Kal Reasons
November 2023
From the invention of modern gaming, public relations professionals have played a significant role in the success of different companies and their subsequent brands. Acting as intermediaries between the public and the companies creating the products, gaming company professionals often manage public image in very intentional ways. Feeding into console wars, continually adapting to competing brand technologies, communicating with consumers through conferences, emails, ads, and more, and using networking to build substantial public growth and brand loyalty are all part of the massive industry success of brands such as Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo.
Nintendo is owned by JP Morgan and Chase, Xbox is owned by Microsoft, and PlayStation is owned by Sony; all these companies are owned in large part by Vanguard and Blackrock. This means that these brands compete by name because most of their profits go directly back to these two companies and is consistent with a multi-brand strategy. By keeping these brands separated, the gaming industry can separate consumers by styles and interest, and then these tactics lead to each brand building business through healthy levels of competition. Consequently, console wars are really a strategy used by these companies to establish further loyalty to the point of dependency by playing on emotions such as fear, pride, anxiety, apprehension, etc.
These brands each have a unique imagery with separate company values, relying on concepts such as self-expression to position themselves in consumers’ minds. Through events at various conferences internationally, packaging and product design choices, brand referents, brand media, and more strategic tactics, the gaming industry establishes various brands in their own respective categories while avoiding a negative halo associated with the other brands. For example, Xbox is Green, PlayStation is Blue, and Nintendo is Red. They each have unique system operations, colors, and controllers, but they all follow a similar business model. If one company has any issues that affect their stock, then the other brands can fill in and take a competitive advantage. All these instances are evidence of the impact that Public Relations and branding have on the gaming industry.
Sources:
Press Play on PR: Public Relations in the Gaming Industry | Pressfarm
Who Owns Microsoft: The Largest Shareholders Overview - KAMIL FRANEK Business Analytics
Top JPMorgan Chase Shareholders (investopedia.com)
Nintendo Co., Ltd. : Shareholders Board Members Managers and Company Profile | JP3756600007 | MarketScreener
Comments