying it for yourself it will be people buying it for their kids. Sony simply isn't going to see the numbers/returns for a while, if at all. I mean, other than a grandparent buying it for a grandkid, they're not going to play it, so we can skip that demographic too.
  
  Thus that $50 mill could have gone to dropping the price a bit & getting a few more of those Vitas into some kids hands for a bunch more 'word of mouth' sales... but then who the hell am I?
  

  http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

  15.2.2012 11:11 #5

• ZippyDSM

  They could have saved 50 million and put UDM playback and TV out in it....
  

  Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
  Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
  http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/

  15.2.2012 13:20 #6

• brockie

  Originally posted by ZippyDSM: They could have saved 50 million and put UDM playback and TV out in it.... Dvd & Blu-Ray Players should come with a VHS Slot as standard & ipods should have a tape deck slot as well.
  
  you need to get a product out there so everyone can see it, so it makes sense to me.

  15.2.2012 22:49 #7

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by brockie: Originally posted by ZippyDSM: They could have saved 50 million and put UDM playback and TV out in it.... Dvd & Blu-Ray Players should come with a VHS Slot as standard & ipods should have a tape deck slot as well.
  
  you need to get a product out there so everyone can see it, so it makes sense to me. All in one is better than stand alone. *lick*
  
  Yes they do need too but I would have bought one if they bothered to make it more like the PSP.
  

  Until lobbying is a hanging offense I choose anarchy!
  Ah modern gaming its like modern film only the watering down of fiction and characters is replaced with shallow and watered down mechanics, gimmicks and shiny-er "people".
  http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/

  15.2.2012 23:20 #8

• llongtheD

  Originally posted by LordRuss: I still think $50 million could have been better spent. Seems to me if your product is of high enough quality, wouldn't the device basically sell itself?
  
  I have to agree with you there, tell that to Geico and Progressive. Yes, they don't sell game consoles, but who else is getting tired of this onslaught of advertising? I guess if you hire the right advertising firm, you can polish a turd.
  
  

  16.2.2012 07:48 #9