Xbox Congratulates Sony-A PR Look

Xbox congratulated Sony recently on their social media pages in a competitive celebratory congratulations of Sony’s console launch. What makes this move interesting in this generations “console wars” is Microsoft’s been taking most of the PR punching bag from Sony. I applaud Sony’s strategy for staying aggressive in using Microsoft’s PR failures to make them appear more stable when it comes to their product. However, I feel Sony has done too much jabbing at Microsoft and hurt their brand. While it is easy to say the Internet disagrees, I would argue don’t trust the internet. Ever.

In speaking with consumers, and analyzing social media keywords, consumers certainly are paying attention. Many are still on board with buying the Playstation 4, but have taken a nicer stance towards Microsoft. Many understand that competition breeds innovation. Look at wrestling. For those unfamiliar with how wrestling was operated in the 90’s and early 00’s, they had what is very similar to the console wars dubbed Monday Night Wars. The two major wrestling brands WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) we’re constantly fighting to stay on top when it came to their premier Monday night show’s ratings. WWE eventually bought WCW and became the major player in the Wrestling promotion brand. With no direct competition it has lead to them, arguably, becoming stale with their storytelling and innovation.

In a comment to undermine Microsoft’s changes to their policies and console features, Sony President Andrew House explained in Gamescon that, “While others have shifted their message and changed their story, we were consistent in maintaining a message that is fair and in tune with consumer desires.” While an aggressive move, it undermines what most consumers hate about big companies: THEIR INABILITY TO CHANGE! Consumers cheered and applauded when Microsoft changed much of their dubbed “anti-consumer policies”. For Sony to see this as a fault of Microsoft is a bad move. Many did not see this as a bad move for Microsoft, but simply a necessary move to align with what the gaming community wanted. Consumers took notice of Sony’s jab, and while many shunned it as a continuation of the console war, many thought the move was in bad taste (after looking at social media trends and speaking with consumers).

I applaud Microsoft and the Xbox team for staying humble in this new “console war”. One could argue that they need to be like this in order to regain the trust of consumers and gamers alike. I myself will be picking up an Xbox One next week and a PS4 in the Spring. My opinion on the two, is that Xbox One is simply trying to innovate with more features so they get my money. That combined with their refocus on games and exclusive content made it an easy choice. I’ll still buy the PS4, because the next Uncharted and God of War definitely will be on my radar.

So the question I have to many of you, what’s a better approach for a product launch, stay true to what you first present, or change to the will of what the consumers want? Sound off in the comments my PR gurus! Gaming trolls need not apply!

That’s it for now!

Ben

Why PR is so Critical in a Product Launch

PREFACE: I am a huge gamer, and I have no favoritism of any platform. This is just simply my two cents on Microsoft’s Public Relations (PR) blunders. 

You could count for days when it comes to the number of articles published about Microsoft’s errors in launching their new console later this year. Their reveal, while full of innovative ideas, was plagued by poor messaging and explanation. Getting the “THIS IS WHY YOU NEED THIS” part across should be your priority. When you fail to achieve that, you need a solid PR plan to stop the bleeding which Microsoft did not do. Not even in the slightest, and the video game community burned them for it. Sony on the other hand took advantage of this, and used Microsoft’s PR blunder for their own gain. 

The issue I take with Sony though is they’ve become a corporate bully of sorts. When Microsoft starts to change their policies, for what many would argue for the better, Sony again went on the offensive and explained they have had a clear vision for their console since day one. It’s plain and simple, a disguised attack at Microsoft. Some experts would argue (which I am not) to take advantage of any misstep by your rival for your gain. In this case I would argue it backfired. It alienated some consumers, who know that competition breeds innovation and was glad to see that Microsoft was doing what a majority of the fans wanted. 

Why I find all of this interesting, is at it’s very core an awesome case study for PR students in the years to come. When the dust settles after the consoles launch it will be very interesting to see the steps and missteps going forward. This is the first post of many about this so subscribe for more, and sound off in the comments below about the PR analysis!