Behold the PS3: a 'movie downloading machine'

by Alexander Sliwinski { Dec 16th 2008 at 2:40PM }

With a commercial that has a clear message and is blessedly miles away from the company's ads of yore, Sony launched its Video Delivery Service ad campaign last night during Monday Night Football. The spot features a 20- or 30-something who justifies his purchase of a PS3 to his skeptical girlfriend by calling it a "movie downloading machine."

Sony states it currently has 1000 full-length movies and 2700 TV episodes for download. Check out the full ad after the break. Now, if Sony would only change its thoughts about Netflix.

Tags: advertisement, advertising, ps3, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Marty @ Dec 16th 2008 2:43PM

They've really taken a page from the neo-con handbook on this advertising campaign. Who cares that the competition is currently doing a better job of being a "movie downloading machine," or if the PSN leaves a lot to be desired - if they market the hell out of it, consumers will be too confused to know the difference.

Vidikron @ Dec 16th 2008 2:55PM

You expect them to not advertise?

Dirty @ Dec 16th 2008 2:56PM

I expect them to point out their strengths, not things that the competition can do, and do better.

Marty @ Dec 16th 2008 2:59PM

I didn't say they shouldn't advertise... I just think they should focus on improving the service, and then on advertising.

Vidikron @ Dec 16th 2008 3:05PM

It's not like the marketing department and the people working on the various services are the same people. I really don't see why Sony shouldn't advertise a service they offer.

Erluti @ Dec 16th 2008 3:23PM

That's precisely why it's good marketing. If you think it's a "Movie Downloading Machine" (or MDM) then when the common man goes to the store he will say, "I guess this system is worth 1,2,3-hundered dollars more because it's an MDM!"
Marketing is designed to train customers to purchase your goods, not provide information on how to make an informed decision.

DemonGSides @ Dec 16th 2008 3:49PM

Nice neo-con interjection. Stop being ignorant, EVERYONE markets the shit out of something instead of making it better.

Case in point: PS3, X360, and the Wii. All have shortcomings, but that doesn't mean they stop marketing it.

kaneda @ Dec 16th 2008 3:49PM

hah! what a stupid company...all trying to sell their product.

Vcize @ Dec 16th 2008 4:14PM

I can see Marty's point. Wouldn't you think it kind of weird if MS started advertising the 360's ability to play DVD movies, while the PS3 does optical disk based video much better?

Shagittarius @ Dec 16th 2008 4:17PM

They are trying to appeal to the mainstream, the mainstream has the Wii, which doesn't do movies...

turkeybaster @ Dec 16th 2008 4:44PM

Marty has a point, but has anyone seen the Xbox 360 ads for Netflix? They feature a creepy girl with a creepy smile as the camera swoops around to the back to find out there's a creepy diorama of a couple watching a movie in her head.

Given that Microsoft didn't really say too much about the service explicitly in their ad, Sony's commercial is much more informative. To the average consumer, people will associate the PS3 with a "movie downloading machine" and the Xbox 360 with a crazy drooling chick.

This isn't fanboyism, this is simple marketing common sense. It doesn't matter who has the features, what matters is how they're promoted. If Sony has an inferior download service, but promotes it better than Microsoft's admittedly superior one, people will associate movie downloading with the PS3 more. I'm just curious how long it will take until Microsoft makes a more informative advertisement in response to this.

kaneda @ Dec 16th 2008 4:36PM

"wouldn't you think it weird..."

It is definitely ironic, yes. but working for a big corporation, this type of advertisement isn't surprising to me. They will pick a mass appeal ad like this over a gamer targeting ad because it's the holidays and they want the investment to draw the biggest return. So they aren't gonna concede inferiority of their service to their competition and they aren't gonna appeal to gamers because they think they already tried that and that it wasn't successful enough.

Jack @ Dec 16th 2008 5:51PM

Marty,

If we waiting for Sony to improve on anything they did sub par before advertising I don't think the mainstream would know the PS3 existed.

While I agree Sony should be refining their features, good advertising is something PS3 needs. Badly.

Marty @ Dec 16th 2008 6:13PM

I can agree with that, but if they focused more on improving the service and the games, the advertising would come freely as people via word of mouth.

chispito @ Dec 16th 2008 6:46PM

Marty, why the hell do you feel the need to make your comment political? Your team won in November, now you can stop with the polarizing crap that occupied you before then.

As for the ad, I see nothing wrong with it. It advertises a way to justify the purchase of a PS3 to a non-gamer. If anything, it downlplays the movie feature. Of course the 360 has it soundly beat, but that isn't the point of the ad.

OMGOMG @ Dec 16th 2008 2:45PM

Aww Sony. Only 18 months behind schedule. So cute!

Henry @ Dec 16th 2008 2:51PM

Aww fanboys, holding a bias towards a particular manufacturer.

OMGOMG @ Dec 16th 2008 2:53PM

I'm not holding a bias at all. If I had the money, I would most certainly own a PS3 as well.

Jayslacks @ Dec 16th 2008 2:46PM

PS3? What's that?

Argabarga Jones @ Dec 16th 2008 2:55PM

It's a movie downloading machine. Duh.

Ordeith @ Dec 16th 2008 2:57PM

It appears to be some new-fangled bittorrent client with a hard drive.

baby sea tuna @ Dec 16th 2008 3:31PM

And all this time I was led to believe that it would deliver all my gaming desires directly to my brain in 7.1 and 4-D.

Shows what I know.

