Sony’s PlayStation brand has nearly 20 years of history, and it’s decided that now is the time to cash that in.
The multimedia conglomerate is building up to the Nov. 15 release of the PlayStation 4 with a marketing blitz that includes live-action commercials, Taco Bell contests, and more.
Sony’s pair of live-action commercials, in particular, are going for an emotional impact rather than focusing on the product or its games … and it’s working on me.
The company just debuted the second ad, and it’s more than three minutes of nostalgia. It is a single-shot clip where the camera pans around from the year 1995, when the original PlayStation debuted in the U.S., to the near future after the launch of the PS4. The video follows a gamer and his friends as they enjoy the PlayStation consoles through the last two decades.
Watch it below, and I dare you to try not to feel like you need a PlayStation 4 to have feelings:
PlayStation 4’s other live-action commercial debuted last week and is already running on television. It features a pair of guys in different fantasy situations meant to represent what it’s like to play games. They race and fight against each other while singing Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.”
The minute-long video doesn’t demo any PlayStation 4 gameplay footage, but that’s not really the point. Sony isn’t selling you a product with these advertisements — it’s selling you a feeling.
Check it out: