So Sony is about to get a new president and CEO. With that will come the inevitable tweaks to the company’s strategy and execution.
The good news for gamers is that the incoming CEO, Kaz Hirai, is a games industry veteran, which means Sony is going to be well looked after there. But what kind of changes in direction can we expect?
While it’s probably unlikely to happen, I would like to see the PlayStation brand dropped from the next Sony home console. It’s not because I believe the PlayStation brand is a bad one (far, far from it), I do feel it would be better served attached to other Sony products, and the home console branding could use a refresh.
Indeed, the market trends would suggest video game companies agree with refreshing the brand names attached to their hardware. The PlayStation brand is now, along with the Game Boy, the longest-lasting hardware brand in the industry. Never has a console product line shared a brand across four successive major-release hardware consoles. Not including the PSP and Vita handhelds, the PlayStation 4 would be, obviously enough, the fourth PlayStations branded product.
Why would a vendor change such a valuable thing as a branding to go with something unproven? Let’s look at Nintendo and its very intelligent handling of the handheld console market.
But first, some branding 101: the reason for a brand to exist is as a marketing force to build associations between the product, and the experience a user would have in making use of the product. Apple has been remarkably successful in building a set of associations around the “i” character – the technology it’s attached to is stylish, easy to use, and for want of a better term “not nerdy.”
So basically, with branding, you figure out what customers you want buying your products, and then come up with a name and logo to match.
For many years the Game Boy served Nintendo in attracting the young demographics to the console. It was a toy – a remarkably well built toy – which didn’t do much else but play games that were, at the time, largely for younger people.
That brand would no longer apply to the Nintendo DS, though. Nintendo had, in its infinite wisdom, the plan to attract people who didn’t really want to play “games” to the console. Hence Nintendogs, and the Brain Training games. The product line needed a new brand to associate a less core focus on games without the “negative” (in the sense of “not attractive,” not “bad”) associations of being “a toy that plays games.”
Over the years, the PlayStation brand has picked up a number of strong associations, and not all of them have been entirely positive. The PlayStation Network hack did some reputational damage, and the PlayStation 3 and PSP were both considered nowhere near as commercially successful as the PlayStation 2 and 1 consoles. In some circles it has become a brand synonymous with a fading star.
Which is of course ridiculous. The PlayStation 3 is a superb piece of hardware, and the PSP and Vita are both excellent handhelds. Market perception means an awful lot, though, and those negative perceptions are very difficult for a marketing team to counteract.
With the PlayStation brand diversifying to encompass online delivery services (PlayStation Network), and tools that people use to play games (PlayStation TV), it’s also a brand that is in danger of becoming meaningless. This is something I would argue has happened to Square Enix and the Final Fantasy brand: you use it too often for too many products, and people stop associating it with anything.
Want to see that work in action? Think of a word with strong meaning. Repeat it vocally 100 times quickly. The word will lose meaning. Films that have a lot of swearing or violence do a remarkable job of desensitising people by the end of the film.
Semantically, words should not be used too often if they’re designed to have meaning. While I understand (and think it’s a good idea) for the PlayStation brand to permeate into other parts of Sony’s business, now might be a good time to start moving the brand away from the console business.
It could be, and should be done slowly. When big corporations retire brands, they do so over a couple of generations of product. So for instance, when Cisco acquired Linksys, the Linksys brand hung around for a while, despite Cisco’s plan to retire it. Then the products became “Linksys by Cisco,” which was an effective way to introduce consumers to the Cisco brand, which had previously been a corporate brand with little visibility outside of offices.
Sony could have a “NextGenConsole, powered by the PlayStation Network,” on the box. That “PlayStation” name would stand out on the box in the game shop, but people would stop calling it a “PlayStation” within the generation.
The benefit to that? Sony’s console business could kick off the new generation with a fresh slate. And so it should, it’s a product line that has gone through massive changes through the years. From dedicated gaming console to home entertainment unit. From being spectacular because it uses the latest disc technology to offering a spectacular online network. From being the best console of all time to being, for its early lifespan, dangerously close to a market failure.
