Hey all! Coming at you hot with another funky fresh post dealing with the other 4 C's of marketing. Just a quick reminder we're following the Playstation component of Sony.
Competition
The number one challenge which comes to mind when thinking about PlayStation’s success in the market is being distinguished among its competition. The video game market is vast causing PlayStation to have many direct, actual competitors. In their attempts to stand out so far, PlayStation has both won and lost their battles. It depends on which of the multiple markets they’re fighting in you look at. The PlayStation 4, is currently on top in the console market, beating out its rival the Xbox one. These two are the most comparable because of the similar capabilities of the two machines. More distinguished in its audience than those two, the Nintendo Wii also greatly affects the PlayStation’s success as well. Although they all have different target audiences, there is a lot of overlap in who they are ultimately getting to buy their console, and in the end, most customers are choosing one of the three.
Secondary competition stems from digital content, predominantly in producing exclusive games and TV shows. Every video game company want to boast the best and coolest games which can only be played on their console, and that’s where PlayStation owes most of it’s success. But an area where they suffer because of the opposite reason is in their exclusive TV shows, which very few people know about.
Company
One big strength which Sony has going for it is it’s impressive reputation for the last 20 years. It’s been delivering quality games since its first console, which was a huge success. Some of it’s biggest issues have come from what it’s tried to introduce to the market aside from it’s main line of consoles, which include devices such as a virtual reality headset and a PlayStation Vita (a handheld device), which have not been huge successes in the mainstream market, and Sony has not given as much attention and publicity to those compared to their flagship device. In fact Sony has branched out to multiple different sectors, including TV’s, cameras, and moves. Unlike the PlayStation’s main competition, the parent company Sony is spread out over multiple fields.
Collaborator
Diversity and quality of games is the main selling point for PlayStation, which boasts hundreds of games no one has heard of and hundreds which they have. Because of this, Sony’s relationship with the best game developers is key to their success, but not only that, their relationship with small developing companies consisting of 1-5 people has been a game changer for selling to those interested in a niche market. PlayStation is known for its big name games as well as its Indie games.
Another core group that is closely tied to PlayStation is the companies providing other digital content like video streaming or music streaming which has become a standard in consoles in the past few years. Since many consoles have these kind of additional services, it is key for PlayStation to keep a close connections with these companies in order to provide the service better than its rivals. Whether that means the apps load faster or have less bugs, or some combination of both.
Some websites, such as video game news sites like IGN and retailing sites like Amazon are key to spreading the word about PlayStation’s different promotions and releases. Sites like IGN and Gamespot write review and news about new games and consoles, which means they provide free publicity, both good and bad, for PlayStation. Whereas Amazon accomplishes a similar task by promoting their hardware, but will only tell you what is available, and not spin it in a positive or negative light.
Context
The world existing outside of video games greatly affects both PlayStation’s approach to the market and their success. One major factor is how well the economy is doing. Video games can quickly become an expensive hobby and if no one has money, no one will buy video games, no matter how affordable they are, because they are still a luxury.
The constantly advancing technology is a factor in deciding which direction the company should move and also makes it a challenge to keep up with competition, both new and old. Both 4K TV’s and Virtual reality headsets are prime examples of this, and Sony’s attempts to be ahead of those markets has put their biggest weaknesses on display, because they can’t fully commit to either of them like they’ve committed to the PlayStation.
Another external factor that affects PlayStation is the constantly changing fads of the consumer market. Certain genres of games fall in and out of popularity fairly quickly relative to the time it takes to create a game. Even if a game is beautifully designed with excellent mechanics and has an amazing plot, if it isn’t a popular style of game, it won’t become a big seller. There is a delicate balance between appealing to the masses without isolating the fringe groups. However thanks to the diversity of PlayStation games, they handle these cultural influences well.
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