Since DMV is hittin' the books hard this week, I've been asked to fill in his Weekend Reading shoes and give y'all a nice little feature to ponder as you meet with friends and do whatever it is you people do in your free time on the weekends.
Now, before you hit the jump or assume anything about this post based on the headline, let me explain something first and make certain things very clear: I am not a fanboy of any console/company. I am a gamer. I am a gamer who wants the latest and best video games on the latest and best systems, that's it. I don't care if a console is made by Mickey Mouse, if it's hot, I want it.
Now that being said, I invite you to hit this damn jump and check out how the Robert Summa PR Agency for Dummies would turn around the SS Sony PlayStation 3 Titanic -- because let's face it, it's sinking in the public-opinion seas with no sign of stopping.
Come Sony, step into my office and sit down. We have to discuss your current situation and how we at RSPRAD can help you turn things around out there in the gaming world. Let's get things straight:
Everyone hates you
Whether you know it or not, about 70-80% of the Internet hates you right now. I understand this might mean absolutely nothing to you, but this isn't 1997. The Internet community is huge now and it's only going to get bigger. Newspapers and magazines are dying out because people can and want their information fast -- thus the Internet has become one of the biggest influences in public opinion.
Sit back and let this idea soak in your big brain for a second ... OK ... let it digest ... I know it's hard ... relax ... good, all done. So you see, you need the Internet, right? We understand each other on that one, right?
It's pretty simple: Millions flock to the Internet for information, thus what you say and what is said about you on the Internet is important. I can't stress this enough as we move forward. You must fully understand this fact in order for everything else we discuss today to click in your head.
How to begin to turn it around
Let's look at Microsoft first and see what they do. They have a very strong presence in the community and above all else, they're honest and quick with their response to negative opinion or concerns.
Represented by the likes of Major Nelson and GamerScore Blog, among others, Microsoft is connected everyday to their consumer. Because of this, they seem friendly. When a problem comes up, they respond. There's no cold, heartless corporate head spinning PR lies two days later to some random news source. No, it comes straight from the source and out to the gamers directly.
There's no middle man. If people have an issue, then they go straight to Microsoft via Major Nelson and voice their complaints. It may take a few hours, but the good ol' Major usually responds with an honest response to everyone concerned.
This is where you start to lay some sort of new foundation. Three Speech is a nice start, but it's not really the right direction. What you need is community people within Sony that can convey your message. And not a PR spin message, gamers see through that. Instead, you need a "hey, this is going on and we're working on it" message. More on this next.
Stop with the PR doublespeak
Gamers today aren't stupid Sony. When you say you can't do rumble because it's not next-gen, we know you're lying. There's really no point to even say something as stupid as this when all you have to do is say the truth: We were in litigation with Immersion, so we couldn't put rumble in the SIXAXIS. Say the truth, good or bad. Gamers will respect you if you tell them the truth.
If you continue to treat your loyal few like idiots, then they will eventually wise up and grow disgusted with the way you treat them. Now, if you're going to say, "Well why does it matter what we say, our console speaks for itself?" OK, good point, and the PS3 certainly can, but the problem is, you're losing exclusives and gamers are a sensative bunch. If they see you acting like dicks, then there may be a good portion of some that will sway toward Microsoft simply because they feel Bill Gates can treat them better.
Customer loyalty must never be forgotten, no matter what. You were king with the PlayStation 2, but this launch landscape is completely different now. Your competition is out and ready to take off your head, you must be proactive.
Back on point: How you treat your fans is sort of like a battered spouse. There's only so many times you can slap someone around before they finally pack up their bags and leave. Got me on that one?
Hire good PR people that know what they are talking about
Now, we at RSPRAD certainly can help you here if you like, but if you do decide to go elsewhere, let us give you some tips: Get PR people who understand your product and understand the current landscape of gaming. Your relations with the press are crucial. I know you hate them, but how you treat the gaming press can go a long way toward turning things around.
We're not talking bribes or anything like that, we're talking about openness. Have a dialogue with the press -- whether it be places like Destructoid, Kotaku, whoever. You've got to understand the the Internet gaming press -- blogs included -- are a powerful medium. How you treat them can reflect highly in what kind of coverage you get.
This whole Kotaku fiasco was a perfect example. Here it was, you finally had some positive PS3 news come out and you sh*t all over it by lashing out at Kotaku and acting like a child because a rumor was reported. Rumor or not, this was the first really positive news Sony fans had heard in a long time. So, instead of just ignoring it and letting it be, you threw a tantrum and demanded your stuff back.