All that said? I doubt we’ll see a rebrand with the PlayStation 4. When a company encounters financial pressures it tends to act in a more conservative manner, and leverage existing brands rather than invest in new ones. Sony is indeed under financial pressure, so perhaps we’ll have to wait for the next, next generation.
Really? And what good has it done to Nintendo?
Leave Playstation Brand alone, just and the new line's name to it like Playstation Vita
What good has it done to Nintendo?
The best selling handheld console of all time in the Nintendo DS.
I can talk to my 8 year old nephew or my 70+ year old mom and they both know exactly what a Playstation is whether the word Sony is in front of it. It would be absolutely stupid of Sony if they came out with a new gaming console that could do everything the Playstation 3 can do and not use "playstation" name in the new console. That 8 year old nephew asked for a Wii from his grandma for Christmas 1 year had no idea what it was he was asking for. In order to figure it out she went to Best Buy and asked the tech about the new "Nintendo thingy".
That's like a criminal stealing your identity your address, your name; everything. You'd be a nobody. Make sense? When companies sell their product they put their names on them so other people can identify them and saves the problem of other companies claiming it's theirs. Understand?
That's like a criminal stealing your identity your address, your name; everything. You'd be a nobody. Make sense? When companies sell their product they put their names on them so other people can identify them and saves the problem of other companies claiming it's theirs. Understand?
That isn't how branding works at all, actually. Further, the obvious assumption there is that Sony would still use the 'Sony' name in the new product. The Sony brand has a higher market value than the Playstation brand.
That isn't how branding works at all, actually. Further, the obvious assumption there is that Sony would still use the 'Sony' name in the new product. The Sony brand has a higher market value than the Playstation brand.
Actually, PlayStation 2 is still the bestselling console (unless DS surpassed it somehow. Last time I checked, it was still about 5 mil. behind)
I was thinking they'd be smart to do away with the numbering and just call it "Playstation" — ie, a reboot, like so many franchises today ("Twisted Metal," "Rambo," etc.) The idea being that it starts to sound geeky (and never-ending) when you go past 3 in numbers (maybe) — and I thought it'd help tie PSN into the system's lifespan as something that will always be there as long as Sony exists as a company. In other words, your purchases could carry over the next revision of the PS and you'd look at your version number of your software and version number of your hardware to see if it needs upgrading to run the latest downloads — it would also help make invisible things like emulation of PS3/2/1 software which presumably you will continue to buy off PSN if there is a "PS4."
But would not like to see the name "Playstation" go. Always thought it was a good one.
And what a console it was! The PS2 is the console that got me into gaming in a big way.
The DS was the best selling handheld of all time though. Apologies if I forgot that "handheld" component of my argument somewhere.
Interesting idea there, Matthew, and that could indeed refresh the brand in a different (but successful) way.
Thanks for then input! 🙂
Wow, is this guy for real? He's going to compare Game Boy to PlayStation now I could understand comparing the names Nintendo and PlayStation but not the name Game Boy to PlayStation. The Nintendo Game Boy always carried the NINTENDO moniker somewhere on the console if not right on the front below the screen. Even the original DS still carried the Nintendo name on the front of the console under the bottom screen. Every console Nintendo has ever sold here in the US has had Nintendo somewhere on it or on the packaging when you buy it. Nintendo getting rid of the Game Boy moniker is the same as PlayStation getting rid of the Portable moniker in PlayStationPortable (PSP) and going with Vita now. The PlayStation name is not going anywhere, I would be willing to bet any amount of money on that. Its way more likely that the next PlayStation home console will not carry a "4" after PlayStation but something completely new like we see with the PlayStation Vita. But then again what the hell do I know I'm just a life long gamer……lol!
The Sony brand is worth more than the PlayStation brand:
http://playstationlifestyle.net/2011/07/05/sony-most-valued-brand-in-asia/http://www.neoseeker.com/news/16412-brandz-nintendo-no-longer-second-most-valuable-japanese-brand/
"Nintendo's brand value didn't fall so low that it would be beaten by rival Japanese electronics/console giant Sony (whose brand valuation factors in their PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable business)"
http://www.gfmag.com/tools/global-database/economic-data/10621-best-global-brands-2010.html#axzz1lConPlOn
"The brand value of Sony includes PlayStation 2 and 3, and PSP"
At no stage was I suggesting Sony do away with the SONY brand, which is incredibly value.
