Gran turismo 5

Marketing- Sony computer entertainment marketed and advertised their new product 'Gran Turismo 5' in many innovative ways. Firstly, before the release of Gran Turiso 5 (released on the 24th November 2010) Sony Computer Entertainment released a TV advertising campaign following the fictional marketing character, Kevin Butler, who campaigned that Gran Turismo 'only does everything'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v3aCp899F8&feature=player_detailpage

Then Gran Turismo 5's advertising campaigns got a little more creative, At the October 2010 Australian international motorsports show, Toyota hosted a 24-hour Playstation3 GT5 endurance race, a recreation of the 24H Nurburgring, with a total of 48 drivers split into two teams, racing virtual interpretations of the Toyota FT 86 G Sports concept for a full day and night.
On November 14, 2010 it was revealed that Sony had teamed with Swiss watchmaker Tissot to host the official countdown timer for the launch of Gran Turismo 5. To promote the relationship, Tissot gave away one customized, GT5 edition Tissot, every day up until the release date of the game. This is a great example of synergy between the two firms.

Production- Gran Turismo is exclusive to Playstation, making it a first party game, as it is produced by a seperate company, Polyphony digital, and distributed by Sony, though only on one console. Horizontal integration is used in the production of this game as it is different stages of the production are passed along.

Consumption- The game has a multiplayer feature, meaning he or she can interact and race others around the world via the internet, this is technoligical convergence. This game can be played up to 16 versus online game mode, or 4 player local.

Distribution- GT5 has plenty of downloadable content on it for consumers to keep upto date with. This game can be ordered off the Gran Turismo website, or off online sites such as Amazon, Play.com or Game.com. It can also be purchased from Tesco's or any other big retailer stores. this enables the game to be purchased more widely available, benefitting the producers and distributers more.

Forza

IamMarketing

IamMarketing

One way this video game is marketed is by using in between commercial breaks on the television.  That way, the game is able to get its message across to a much wider and diverse audience.  In the adverts, they use famous cars, for example, Lotus, Ferrari, Maclaren etc.  They also use standard cars like Ford, Vauxhall, Peugeot etc.  This range of cars gives the game a much wider range of possibilities - this is the game's killer app.

When considering the range of places to market this game, one of the most popular areas of use is Facebook.  Facebook targets a very wide audience where there would be a very wide age range to market to.  Use of Facebook would enable the consumers to put in their personal preferences like commentary on whether they liked the game or not and use of Facebook would also enable the consumers to talk to one another on whether they enjoyed or liked the game or not.  This would give instant feedback from the consumers.

Production


This video game was developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by MotorSport.  The game uses a wide range of cars from a Honda Civic right up to a prestigious Enzo Ferrari and the Le Mans prototypes such as the Audio 8.  This use of different levels of cars will appeal to a wide range of consumers as there will be a car to suit everyone's taste.  The production also uses customisation and offers colour change which has an artistic appeal.  The video game also had rave reviews in different well known journals.

Distribution 

The distribution of this video game is through many different sources and outlets.  Many are distributed through high street shops like Game, HMV and GameStation but one of the biggest selling distribution networks is when people buy on line.  HMV also provide an on line distribution service that is fast and efficient.  This way of marketing and purchasing the video game is aimed at reaching a much wider audience.

Forza is only available on the Xbox consoles making a niche market and basically Xbox has purchased the sole rights to distribute this game and by cornering the market, they will make vast profits for themselves.  The cost of this video game is £39.99.

Consumption

Forza can be consumed in many different ways, for example, the videos can be played on discs from the consumer's console, or connect to Xbox Live and play interactively with other people on line and this will open up a much wider audience both in this country and worldwide.  To make the game more interesting, downloads can be made of other cars, tracks etc. and this will open up other possiblities of varying the game and making it more appealing to consumers.

 

The Differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360

What are the benefits of the Playstation 3?
The Playstation 3 is compatible with Blue-ray discs, Playstation and Playstation 2 discs, audio cd's and dvd's. It can access the internet and you can get a controller called the 'Playstation Move' which makes game play more interactive, by using a wireless remote to move your characters around, much like the wii remote, as well as gaming headsets so you can talk to players whilst your gaming as well.

What can it do Online?
The playstation allows access to programs such as ITV player, 4oD and iPlayer, also you can watch music videos through the music video websites they offer, Movies and 'Playstation Plus' which allows players to play with exclusive features and games worth at least £200.

Can you create an Avatar?
You can't create your own avatar n the playstation as the games and console have their own characters, which you can edit sometimes in game play, by changing clothing, weapons in some cases ect.

What are the benefits of the Xbox 360?
The Xbox 360 can play dvd's also, as well as compact discs, as well as access the internet and update your hardrive to 250GB. You can now get an add on for the game console, which is the Kinect, where 'you are the controller'. You can also sign up to 'Xbox live' and play games against friends all over the world over the internet, and create your own 'avatar' to keep track of game play achievements so you can gain rewards from xbox.

What can it do Online?
The Xbox allows you to download games online, play with other players worldwide on your games you have purchased and communicate with people through their own personal forum specially set up for the Xbox live players.