Gamers saw this and now maybe those who were on the fence with your past actions, quickly switched over to the anti-Sony crowd. There are many out there just waiting for you to slip up like this and you're doing nothing but adding fuel to the fire with actions like this.
Much like your fan base, if you continue to piss on the press, then they're just gonna piss on you right back.
Overview on how to do it right
The biggest things to take from this meeting, Sony, is that you need to start being honest and open. If something is not ready, then say so. Gamers will understand and respect you more for being honest.
Don't make up claims about what the console can do, speak the truth. If the console is going to have only one HDMI port, for example, then say so. Don't shoot for the moon, just focus on what you got. You have a beautiful machine, Sony, that has the potential to play amazing games, keep your attention on that. Don't be bothered by this other nonsense that pops up.
And lastly, treat your fans and the press like they were your family. We all want the same thing: A wonderful escape with some of the best games and systems our current technology can produce. This isn't a war, this is a love fest, and everyone just wants to get laid.
Take these points to heart Sony. Take these seriously. It's not too late, you still have time to save this thing. So, from one gamer to another, get your sh*t together. You have a $600 console, now is not the time to press your luck.
Contest:
2:27 PM on 03.03.2007
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meh.
But yeah, nice article.
The other thing is that Sony has to realize that they're quite a bit in the hole, PR speaking, and it's going to take some amount of work to get out of there.
But I think most of all, they need to make quick steps to eliminate the nagging feeling (or outright thinking), that it'll end up as the GCN of this generation..or worse.
But that'll require more than just PR I think. And that's their problem.
Sony did so much right with the PS2. built tons of good relationships with gamers, industry, game developers, internets, etc. Fostering these relationships should have been a top priority. It seems that Sony developed the PS3 and resulting launch campaign based on what they wanted to make and say, not what the gamers want.
SIDE NOTE: One of last year's Public Relations Society of America's Silver Anvil Awards for campaign cases went to a case study on the 360 launch, Sony should read it
That all being said, another job of PR professionals is to control rumors and bad press. They are meant to react to things and communicate the company's message, their side of things. In the Kotaku Kase (see what I did there? High five.), Mr. Sony PR Guy really only wanted to stop that rumor from spreading further. How he did it was the suck, but his intentions were right. If anything, he could have worked with Kotaku to get the real story out there.
Are they trying to change? Do they realize what they're doing to their brand? All things said, I bet most of DToids readers agree with you. So are you hoping Sony will stop by and pick up some pointers?
here it is.............(drum roll)
DROP THE FUCKING PRICE!
There, thats it. That's all Sony needs to do.
Can I have some money now?
If you look at the price history of the machine they're looking to emulate things just don't add up. The PS2 sold 110M units worldwide(and counting), but the price was so much more accessible.
It launched at £300 here in the UK, but had dropped to £200 within 10 months! If you adjust that £200 with inflation at a healthy 2.5% per annum you arrive at a figure of £232. 10 months in to the PS3 life cycle in the UK (Jan 08) its probably going to retail at £375, maybe £350 at the best. That's well over £100 more than the PS2, which enormously reduces the consumer base.
Its the same story the world over, price is what will determine this console war if you really want to call it that. Alongside that internet based PR is a drop in the ocean.
Rob, excellent write-up. Hopefully Sony will read this before GDC, and you'll have Phil Harrison wanting to wear the helmet.
Anyone who has been following the game scene should know when the hardcore sony hate started. It was the day they announced the price. When your machine is so fucking expensive that most people who wanted it can't buy it, then you are going to be under the microscope big time. It's because everyone is looking so closely at the PS3 trying to justify it's price that many of sonys fuckups seem more glaring. No corporation could stand up to such scrutiny. Not MS and not Nintendo. But it's because of the price. If this thing was $300 no one would be putting sony under the microscope, they would have just bought the damn console and be done with it, like we did the PS and PS2. But no, sony outgrew their balls and thought we would swallow a 600 trojan horse. One thing rob had right, is that gamers are not completely stupid. We see whats up and we're pissed. Pissed gamers are bad for business because we point out every little flaw. Just look at Robs articles. They piss people off so they get extra attention. It makes him look like a tool, even though he isn't. It's just cuz he makes people mad so they focus on his flaws. Thats what PS3 did. Sony pissed people off with bluray fuckyou and now we are hitting back.
Sure PR is an issue now, but only because they took us gamers for granted and pissed us off.