Companies build new brands and retire/ refresh other brands all the time. It boggles my mind the reaction this story has had over at N4G. I can only conclude that there are many "life long gamers" who are not qualified in marketing.
That or they didn't even bother to read the article before having a brain snap.
I think you're missing the point just a little. For starters, Nintendo and Sony are the names of the companies; Game Boy and PlayStation are the names of their products. Even though Nintendo continued to use the Nintendo name on their products, the name of the products themselves are what changed (the Game Boy became the Nintendo DS).
What Matt is suggesting is that Sony follows suit and ditches the PlayStation name for their product, ultimately coming up with another title. This is something that Nintendo has done over many generations: we started with the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), then moved to the SNES (Super NES), then the Nintendo 64. From there we went to GameCube (wait, how did that happen?) and now we're on the Wii (that doesn't sound remotely like NES!) and waiting on the WiiU. Their portables, in order, were Game Boy, Game Boy Colour, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS (see the transition?) then 3DS.
Even though for periods of time Nintendo gave their products similar names (Game Boy to Game Boy Colour, for instance), they have eventually realized that their products will still have the same weight and merit as any other even if they change the name. Sony has stuck with the PlayStation title for each of their products since day one. They haven't been in the biz as long as Nintendo, perhaps, but that doesn't mean that they are exempt from the pitfalls that companies can fall into.
Frankly, I agree with Matt's opinion: Sony could and should use this opportunity to come up with a new brand for their gaming consoles. The people in the industry aren't going to suddenly forget who Sony is just because they changed the name of their product. It's time to shake things up!
You mean besides the fact that worldwide sales of the Wii have almost doubled that of either the PS3 or the 360?
Nintendo has gotten by just fine without sticking with the same brand name for their console line. I think Sony would be alright.
I understand your point, for sure, but I think your case may be a bit more isolated than most. I mean, the Nintendo Wii has sold close to twice as many units than either the PS3 or the Xbox 360. I doubt very much that the Wii is suffering from an issue of brand recognition failure; everyone realizes it is a Nintendo product, everyone knows its capabilities, and it has sold extremely well due to this fact. The Nintendo DS has experienced a similar state of industry success.
I think we sometimes put too much stake in a name when it's really the piece of hardware that we should be backing. The Wii is a prime example of this: even though they changed the name, everybody and their dog bought one, specifically because of the technology that the hardware supported. Almost 100 million units sold worldwide! You can't argue with those sorts of statistics.
I understand your point, for sure, but I think your case may be a bit more isolated than most. I mean, the Nintendo Wii has sold close to twice as many units than either the PS3 or the Xbox 360. I doubt very much that the Wii is suffering from an issue of brand recognition failure; everyone realizes it is a Nintendo product, everyone knows its capabilities, and it has sold extremely well due to this fact. The Nintendo DS has experienced a similar state of industry success.
I think we sometimes put too much stake in a name when it's really the piece of hardware that we should be backing. The Wii is a prime example of this: even though they changed the name, everybody and their dog bought one, specifically because of the technology that the hardware supported. Almost 100 million units sold worldwide! You can't argue with those sorts of statistics.
Playstation (just counting number of Playstation branded consoles in homes already) I think is the largest console brand in the world. They have more units in homes than Microsoft and Nintendo combined. Dropping that kind of brand recognition would be stupid.
Playstation (just counting number of Playstation branded consoles in homes already) I think is the largest console brand in the world. They have more units in homes than Microsoft and Nintendo combined. Dropping that kind of brand recognition would be stupid.
I think that whether or not the Playstation name should change should depend on what Sony wants to do with their next console. If there next console is going to simply be a PS3 with improved specs, then they should keep the Playstation branding. If they intend to do something radically different, which is unlikely given Sony's track record, then maybe they should consider a new name.
I think that whether or not the Playstation name should change should depend on what Sony wants to do with their next console. If there next console is going to simply be a PS3 with improved specs, then they should keep the Playstation branding. If they intend to do something radically different, which is unlikely given Sony's track record, then maybe they should consider a new name.
