Sony Reveals Extent Of 'Play B3yond' Marketing Campaign

Sony Computer Entertainment America has been discussing the full extent of its new 'Play B3yond' marketing campaign for the PlayStation 3, ahead of the console's launch in the U.S. tomorrow, discussing both volume and motivation behind the campaign. The ads, which started in early October with out-of home advertising, including billboards and bus shelter ads in major metropolitan areas, depict "a stark white room with various objects acting in a surreal manner when experiencing the advanced abilities of PS3 and its components, such as the Cell Broadband Engine and Blu-ray Disc player." The television ad campaign, which has been running for the past few weeks, features a similar white room motif, with "real world objects reacting instinctively to the power of PS3 and its components, such as the Cell processor, BD player, [and] SIXAXIS wireless controller". The spots run on "major national broadcast and cable networks" in the U.S., and have received more than 500,000 views on YouTube, where they are currently available for viewing. The PS3 print campaign will apparently "top 40 million impressions" and will run in several different national monthlies, weeklies and dailies. Online ads "will reach 150 million impressions" and will appear on gaming, sports, music and lifestyle websites. All the ads will point consumers to PlayBeyond.com, a newly created website that features unlockable information about PS3 and its games. As for the reasoning behind the abstract campaign, SCEA's Peter Dille explains: "The technology found in PS3 is unrivaled in its capabilities. Our goal with this campaign is to demystify those technologies, utilizing enticing and easy to comprehend visuals to articulate the benefits they deliver to the consumer. This is an experience 'beyond' games, harnessing the power of imagination."