Mics @ Dec 16th 2008 4:33PM

@baby sea tuna

They dropped the Direct-to-Brain output feature in favor of dual 1080p HDMI outs, which is still pretty awesome.

Latin Trident @ Dec 16th 2008 2:56PM

I went to a department store yesterday and saw a PS3! oh wait, it was a George Foreman grill...

kaneda @ Dec 16th 2008 3:51PM

heh. i thought it was kinda funny. been a while since I heard the grill joke.

sk8monroe81 @ Dec 16th 2008 3:08PM

The spot features a 20- or 30-something who justifies his purchase of a PS3 to his skeptical girlfriend by calling it a "movie downloading machine."

wow they really kicked themselves in the butt this time... lol.

at least now even sony is calling the ps3 a movie watching machine... lol.

u think they would concentrate more on games and making gamers believe sony has the best games available.

this is crap.
sony realizes that ms offers more movies on the 360 right? and netflix? lol..

i dont think sony knows what to do with the ps3 anymore....

sk8monroe81 @ Dec 16th 2008 3:11PM

affect this ad has on netflix customers? 0%
affect this ad has ps3 HULU users? 0%
affect this ad has on wii fans? 0%
affect this ad has on casual gamers? 0%
affect this ad has in general? NEGATIVE FOR SONY...

so the ps3 is not the blu ray machine anymore???

LordVesper007 @ Dec 16th 2008 3:12PM

The ps3...a case study in identity crisis!

Who knows what sony will say it can do next?

sk8monroe81 @ Dec 16th 2008 3:12PM

download service?

i want my damn 50gb blu rays !!!!

in all honesty blu ray was hype and marketing.
i have seen 1 game that has truly needed to use the 50gb blu ray disc, MGS4, and im sure 25gb was sound.

there have been more multi disc xbox 360 games that could have used the power of blu more than ps3 games.

Vidikron @ Dec 16th 2008 3:12PM

I'll just ask you the same thing as ask the guys above... do you honestly believe Sony shouldn't advertise a service they offer? Really?

sk8monroe81 @ Dec 16th 2008 3:17PM

vid-
when sony advertising money keeps going down, you think they would concentrate on better ways of advertising.
ie- LBP, socom, r2, god of war 3, motorstorm..

u know the $ 60 games....
u know the games that are franchises that are supposed to sell millions of copies...

and why spend money on something that is inferior to the competition?
netflix ads are very effective, but this is not IMO>

soviet chick @ Dec 16th 2008 3:17PM

Show me this ad in 2006, and we would have purchased a PS3 at launch. I thought it was a pretty cute ad, geared towards both the more casual audience (or even the non-playing audience) and the more core gamer.

E-ffective all around.

sk8monroe81 @ Dec 16th 2008 3:19PM

vid-
do you honestly feel that sony should not advertise better things about the ps3 instead of this???

nobody bought a ps3 for the download service.
hulu use yes. blu ray yes. games yes.

this is wasted marketing.

soviet chick @ Dec 16th 2008 3:25PM

@sk8monroe

You are probably right. Nobody (or at least very few) purchased a PS3 to download movies. This ad is obviously not targeted to people who purchased a PS3, it is targeted at people who might purchase a PS3. It's like Apple marketing iPhone as a gaming device, just more incentive for potential customers.

jorojoserojas @ Dec 16th 2008 3:27PM

The thing is, though, to be successful now is to appeal to the widest audience. Catering only to gamers would not work, ESPECIALLY considering the high cost of manufacturing the hardware and developing the software.

Advertising the PS3 as a "movie downloading machine" may work in bringing a few of the skeptics around, and they may even rake in the people who aren't aware of the 360/Netflix compatibility.

I don't think this ad campaign would WORK per se, but I do see the reasoning behind it.

coffins outside the door @ Dec 16th 2008 3:33PM

Affect or effect?

sk8monroe81 @ Dec 16th 2008 3:50PM

gotta love the ps3 fanboys DOWNVOTE's:
nice job, sony is watching how much you care...

so as AAA ps3 game releases under perform and get kicked to the side you all welcome this advertising?

i said that sony marketing money should be used in other ways, and that gets downvotes.. nice job.

you people see how it copies MS recent marketing?

see ms is marketing their movie service, but also marketing their games, and their games are not underperforming.

Little Big PSN ID: johnnynumber5 @ Dec 16th 2008 3:53PM

I think soviet chick's logic makes the most sense. The kid was obviously happy because he got it for the games but it's showing that the console has other strengths that appeal to more than just gamers.

I have been saying for a long time they need to do more to educate the public about what the machine can actually do. This is a pretty good step in that direction. Besides, the commercial was pretty cute in it's own little way.

Vcize @ Dec 16th 2008 4:20PM

"It's like Apple marketing iPhone as a gaming device, just more incentive for potential customers."

No, it's not at all like that. The iPhone IS actually a better gaming device than other cellphones, so it makes sense to advertise that.

This would be more akin to Apple starting an advertising campaign to show how easy it is to type on, or to advertise its awesome external speaker, both of which are inferior to other phones.

Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Dec 16th 2008 5:49PM

PS3 haters aren't what they used to be.How can you guys even call yourself trolls? There's so much reason to hate - LPB release was fucked up,Home sucks,SOCOM is unplayable and you pick on Sony trying to improve service and make more mainstream?

I want you to be gone from this site by tomorrow.Leave and let the big boys handle the flamewars.

...oh and Playstation? Moar like Gheystation! This is how you do it!