If you own a PS3, and haven’t taken in a viewing of the “Michael” ad, then I highly recommend watching the video below. Many are saying it’s one of the greatest commercials Sony has released.
The commercial has done so well that Sony has started an entire marketing campaign based around it. They’re using their Facebook page to allow gamers to gain entry into the “Hall of Play“, like Michael did in the commercial. Here’s a teaser trailer for the Hall of Play, from Kevin Butler, the “VP of Everything” for Sony.
The premise of the Hall of Play is simple. All that it requires is a connection to a webcam or a photo on your computer. A flash video pops up on Sony’s Facebook page, which walks you through the Hall of Play, including some comedic explanations from Kevin Butler.
Once your through with that, you will enter the Hall of Play. There are a few things you can click through. The most interesting is the Michael ad will play, and at the end the photo you selected will appear in the frame. Curiously enough, if your name is Michael then they leave it in, otherwise a generic “you” is used instead.
Starting next week, on Halloween, it looks as though they will feature a specific gamer in the hall, which again is teased by a Kevin Butler video:
The most interesting aspect of this marketing campaign is all the interactivity is done through Facebook. If you actually visit www.hallofplay.com, you’re taken to Sony’s Facebook page. Proving how many corporations are really starting to invest solely into social media marketing.