Live from PS5

Reigniting the hype around experiences on PS5 globally...

Challenge

Immediately following the original launch of PS5 in 2020, it became very difficult, very quickly, to get your hands on a console. But in 2023, more PlayStation® 5 consoles hit the shelves globally. Sony Interactive Entertainment tasked Amplify and adam&eveDDB to collabratively reignite the hype around the brand, the console and the worlds that PS5 unlocks.

Insight + Strategy

We knew that PlayStation lovers often keep their consoles for years and can feel there is no need to upgrade. So our strategy was to excite players with the incredible experiences waiting for them on PS5 and tap into the global demand and excitement for the exclusive gameplay PS5 offers, by bringing those worlds to life in unique ways globally. All with the goal of giving yet-to-be PS5 console owners that drive to hit the freshly restocked shelves.

Solution

'Live from PS5' - a breaking news story that attracted global audience attention

'Live From PS5’ didn’t just look and sound like a news network. It behaved like one too.

Using a 'news report' style, adam&eveDDB's 'Live from PS5' TVC and ATL campaign focussed on key PlayStation titles, including Horizon, Returnal and Gran Turismo, breaking through into the real world.

Globally, Amplify helped guide and support local markets bringing the 'Live from PS5' concept to life and deliver on the ground, both in terms of activation and shoots. Around the world key titles including Last of Us in Paris, Horizon in Saudi Arabia and God of War in South Korea were hero'ed.

Crash landing in locations around the world, extraordinary game worlds were brought to life from the most popular PS5 titles such as Kratos’ Leviathan Axe, Fimbulwinter like weather and unidentified footprints of mysterious beasts. Branded ‘Live from PS5’ news vans parked up at each site, cordoned off with branded tape, to add to the mystery of the experience. Each market had its own IP activation in the form of an IRL game moment which landed in high-footfall locations.

The mixed-media campaign was both ambitious and comprehensive, spanning 51 markets and running in 32 languages, with journalists reporting real-time news updates. Over 600 assets were deployed across multiple channels, including television, social media, out-of-home advertising, digital displays, and high-impact special-builds, all within a 4-week period.

Despite multiple happenings global consistency was ensured through the recurring use of local news anchors and reporters, film trucks complete with branded assets and interviews with 'experts' and 'general public'. The content created was then used to further fuel the excitement and hype on social channels.

The results were nothing short of remarkable. The campaign effectively reinvigorated the demand for the PS5 console, achieving significant sales growth and solidifying its place as a game-changing product in the gaming industry. With 19.1million PlayStation 5 units sold globally, sales were up 66% on the previous year.