What communications challenges face Sony in ensuring that 'LittleBigPlanet' is the success it could be?

Despite something of a rocky start, 'LittleBigPlanet' seems to be finding its little cloth feet in the marketplace. With big promotional campaigns pushing the game in the run up to the holiday season, Sony and Media Molecule will be hoping that the title lives up to the big promises it has made to both of them.

The biggest challenge facing ‘Little Big Planet’, from a marketing communications point of view, is how it channels the ethos and philosophy of the game into the minds of consumers. Essentialy, how do Sony ensure that prospective gamers “get it”.

It is easy to take for granted the Play, Create, Share mantra of ‘Little Big Planet’. After all, it has been nearly 2 years since the game was first unveiled by Phil Harrison and Alex Evans at GDC07. That first demonstration flew so well and got the gaming community so excited simply because they had an auditorium of eager listeners, the channels of communication were already open and their audience was intrigued to see what the company had to say for itself.

Though at the time the very essence of the game was so novel - not to mention arresting and captivating - to have that same effect on consumer audiences is a different game entirely. Even for the Wii generation of gamer (or perhaps especially so) the fact that the experience is utterly at their whim in such an accessible and intuitive manner is surprisingly quite difficult to grasp. The idea that “playing” the game is only one prong on the trident is a new concept to them – after all, there were not there (and did not care) in 2007 and have not since had the time to see the game grow up and familiarise themselves with the philosophy.

Another challenge inherent in very patchwork fabric of ‘LittleBigPlanet’ is that, while a desirable title, it is not immediately so. Games that have performed brilliantly on release, such as ‘GTA IV’ or ‘Call of Duty: World at War’ have done so because there is an inherent drama within them that consumers feel they must resolve. Just like a blockbuster movie, gamers essentially want to know what happens! By contrast, ‘LittleBigPlanet’ almost feels as though it can be postponed – to be savoured at a later date. Especially, considering the ludicrous number of AAA titles that have been packed like so much canned tuna into the last month it is not surprising that such an exotic delight as ‘LittleBigPlanet’ may be put to one side.

Speaking on this very issue, Sony senior marketing manager John Kohler said, "Yes, absolutely. LittleBigPlanet will be an 'evergreen' game for the PS3, so to speak.” This is reassuring. Sony needs to remember that it is playing a different game with ‘LittleBigPlanet’ and that if it wants to maximise the value of the title then it needs to be in for the long haul – to give consumers both the chance to get used to the idea of and make time for the title. In this respect the company would do well to pay very close attention to Nintendo who have shown with ‘Sonic & Mario at the Olympic Games’ and ‘Mario Kart Wii’ that prolific and prolonged promotion can turn titles into commendable, if protracted, successes.

In advertising ‘LittleBigPlanet’ Sony – along with creative agency TBWA\London - have placed primary emphasis on the creative aspects of the game, and framed that as a causal facilitator of play. This is clever, because it synergises the two ideas and shows that play itself can be a creative and active (rather than passive) experience. The strap-line for the adverts “Play with everything,” further emphasises that curiosity, creativity and self expression and realisation are all part of the whole experience. I was lucky enough to see these adverts for the first time in the company of Alex Evans at GameCity3 in Nottingham, UK and he highlighted that they were, in many ways, attempts at answering that question of how to get audiences to understand what ‘LittleBigPlanet’ is actually all about.

Though at least one of the adverts makes a direct reference to the family or sharing play this is perhaps slightly underdeveloped – ‘LittleBigPlanet’ would of course make a great living room centrepiece for families and friends this Christmas and there is potential here for Sony to steal some real market share from its competitors.

Though many have already bemoaned the rise and supposed fall of ‘LittleBigPlanet’, it is important to remember just how much Sony has invested in this title and how much they’re willing to fight for its success. The fact remains that the game is already firmly embedded culturally and has become iconic of the PlayStation 3’s future (not to mention that of the medium itself) and it is important - beyond the petty boundaries any console war - that the game does do well commercially. Because it has so much to offer the culture of gaming as a 21st century form of entertainment. Like Kohler said, this title is meant to be more than a flash in the pan, and as such any communications campaign should reflect its long term ambitions.