PlayStation SG creates massive car vending machine in US$200k marketing stunt

Sony Interactive Entertainment has transformed Ten Square at Selegie Road into a car vending machine. This is part of its OOH marketing stunt for the global release of its racing game franchise Gran Turismo 7 for PS4 and PS5. Through this, Sony hopes to boost the number of game purchases, as well as its engagement with the PlayStation community.

Sony's spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the monetary value of the campaign is about US$200,000. "The unique building takeover is part of our global marketing effort where the game’s core themes and global direction are adapted to local activation featuring unique landmarks in Singapore, as well as local motorsport personalities," the spokesperson explained.

The campaign, which will run until the end of the month, looks to bring the excitement and enjoyment of the game into the real world, in celebration of the game's release in Southeast Asia. By creating a life-sized vending machine building, PlayStation brings to life the fantasy of choosing your own dream car to drive, which is one of the major features of the Gran Turismo experience, PlayStation's spokesperson said. 

"Just imagine a building stacked with all the supercars that are featured in the Gran Turismo 7 all at the same time – it would be such a spectacle for all Gran Turismo fans and car culture enthusiasts alike. Hence, it makes perfect sense for us to do a unique building takeover of the building even before it’s the official opening for the launch of Gran Turismo 7 in Southeast Asia (4 March), and in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Gran Turismo franchise."

PlayStation had originally intended to invite fans over for the launch event but decided against it in the end after considering the current COVID-19 situation.

The building takeover, done in partnership with creative agency Axis Group Asia, comprises 20 floors of the supercars from Gran Turismo 7. Once selected, the car can be brought down via a special lift system to test drive, which fulfils the Gran Turismo 7 fantasy once again. 

To ensure that a wider audience outside of Singapore is able to experience this, PlayStation worked with DDB Group Hong Kong, supported by its gaming and production divisions, FTW and DDB Motion, to create contents that include a series of online videos. The videos will feature a presentation of the supercar vending machine, as well as a simulated Gran Turismo café, where local gaming and racing personalities Bobby Tonelli and Claire Jedrek honour the café’s tradition of celebrating car culture. 

Alongside other well-known motorsport personalities from across the region, they will share ideas on cars, racing and Gran Turismo 7, PlayStation's spokesperson said. The videos will be customised for fans in of the major markets and will appear on PlayStation Asia's social channels.

Felix Fong co-head of DDB FTW Hong Kong, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the agency is thrilled to be working on "one the coolest game launch activations" for the PS5. "Sony and Axis provided us with an incredible setting we couldn’t wait to show off, and we were excited to get the fans excited too," he added.

Additionally, PlayStation will embark on global brand partnerships, as well as local brand partnerships such as PEACHES in South Korea.

However, such a large-scale OOH activation comes with its fair share of hurdles, as PlayStation's spokesperson revealed that while it wanted to keep the activation under wraps as much as possible before the official launch, some fans had spotted the building takeover and shared about it online. PlayStation also had to ensure the campaign was within budget and had many logistics to handle in putting the activation together. "To take over an entire building while it’s still going through its final stage of construction and also to bring together all the supercars took an entire village to make this happen within the timeline we were targeting to execute this," the spokesperson explained.

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