I couldn't imagine Phil Harrison throwing on the robot head in a million years. It's not suprising to see Major Nelson wearing it -- he's approachable, even likeable. Same can be said for The Regginator with Nintendo.
Have fun with the PlayStation 3 and the PSP. It's gaming for Christ's sake, let loose. Even the PS3 ads are too serious for their own good. Lighten the f**k up, Sony.
someone in sony PR should:
copy paste > email to: > Ken and phil.
To see if they open their closed minds and actually help themselfs on the so critisized PS3, its really not that hard if you (at least try to) stay honest. Supposedly this month by the UK release, new stuff is coming out...
like everything has been, its a wait and see ordeal with little hope...
I have to disagree with you, subnet. Sure, many people complained (and continue to do so) about the high price. But if you really add up all the technology that you get in the PS3 and compare it to the price of an equivalent 360, they’re at least the same price, and technically, the 360 would be even more expensive:
PlayStation 3: $600 w/ next-gen optical drive (Blu-ray), built-in 802.11b/g wireless, flash media card reader
Xbox 360: $399 + HD DVD add-on drive ($199.99), and you’re already at the price of a 60 GB PS3 (don’t forget, the latter has a hard drive that’s three times the size).
Of course, that’s not even including the Wi-Fi (around $40) or the flash memory card reader (around $20). And if you want to go with Microsoft’s official Xbox 360 wireless adapter, that’s an extra $100.
All I’m saying is, the price is not a huge deal for the people who do their homework (I’m not saying it’s not expensive...that $600 out of my pocket certainly hurt). But Sony’s ridiculous PR department is the major issue here. The image that’s brought to my mind is one of a newsroom with monkeys on typewriters — that’s the picture I have of the Sony PR department. According to my mind, RSPRAD, on the other hand, has a real office in a skyscraper. Awesomeness.
What you're saying is true but totally irrelevant.
It doesn't matter if they put 10,000 worth of tech in a box if they are selling it for $200 more than what you have available to you. I"m not arguing the value of the PS3. Clearly, it is the highest tech piece of kit this gen. The problem is that people can't afford it. Its TOO nice. So you have a case of sour grapes where lots of people are pissing on it now because they don't want to fork over the dough. A $600 should be absolute perfection. No console can stand up to that expectation. Because it's $600, the games have to look better, (they don't), play better (they don't) and be more of them (there aren't). If it were only $300 (blue ray or not) people wouldn't expect it to be perfect. They wouldn't moan about only having 1 HDMI port, or only 1 gig E port instead of 3. But because it's so expensive, peoples expectations are equally high.
@subnet6 and mxyzptlk: i think you both make good points. if sony had gotten their PR shit straight from the beginning, then a few more gamers (not A LOT, but a few) would have had no problem swallowing the price. however, if you're going to price your product $100-$200 more than your nearest competitor, you'd damn sure better be perfect or close to perfect. for now, i think summa is right in saying that sony should handle its image first--handling the games, the functionality, and the price shouldn't come too far behind, though.
Maby they had such a lag behind here in EU knowing they would f*ck it up the first time. I know my opinion has been formed by teh interwebs (go goroup think) but will this effect others? Sory for asking questions, im curiouse for other peoples opinions, and a nice write Summa, you get my life-long-eternal-love for the next 15 mins.
Also cocks
i could care less about
Blue Ray...yeah nice but i don't need all
my DVD collection repurchased in HD.only the classics.
the only time i will get a PS3,
is when MGS4, DMC 4 and Tekken 6 are ALL on a shelf.
ps3's game list STILL doesn't sound too impressive.
they need more killer apps.
(Onimusha, ZOE, Burnout, Dino Crisis etc)
and if the games have any online features, i'd get it
for the x360
I agree, but what I'm saying is that if we didn't view these comments from a position of being pissed about an expensive console, they would just sound like silly idiots that we ignore. Instead we hang them for every PR blunder. If we were all happily playing our $300 PS3s right now, these comments would seem lame at best and we'd all have a good laugh while we played motor storm. Instead, most of us can't play motorstorm because the box is too damn much money, so instead we sit here and theorize about how Sony can fix a price problem with better PR. The thing is, no amount of PR is gonna make that $600 console any cheaper, nor is blogger ass kissing gonna make the average joe six-packs paycheck any larger. I know the internets are important and I too love to think this little community of narcissists has value, but nothing competes with the almighty dollar. Under pricing doesn't guarantee a win, but overpricing certainly increases your chances for a loss, particularly if it's followed by corporate bungle the likes of which Sony is famous for lately.
