Sony Computer Entertainment who last month dropped the price of their Playstation 3 offering while also introducing a new slim model is now set to roll out a multi-pronged, multiplatform strategy to grow the popularity of the Blu-ray-enabled console with a combination of content and experience marketing. They have also recently launched a 250GB model.
At an SCE conference inthe UK recently which was attended by SCE Australia executives were presented with new strategies for expanding sales of the struggling PS3 which has struggled up against the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft’s XBox 360. Since the launch of the new Slim PS3 at $499 SCE Australia has increased sales significantly however analysts are not sure how this growth will hold up as both Nintendo and Microsoft crank up new retail offerings.
The Director of Hardware Marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment John Koller, said that the Sept. 1 launch of the 120GB PS3 “Slim,” featuring a new form factor, “an unqualified success,” as the company sold 1 million of the devices in the first three weeks.
SCE Australia recently launched a 250GB version of the console, at $599. In the USA the same console is selling for $350 some $249 cheaper than the Australian model which does include some games.
According to TWICE Magazine in the USA, Sony’s strategy, leading up to and since the cut, has been to expand the core audience for the device and to emphasize all of its functions, beyond traditional gaming. “It Only Does Everything” is a slogan the company has been using, emphasizing the console’s Blu-ray player, its Wi-Fi capability, its social and online gaming functions, and its video downloads.
Koller added that the PS3 is no longer “just for gamer guys.” While Sony saw the PS3’s old target audience as males aged 12-34, it now sees its market as adults of both genders, 18-49.
“The change in the consumer since the price drop is very material,” Koller said, noting the recent proliferation of “dual-console” households, as owners of a Nintendo Wii or Xbox 360 are buying a PS3 as well, often because of the Blu-ray drive.
Other parts of Sony’s growth strategy include various product bundles, interactive displays at retailers, and specific emphasis of the Blu-ray logo, often in concert with other Sony products. The PS3 also became a Netflix streaming partner this month, and in December will release the first-ever hybrid disc featuring both a Blu-ray movie and a game, as consumers will be able to purchase the film “District 9” and the game “God of War III.”