I don't think Sony should get rid of the Playstation brand. Sony does much more than just games hardware. Nintendo is basically a company directed towards gaming only and i would say that Playstation is more of the gaming 'branch' of Sony. Yes they still put their manufacturing name on the units but I feel that Playstation is used in a similar way to Nintendo since you can mention Sony for TVs, DVD players, etc.
e.g. if someone were to say to you "I've got the new Nintendo" you'd know what they were talking about, but if someone said "I've got the new Sony" if a new console had just come out you'd probably have an idea, but you couldn't be sure they weren't talking about some other peice of hardware.
I don't think Sony should get rid of the Playstation brand. Sony does much more than just games hardware. Nintendo is basically a company directed towards gaming only and i would say that Playstation is more of the gaming 'branch' of Sony. Yes they still put their manufacturing name on the units but I feel that Playstation is used in a similar way to Nintendo since you can mention Sony for TVs, DVD players, etc.
e.g. if someone were to say to you "I've got the new Nintendo" you'd know what they were talking about, but if someone said "I've got the new Sony" if a new console had just come out you'd probably have an idea, but you couldn't be sure they weren't talking about some other peice of hardware.
Dude, OP, thats just nonsense. You exemplify Nintendo, but if the gameboy and the DS were targeting different demographics, the PS3 and the PS4 will most definitely not.
Playstation is a name people in the gaming circle (which one would think is what matter for their gaming business) know more than SONY itself. I mean, ive heard songs with verses having playstation,xbox, even atari but not sega, sony, microsoft…
I already know what a playstation is, the entire world knows. But when they change that to name it All-Powerful Console (knowing SONY's idioticy for names, that could happen)
…then people wouldnt even relate playstation to that. And you see, SONY counts on unsuspecting people to but they hardware on xmas time so they really need something people can relate to, not some flashy new name.
Thats the reason Apple always has an "i", when they could name something to their products.
Dude, OP, thats just nonsense. You exemplify Nintendo, but if the gameboy and the DS were targeting different demographics, the PS3 and the PS4 will most definitely not.
Playstation is a name people in the gaming circle (which one would think is what matter for their gaming business) know more than SONY itself. I mean, ive heard songs with verses having playstation,xbox, even atari but not sega, sony, microsoft…
I already know what a playstation is, the entire world knows. But when they change that to name it All-Powerful Console (knowing SONY's idioticy for names, that could happen)
…then people wouldnt even relate playstation to that. And you see, SONY counts on unsuspecting people to but they hardware on xmas time so they really need something people can relate to, not some flashy new name.
Thats the reason Apple always has an "i", when they could name something to their products.
for fuck's sake NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
for fuck's sake NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
No they haven't more units in home than nintendo LOL
No they haven't more units in home than nintendo LOL
Lol, here in my country people called them "Sony 1" "Sony 2" "Sony 3" not playstation, it wouldn't differ to them if they dropped it.
Lol, here in my country people called them "Sony 1" "Sony 2" "Sony 3" not playstation, it wouldn't differ to them if they dropped it.
What country is that, Yousef? I'm always interested to see the different ways products are marketed in different countries 🙂
What country is that, Yousef? I'm always interested to see the different ways products are marketed in different countries 🙂
Call yourself a gamer., Why would Sony drop 'PLAYSTATION', its one of the most reconised brands in the industry. You clearly hav'nt got a clue how branding works and how long it takes to get to a point like Sony has.
Call yourself a gamer., Why would Sony drop 'PLAYSTATION', its one of the most reconised brands in the industry. You clearly hav'nt got a clue how branding works and how long it takes to get to a point like Sony has.
I seriously doubt Sony will use 'PLAYSTATION 4' for ther next home console, as the number 4 is unlucky in Japan. It means 'Death'. Next Gen Sony will have some sort of catchy name ' PLAYSTATION ?', just like they did with 'PLAYSTATION VITA'.
I seriously doubt Sony will use 'PLAYSTATION 4' for ther next home console, as the number 4 is unlucky in Japan. It means 'Death'. Next Gen Sony will have some sort of catchy name ' PLAYSTATION ?', just like they did with 'PLAYSTATION VITA'.
I actually have a masters degree in marketing, and have written a thesis on branding.
I'm also a business journalist by trade. Thanks for coming by to post, though.
