Sony Launching £82 Million European PS3 Marketing Campaign

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is launching an £82 million ($134 million) marketing campaign for the newly redesigned PlayStation 3, as the company ramps up for another big fight this holiday. The TV portion of the campaign is breaking away from the abstract nature of earlier PS3 ads in Europe, instead going for a more straightforward, bright approach that explains the game console's home entertainment capabilities, according to a report in the Guaurdian. The TBWA agency handled the TV ads, which debut this evening. It will be the first major PS3 ad campaign in Europe since Sony launched the original PS3 two years ago, the report said. "Two years after launch, PlayStation 3 is realizing its full potential. The console is moving beyond gaming and gaming is moving beyond discs," said Alan Duncan, UK marketing director for SCEE. The new ad campaign comes a week after Sony announced a redesigned PlayStation 3 that is both cheaper for customers, and cheaper for Sony to build. The new console dropped to £250 ($408) from £299 ($488) in the UK, where SCEE is committing £6 million ($9.8 million) towards marketing. Sony said that it expects to sell 13 million PS3 hardware units worldwide during the current fiscal year, ending March 2010, up from last year's 10 million units.