“Culturally connected” 360 marketing will help break southern Europe, says Lewis

[Dodece]

He does have a point about price consciousness. Remember after the European price cut the 360 did see a sales increase, and it stabilized at a much higher level. The only real question is which segment of the market is more sensitive to pricing that should be the demographic they start marketing their product to.

I also wouldn't say that Sony has it right either both are relatively close in sales. The 360 this week had seventy five percent of the sales of the PS3. That is not a large margin. Not compared with the margin the dominant console has in the market. So the question remains what are both Microsoft and Sony missing. The disparity in volume is in no other region that extreme. Percentile yes in Japan, but not North America. So both Microsoft and Sony are obviously having some issues marketing their products.

Anyway the first step in solving a problem is admitting you have a problem. I am thinking it was probably a poor strategy for Sony to have canned so many in their advertising department so soon in Europe, and I have yet to see where Sony is redoubling their efforts in the region. This may work for Microsoft they are starting to try and quantify their problem. The price cut was a good first step. Now they need to appeal better to the gaming needs of Europeans.

I also think that the effect of GT5 is being to zealously used in these discussions. I think the attach rate of twenty five percent for Mario Kart for the Wii should be somewhat more then disconcerting for the fans. Perhaps Europe really has gone around the bend. Regardless discussing the impulse buying of North Americans, and then suggesting that one game will sell millions on the PS3 in Europe is somewhat of a oxymoron. After all that would be the very definition of impulse buying. You could say North Americans are impelled by other types of games, but you would have to say that the Europeans are no different. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Either the Europeans are impulsive or they are not impulsive.

I have heard this before more times then I can count. Someone says that Europeans are not impulsive with a sort of snotty overtone. Then at some point later in the thread. They imply that the brand name sells Europeans on something, or a particular game will sell Europeans on something. This just comes across as nationalistic idiotic pride. Which is contradicted when the truth slips out the other side of an argument.