PlayStation - Social Media Monitoring Part 1

Introduction
PlayStation is a video gaming brand dedicated to designing home console and video games. Since 1994, PlayStation has created four consoles, two handhelds, and published countless games. Its current console, the PlayStation 4, has sold 100 million units, becoming the fastest console to do so. Its rivals, Xbox and Nintendo, have fallen short of this milestone with their own consoles, selling about 30 to 60 million units and over 15 million units respectively. Now is an exciting time to follow PlayStation because it recently announced its next console: the PlayStation 5. However, instead of a flashy press conference, PlayStation decided to announce the PlayStation 5 in a blog post and an exclusive interview with Wired Magazine. This is an unprecedented way to announce a console, so it will be interesting to see PlayStation’s marketing strategy for the PlayStation 5 following the announcement.

PlayStation’s target audience

PlayStation's base is international - Google Trends

PlayStation is a worldwide brand. Because of this, gamers from around the world play games on PlayStation. In a Google Trends analysis on the term “PlayStation” in the past month, we can see that the term is popular in the Americas, Europe, Japan, Australia, and parts of Africa.


A Google Trends analysis of the search term “PlayStation” during 2018 paints a picture of the typical search trend for the brand. Searches spike around November and December, likely because of an interest in holiday shopping. Another spike, though significantly smaller, occurs in June. This increase in traffic is a result of PlayStation’s presence at the video game convention E3. There, video game developers hold press conferences to announce news games, so searches for “PlayStation” increase because of news stories about the brand.

According to Forbes, the average gamer is about 31 years old. PlayStation gamers, therefore, are young people who enjoy playing video games. What sets PlayStation gamers apart from Xbox or Nintendo gamers is the emphasis on games that cater to a mature audience. PlayStation prides itself on creating a library of quality exclusive games that only PlayStation owners can play. Games like the Last of Us and its sequel – which both take place in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world – cater to the mature base. PlayStation’s emphasis is on games, which differs from the living-room entertainment ecosystem that Xbox facilitates. “The Best Place to Play” is PlayStation’s slogan, so its fans are those who seek a dedicated gaming console.

How PlayStation compares to its competition
Despite having the highest console sales of the current console generation, PlayStation has the lowest volume of searches on Google compared to its competitors. A Google Trends analysis shows that PlayStation has incredibly lower searches than Xbox and Nintendo. In the year 2018, Xbox dominated search results, while Nintendo came close behind at some points in the year. PlayStation, though, never gained enough steam to compare to Xbox.




Even during the week of the PlayStation 5 announcement, Xbox still managed to maintain its lead, while PlayStation finally surpassed Nintendo. PlayStation is clearly losing in terms of word-of-mouth, so it needs to find more ways to compete with Xbox and Nintendo for higher search volumes.



PlayStation's social media presence
Despite having the lowest searches compared to Xbox and Nintendo, PlayStation easily surpasses its competitors with its social media following. With 38.5 million Facebook likes, 20.8 million Instagram followers, and 17.3 million Twitter followers, PlayStation has an incredibly strong social media presence.

A Socialbakers analysis shows the significant differences in the amount of followers among the three brands. PlayStation maintains a lead over Xbox and Nintendo on all platforms. This is interesting considering that PlayStation’s search volume on Google is dwarfed by those of Xbox and Nintendo.

PlayStation maintains the most Twitter followers - Socialbakers

PlayStation maintains the most Instagram followers - Socialbakers

Traffic since the PlayStation 5 announcement
On the day of the PlayStation 5 announcement, searches for the term “PlayStation” significantly increased. A Google Trends analysis shows that October 8th, the date of the announcement, was the peak day for searches of “PlayStation” in the past month. Those searching for “PlayStation” are still the target audience, so no change has occurred in terms of the demographics of searchers. This makes sense because PlayStation has a defined target audience, and that audience will naturally be interested in the PlayStation 5.



Social media followers for PlayStation’s various accounts have significantly increased. A Socialbakers analysis provides insights into the growth of PlayStation’s social media presence. In the week of October 7th to the 13th, PlayStation’s Twitter account gained 70,700 followers while it’s Instagram account gained 168,000 followers. This increase in followers during this week is due to the PlayStation 5 announcement on October 8th. PlayStation’s most popular tweet, which comes as no surprise, is a link to the PlayStation Blog’s announcement of the next console.

PlayStation's Twitter account received over 70,000 new followers - Socialbakers 

PlayStation's Instagram account received 168,000 new followers - Socialbakers

The PlayStation 5 announcement was PlayStation's highest performing Tweet - Socialbakers

A qualitative analysis of how the groundswell is responding

What are PlayStation fans saying about the PlayStation 5 announcement? On one hand, gamers are clearly excited about another PlayStation console. One way to show their excitement was by tagging their friends on PlayStation’s Instagram post about the PlayStation 5. For PlayStation fans, an online community is important. Friends can play games together online, creating memories that gamers cherish. People tagged their friends on PlayStation’s post because they want to continue creating shared memories with their friends on the PlayStation 5. Also, console-buying decisions are largely based on what console your friends own. These tags begin the discussion of what console a group of friends should buy.

On the other hand, some PlayStation fans are a little surprised and somewhat let down by the way PlayStation announced its next console. One person wrote, “This is a [sic] underwhelming way to announce this,” while another went as far to say that this is the “worst way to announce this ever.” PlayStation fans are used to the big press conferences that PlayStation traditionally holds to announce its consoles. A blog post is much less bombastic than a press conference, so some fans felt disappointed by the lackluster reveal.

Conclusion
A monitoring of PlayStation has revealed some interesting results. PlayStation has several strengths and weaknesses, is pursuing some exciting opportunities, and maintains a competitive attitude against potential threats. PlayStation leads in both console sales and social media following, and the PlayStation 5 announcement has lead to an increase in followers on social media. Despite these strengths, PlayStation word-of-mouth is significantly lower than its competition. Even during the day of the PlayStation 5’s announcement, Xbox still held its lead in Google searches. PlayStation 5 is an exciting opportunity for the brand, which is in need of increased searches to compete with Xbox and Nintendo. Though PlayStation is leading sales with its current console, search traffic is vital to securing an early lead with the PlayStation 5. The main threat to PlayStation is Xbox. Both brands plan to release a new console next holiday season, so PlayStation needs to improve its marketing strategy to win over detractors of its initial reveal of the PlayStation 5.