In Response to Tanya Doran

PlayStation Vita
Do you think it is risky to have such a high budget for a device that may not have all the features someone is looking for these days. Example - the Iphone can play video, talk, text, and play games.


In my opinion, the PS Vita isn't that much different from the other hand held gaming consoles out there today. Yes, it does have Wi-Fi and cameras on both sides, a touch screen, duel analog sticks, etc. but these aren't necessarily things that would sell the device. I can agree that it makes the device pretty cool, but the sole purpose of the device is really to be an on the go type of gaming console. So why the huge marketing budget? I think that either Sony either thinks this device NEEDS the extra advertising and marketing or Sony thinks the device will market itself and wants to reap the profits from advertising it to more people. It seems to be an extreme marketing budget, regardless especially because the target market is males in their 20's who are already going to be all over this type of product as it is. I don't think it's necessarily a risky move, I just think that the budget is way out of proportion to how much the device is literally going to market itself.


Why is Sony spending so much money on something that practically markets itself to the target market?

Product Placement in Movies

We've all seen advertising in movies, but I was thinking about it the other day and started wondering when it all started. Turns out, according to this youtube video, that it started back in 1919 in a silent film called The Garage, starring Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. No, I am not kidding you. It first started with Red Crown Gasoline company paying to place their sign on the wall indicated in the video above (toward the beginning of the video).


Product placement or embedded marketing is where goods or services are placed into a context where ads do not usually exist like movies. The trends in advertisement are shifting more toward product placement in place of ads and commercials. Let's be honest... we're all sick of seeing a billion commercials during our favorite shows, often times the same commercials over and over again. So, now instead of commercials, companies are gearing toward product placement within the shows themselves where the product or service even are being used in the content of the video. But product placement doesn't stop there. It's even being used in video games and books! It's all explained here: on HowStuffWorks.com


Do you think that the shift in advertisements from actual ads and commercials to movies, TV shows, and even video games and books is a good change or a bad change? Why or why not?