I'm still liking msft more this generation
although I've heard the best things about Nintendo's customer service dept...
Please, <i>please</i> don't haul out that, "Look, they cost the same," argument. It's a kinda condescending way to score points on 'people who haven't done their homework'. I assure you, most, if not all, of us are well aware that adding all the accessories to the 360 makes it comparable (or in excess) to the price of PS3; That's the way every console has been since time immemorial. We know, okay? We <i>know</i>.
The thing is, the price of the PS3 is not the real complaint being made here when you get down to the brass tacks. The complaint, the problem we have is that unlike the 360 which <i>can</i> cost as much, the PS3 doesn't give the consumer a <i>choice</i>. Let me put it this way:
Say I've got a 360, and I just want to play 360 games on it--I'll just buy the core. If I feel like playing online, doing the V. Marketplace thing, or having BC, I'll buy a hard drive. I wanna watch HD-DVDs and the like on my fancy new TV, maybe I get the add-on--D'ya see what I'm getting at? The price of the system is entirely based on what you want out of it. <i>Choice</i>, sir, is the crux here. The price is mere consequence.
Sony could care less about gaming. It's all about forcing another proprietary format down our throats, so they can boost their movie division. I can only hope that their gaming division is brought to it's knees (literally), so that they will finally become humble again, and get back to being a business we actually want to deal with (as in the original Playstation days).
I think you're on to something with the choice argument, but really what you are saying is that they are not giving a choice how much the cost of entry on the console is. The core issue is still the cost. What if they didn't give a choice by only having 1 SKU and it was $100 for what we are paying $600 now. Do you think people would have a problem with not having choices? Probably not, because the price would be great in the first place. People only care about choices on the 360 because the alternative is so expensive (core+HD+wireless+HDDVD addon). So yeah, choice is important but only because the hardware is so expensive and Sony is forcing us to jump in rather than wading in slowly at our own pace. If there was only 1 xbox SKU with HD-DVD built in and it cost $400, no one would complain about a lack of choice, they would just buy it and rock out on it.
You're absolutely right, of course. I guess what I'm sloppily trying to say is that the cost wouldn't *be* an issue in the first place if they'd provided a choice. I could easily be mistaken, but my impression is that most expensive part of the PS3 by far is the Blu-ray component. Sell that separately, sell the wireless separately, and I suspect already the cost of the PS3 would be down enough that Sony wouldn't be hit too hard by a $400 price point. At that price, the PS3 could knock the 360 out the park.
Granted, this is kind of a chicken/egg sort of argument and has a semantic value at best, but, <shrugging> there you go :)
There are only a few interesting exclusive games coming to PS3 and with the core 360 being sold in Europe for £150 online I think the choice is clear.
Sony need Wipeout, GT, and Metal Gear on launch day if was to stand a chance.
Apathy for PS3 is its biggest enemy, Japan only success looks likely.
Wonky is right too. I would add that the main reason the PS3 is losing exclusives is that the pricepoint is so high that it is hindering the install base potential of the machine. Combine that with the difficulty to develop for ps3 (due to its high tech (=high price) components (cell+blu ray) and Devs know that not as many people will be ponying up for a $600 machine and they need to make money so they are doing what they have to. And here we are again, back to $$$.
That comic was priceless...
Lets start simple, we need you to start polling US your customers about WTF we want from YOUR console, heres a hint: we crap in your rubber duckies and online store, we need 100% PS1, PS2 compability (it took 5 years for the PS2 to built up the library it has!), we need fast free online gameplay, we need you to attract new developers and franchises we need great games like MGS4, DMC4, GOW3 now, and above all, we need a price drop of at least 100 bucks, And we need them yesterday. And NO we dont all have an HDTV, so dont even try to hard sell us one, and we couldnt care less about blu ray we want our PS3 to play games.
Fair enough, Skylance. But I think if you look at it from Sony’s point of view, the whole “PS3 as a Trojan horse, and Blu-ray as the soldiers” thing makes sense, especially when they have so much invested in the format. I say that because the PS2, six years ago, was itself a Trojan horse for the DVD format. At the time, DVD was just catching on with the masses, but the PS2 (100 million+ sold now) really skyrocketed the format and helped to get it into people’s homes. I don’t want to intimate that DVD’s inclusion in the PS2 was the sole reason that the format succeeded, but it was definitely instrumental in that development.
