Target Markets of PlayStation and Nintendo
It is always important to find time for hobbies as a contribution to not losing one’s sanity. In the world that we live in nowadays, everything seems to be slightly more advanced. Thus, it feels good that almost everything that can pass one’s mind, can be turned into a reality. Especially if it refers to virtual reality, nothing is impossible. For example, a little bit of imagination and creativity has led to the invention of video games. Different devices can be used for them but today’s blog is going to concentrate on target markets of PlayStation and Nintendo, two incredibly well-known video game brands.
Let’s begin the discussion with PlayStation and look through one of its campaigns to get more insight into the marketing strategies that the company utilizes.
PlayStation in collaboration with Sony invests a great deal of money to correctly advertise its products. There are a few approaches that the company uses for its promotions.
Firstly, the company applies aggressive promotion as part of its marketing strategies, and an inseparable part of that method is the use of catchy slogans which we will get into later in this blog.
PlayStation also buys into TV advertisements which is a basic yet required strategy that each company should consider.
Another tactic that PlayStation goes with is taking part in various exhibitions around the world, among which is The Electronic Entertainment Expo. The latter is one of the biggest gaming events which displays PlayStation products each year. Other events in the same category enable the company to reach specifically targeted audiences, such as gamers and prospective buyers.
Here is a video that presents the “This Is For The Players” campaign.
The video is accompanied by a narrator that makes everything a bit more powerful and easily understandable. The video features a so-called ‘made-up’ world where everything seems to be different from the normal that people are used to.
That is what makes it obvious that this is a video game company ad, the constant use of creativity and unusualness.
We see things such as somebody jumping over a station bench, someone walking across a wall that becomes invisible as he walks, a humongous dragon around the corner of a building, a huge robot-like creature that looks a lot like Iron-Man, and so on. All of this happens in a blink of an eye.
The PC4, the product being advertised, is for those who enjoy playing in absolute freedom: the animators, the game changers, in other words, the players.
“This is for the players. This is PS4” is how the ad comes to an end.
Moving on, let’s understand the company’s communication strategy
To do so let’s discuss one of the company’s slogans.
“Greatness Awaits” is one of PlayStation’s slogans that held an incredibly powerful effect for years. People that play video games have different preferences and tastes. Thus, it was important to come up with a slogan that would target the majority of the people regardless of their liking.
This slogan is pretty impressive because, with two words only, a lot can cross one’s mind. But the overall idea is that regardless of the genre, game players will feel great while doing their thing.
For gamers, video games are not just a means of entertainment, but a matter of passion.
Therefore, what the company tried to do here with the slogan was to connect with players on an emotional level, and communicate to them that everything that the company does is for the well-being of the consumers, and the fulfillment of their needs.
Next, let’s try to find out which segment PlayStation has chosen to target.
This video is a commercial for PS5, and “Play Has No Limits” is its tagline.
At the beginning of the video, we see a ship captain observing something from afar. Then the camera angle moves and we see a huge wall-like wave that has colors untypical of water. Then we see a bunch of odd but beautiful things happen, such as leaves growing on a mast of the ship.
Several other ships, helicopters, even spaceships appear in the water, as they go towards the ginormous wave. And once they move through it, they appear in the endless space which has no limits, hence the tagline.
The overall interested approach of the ship captain, the risk-taking for upcoming adventures, and the certainty of not hesitating from an unknown challenge lead us to believe one thing. The segment that PlayStation has chosen to target is Hedonists.
Let’s see what we know about this segment.
Lifestyle and values:
The mindset of this segment is “We only live once”. Thus, they go out of their way to make every single day as entertaining as possible. They will do crazy things such as getting up on stage during a concert to make the situation that much more fun.
This segment constantly seeks challenge and change. The change can be regarding a job and even a personal relationship. That’s why these people tend to have short-lasting relationships.
They like experiencing new things, visiting places where they can meet new people they can make friends with. Because a good contribution to their hectic lifestyle is a good and reliable friend group.
Hedonists like keeping up with trends, which very well contributes to deep care towards their appearance and the wish to stand out in the crowd.
When it comes to working, their main motivation is earning money.
And as a result of this heated lifestyle, Hedonists tend to limit their family time to occasional family meals only.
Brand usage.
Hedonists mostly use mainstream brands. Ones that are believed to improve a person’s image, as they like being eye-catching. They usually buy goods whenever they can, but this segment sometimes will also put quantity above quality.
This segment quite often makes impulsive purchases. They do not organize their shopping trips, however, they visit smaller stores that make it possible for finding the best-fit items.
Every once in a while, Hedonists will get domestic brand goods but only if those are in fashion.
Other interesting facts.
