With pre-orders at a record high, Sony Computer Entertainment rolls out its ‘This is Living’ creatives in cinemas today, with TV commercials to follow from Friday March 16th and a pivotal online push all part of the marketing blitz.

The team behind the launch are looking to evolve the PlayStation brand from its gaming roots to more of an ‘entertainment supercomputer’, according to SCE UK marketing director Alan Duncan. “We want to review the emotional relationship between consumers and the PlayStation brand,” he told MCV. “The ‘This is Living’ campaign is designed to promote a rational role for the PS3 in people’s lives.”

Alongside ambitious in-store plans for retail, Sony’s marketing ethos revolves around getting consumers to form their own view of the much-hyped next-gen machine.

“My role in life is to make consumers re-appraise what PlayStation means and what role it has in their lives,” said Duncan. “It’s an entertainment supercomputer for the home. Until you spend time with PS3 you won’t have that ‘penny drop’ moment.”

And the platform holder is looking for success in the long term, not just within the initial launch window. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We will of course have a big splash at launch but the way in which we have bought our media allows us to sustain that momentum and the ‘This is Living’ proposition well into the months after launch.
 
Hinting at the provocative nature of the campaign, he added: “Our ads will never, ever be passive. We want to get people involved.”

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Campaign highlights include:

* A total cross-media spend of £6m
* TV ads to hit 44m individuals by the end of May. First ad set for March 16th
* Cinema campaign to target 12m admissions. First ads hit today
* Online promotions to total 40m impacts