This was especially important because the cheapest Blu-ray player you can currently buy costs $999 — either from Samsung or Sony. For techies and early adopters, it obviously made sense: get Blu-ray in your home for $400 less than the only other alternative, and you can also play games if you feel like it. For gamers...sure, not everyone cares about Blu-ray (in fact, I’m currently playing my PS3 on an eight-and-a-half-year-old 13" CRT), but I plan to buy an HDTV soon, and then, it’ll be useful.
This is, of course, not even the major point of interest for gamers. By only including a standard DVD drive in the 360, Microsoft limited their developers to 8.5 GB of space for games. Meanwhile, PS3 developers can go all-out, with up to 50 GB of space on a dual-layer Blu-ray disc. Ted Price, head of Insomniac, said himself that Resistance: Fall of Man took up 16 GB. You probably couldn’t put that game on the 360 without a lot more compression than was used on the PS3 version, or without using two DVDs. This is why I think that PS3 games will eventually win the graphics and sound war over 360 games: there’s simply more space available (almost six times as much, to be precise) for textures and sounds, etc. Just wait till 2nd-generation PS3 games start coming out — you’re already seeing the beginnings of it with a game like MotorStorm, which looks just fantastic. I think that by the end of 2007, PS3 games will have caught up with 360 games (of course, I just mean graphically).
I also want to make another point, which is aimed at Keniley. I wouldn’t say that Blu-ray and HD is “irrelevant” at this point — HDTVs are selling like hotcakes, and they will continue to do so. As with any technology, prices will fall more and more as time goes on. HDTV prices have been dropping pretty far as it is — currently, you can buy a 32-inch LCD HDTV for as low as $500. That was unheard of even six months ago. Plus, plenty of people already own HDTVs; according to Wikipedia, 24 million US households have them. This is all in line with the federal mandate that, by February 17, 2009, all analog television broadcasts will cease. By then, they’re hoping that a majority of Americans will own HDTVs; people will need digital-to-analog converter boxes to be able to watch TV on their non-HD sets. That’ll probably get pushed back, but still, it will happen, and it’s almost certainly going to happen within the next five years.
Your post is long, I'll give you that. But you have some issues. If you want to give PS2 credit for speeding along adoption of DVD, fine. I'll concede that. But I will say it didn't do nearly as much as people seem to believe. VHS was on the way out long before the PS2 hit the US. DVD's were already in stores. I bought a stand alone DVD player for $116 in 2001. This whole argument that the PS2 was the cheapest DVD player is not true. Maybe on the day it launched but certainly not within 6 months. Also, the PS2 was absolutely NOT a trojan horse for DVD. First, games had ALREADY outgrown the CD format so DVD was actually necessary at the time. There were many multi disc games before the switch to DVD. If there are any multi disc DVD console games I don't know of them. Your argument about size MAy come to pass in a few years but not likely. Improvements in compression will likely cover us through this gen and in the unlikely case of a huge game, 2 discs will be fine, just like in the past. Also, pushing DVD didn't directly help Sonys movie studios the way pushing BLU-Ray does since Sony doesn't see the royalties for DVD, either on the hardware side or the media side. With Blu-Ray, Sony gets paid on every movie, game, and disc, that uses the format. Also, DVD didn't mandate that you buy a new TV (another Sony benefit from Blu-Ray) to get the advantage of it. So no, PS2 was NOT a dvd trojan horse.
And you can get a standalone BR player for $799 today. It has been out for a while. Sony is about to release a $699 player and others are making players that play both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.
And the government mandate to switch to digital broadcasts has nothing to do with HD. They can broadcast ED content at 480P and still be in perfect compliance. Add that to the fact that this mandate only refers to over-the-air broadcasts and you realize cable and satellite provides are not effected. They can continue analog delivery indefinitely. This all leads to the conclusion that HD adoption will mostly be driven by cost. Most people spend less than $300 on a TV. Until there is a good selection of HD TVs in that price range, adoption will be slow. I"m already seeing an increase in digital SDTVs being offered at places like Best Buy and Circuit city. These are digital TVs that comply with the new digital standard and they are not HD sets.
To make a long story short, it appears you are drinking the sony koolaide. Fortunately, most people aren't which is why so many consoles are sitting on shelves. The PS3 is an incredible system, no doubt, but blu-ray could have been completely left out and the price would have been $200 cheaper, no production problems or delays and the system would have been just as incredible. The only difference being that the console would have launched nearly a year ago and everybody would own one and Sony wouldn't be in the PR nightmare.