Hedonists go out with friends as much as possible, to pubs, clubs, cinemas, you name it. They visit exhibitions of their interest, such as car or motors shows. This segment plays the lottery but keeps it a secret. Their media consumption is below average, and it is done for entertainment purposes only.
Time to get to Nintendo, and let’s begin the discussion about it similarly by analyzing one of its campaigns.
Nintendo also puts different tactics to use when it comes to promoting its products. As it is the main way that people are introduced to various products and the distinct features that those have to offer.
Nintendo likes doing this thing where they have special launch days, and dedicated time events to it.
The company invites people from all places to visit and see the new products for themselves while learning information about them from first-hand experience. Other than that, Nintendo also gives out free goodies, including console cases, T-shirts, and so on.
The launch campaign by itself has to be advertised in a way to acquire as much attention as possible. A good example is the 3DS product launch. As a result, 85 percent of UK citizens watched a 3D video called ‘Believe your eyes.’
Let’s watch this short video to see how connected it is to the advertising strategies that the company uses.
The video starts with somebody playing a video game with the use of a TV. But then something changes, or…switches, and he picks up his Nintendo Switch to keep the fun going.
That device is much more accessible since it can be used from everywhere. For instance, throughout a traveling journey starting from the airport, and ending at an apartment.
It even acts as a bonding tool between different people. In the airport, our character meets someone who has a Switch as well and they game together.
The Switch is something people turn to as soon as they find the time. For example, after a real-life basketball game, those guys gather around playing the same game but on their Switches.
It becomes an inseparable part of one’s life, taken everywhere they go.
The video ends with a Nintendo Switch tournament communicating the idea that it can be used not only for entertainment purposes but also in a professional environment.
To get more familiar with the communication strategies that Nintendo uses, let’s look at one of its slogans.
“There’s no play like it” is the slogan we are going to be talking about. That specific slogan is one that represents Nintendo’s branding in an incredibly neat and close way. It was used for 2DS, at the end of its commercial.
The slogan is very close to the saying “There’s no place like it”. It is a highly effective and smart slogan because, at first glance, people may not understand that they are familiar with it.
So they will read it with a feeling in mind that they know it, which will create a subconscious connection and focus.
And later when they do realize that this slogan is actually a pretty common every day saying but switched up, surely that will be captivating as well. Creating relatability is one of the most valid ways of making a connection.
The last heading of this blog is about the target audience of Nintendo.
To understand it better, let’s watch this short ad.
This video is a Nintendo Switch ad featuring Annie Murphy, a Canadian actress.
As she wakes up, opens the curtains, and sees that it is a rainy and misty day, she knows it is going to be spent inside.
She starts the day with what looks like a workout routine. Then she gets on a video call with her mom, playing chess.
We see her get into yet another gaming session with a friend, unlike the one with her mom, she wins this.
In the evening, she puts on a night outfit playing a dancing game.
She ends with “I hope it rains again tomorrow” hinting at her perfect day which looks exactly alike.
The full-on positive mood, the close-to-the-heart hobby that she can spend her full day on, and the natural outgoing personality lead us to infer that the segment that Nintendo has chosen to target is Chardonnays.
Let’s lay out the information that we know about this segment.
Lifestyle and values:
This segment is one that is incredibly positive and optimistic. They enjoy being out and about, visiting different places with friends, where they can not only hang out and catch up but also live memorable moments.
Like Hedonists, coming off as attractive is a very important aspect of Chardonnays’ lives as well. Thus, they have a good sense of style, and a good variety of outfits to pick from to look presentable in their day-to-day lives.
Chardonnays are spiritual, so they believe that there is something greater than us out there whether it is God, the Universe, or someone/something else.
This segment enjoys staying informed about different cultures and news that is going on around the world.
They adore having jobs that allow them to show off their personalities. However, they are not smart with the money they make and tend to spend a lot of it, leaving them in a condition where they live paycheck to paycheck.
Brand usage:
As Chardonnays care deeply about their appearance, understandably enough, they pay huge attention to shopping and following new trends.
They like purchasing good quality products which also means paying extra money. For this segment, it is preferable to own fewer products but have ones that have a high quality.
Chardonnays pay attention to the meaning behind advertisements, they have to include characters that Chardonnays look up to.
Ads have to be made in an interesting and engaging way for this segment to at least pay attention.
Other interesting facts:
Chardonnays have hobbies that reflect on their personalities. They are socially active people living the nightlife. This segment likes spending their free time shopping as it looks rewarding.
Their family is the center of attention and the heart. And Chardonnays use the media more than the average person.
To sum up all of the mentioned points, PlayStation and Nintendo are two widely known video games, and this blog concentrated on their marketing and communication strategies. Other than that, we also analyzed two advertisements to find out the target audiences of these companies. For many more blogs like this, be sure to check out our main website where we constantly update our feed.