I actually have a masters degree in marketing, and have written a thesis on branding.
I'm also a business journalist by trade. Thanks for coming by to post, though.
So lets pretend for a second all the PlayStations thus far were just call the Sony 1, Sony 2, Sony 3, Sony Portable, and now the Sony Vita. If I go by your logic then everyone of the Sony's consoles have had new names each gen thus far . Right? I mean Sony is the name of the company and each console would have had a completely different name in a new # from the console before it. The truth is Sony makes more then just games which Nentendo does not. If you were to ask someone above the age of 50 what Sony means to them I doubt they would even mention video games but I guarantee that same person would know Nintendo as a video games company. For the last 20 years I've listened to my father call ever gaming system I've ever had a "Nintendos" as he like to call them. Just because Nintendo is the name of the company you want to believe that people didn't still see everyone of their consoles as such. I do believe the Wii to be Nintendo's first true console that alot of older people do not associate with the Nintendo moniker and it looks like Nintendo see's this too, I believe that's why they have keep the Wii name for the nex gen Wii U and are finally just now moving away from their console being known as a "Nintendo" which is associated with toys.
Lastly, I do not agree with Matt's opinion and frankly think he's kind of ignorant to think Sony will trash 15 plus years of product development to go in a new direction. Now don't get me wrong I do believe the next PlayStation…oh wait I mean the next Sony lol will not be called 4 but something different.
So lets pretend for a second all the PlayStations thus far were just call the Sony 1, Sony 2, Sony 3, Sony Portable, and now the Sony Vita. If I go by your logic then everyone of the Sony's consoles have had new names each gen thus far . Right? I mean Sony is the name of the company and each console would have had a completely different name in a new # from the console before it. The truth is Sony makes more then just games which Nentendo does not. If you were to ask someone above the age of 50 what Sony means to them I doubt they would even mention video games but I guarantee that same person would know Nintendo as a video games company. For the last 20 years I've listened to my father call ever gaming system I've ever had a "Nintendos" as he like to call them. Just because Nintendo is the name of the company you want to believe that people didn't still see everyone of their consoles as such. I do believe the Wii to be Nintendo's first true console that alot of older people do not associate with the Nintendo moniker and it looks like Nintendo see's this too, I believe that's why they have keep the Wii name for the nex gen Wii U and are finally just now moving away from their console being known as a "Nintendo" which is associated with toys.
Lastly, I do not agree with Matt's opinion and frankly think he's kind of ignorant to think Sony will trash 15 plus years of product development to go in a new direction. Now don't get me wrong I do believe the next PlayStation…oh wait I mean the next Sony lol will not be called 4 but something different.
The PlayStation brand won't need to be dropped.
It will die with Sony as they go down anyway.
The PlayStation brand won't need to be dropped.
It will die with Sony as they go down anyway.
The idea seems ludicrous. Playstation is a highly recognisable name.
It's a bit like The Beatles deciding to change their name after a few
albums just because they'd experienced a bit of a dip in sales at one point. They released Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but it still had The Beatles on the album cover. I'd say that the dip in sales was due to a very strong showing from the Xbox360 line up of games, which had launched before, coupled with a casual gamers interest in the Wii, coupled with a smaller number of PS3 titles being released than the PS2 has coupled with that initial high pricepoint.
The idea seems ludicrous. Playstation is a highly recognisable name.
It's a bit like The Beatles deciding to change their name after a few
albums just because they'd experienced a bit of a dip in sales at one point. They released Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band but it still had The Beatles on the album cover. I'd say that the dip in sales was due to a very strong showing from the Xbox360 line up of games, which had launched before, coupled with a casual gamers interest in the Wii, coupled with a smaller number of PS3 titles being released than the PS2 has coupled with that initial high pricepoint.
Hi everyone,
I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to comment, we appreciate the feedback, healthy debate is good!
On account of there being a number of comments that violate our comments policy, however, we need to close down the thread for now.
Thanks again, and hopefully we see you around shortly!
Hi everyone,
I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to comment, we appreciate the feedback, healthy debate is good!
On account of there being a number of comments that violate our comments policy, however, we need to close down the thread for now.
Thanks again, and hopefully we see you around shortly!