Sony Playstation 5 launch branding

These interesting new roundels (squarels, triangels and crossels?) are quite fun, but I do recall that every few years London Transport (in whatever incarnation) decides that the roundel/bullseye is such a good brand image, that nothing should be permitted to interfere with it. That always seems to last for a year or two until once again, playful adaptions of the roundel emerge once again.

I think this is one of the more fun and inventive branding exercises of recent years. It makes me think of an alternative universe where UERL/LT didn't choose the bullseye as their logo, and went with a purple square instead.

While yes, brand purity is important, an icon like the roundel is ripe for subversive or memorial artistic interpretations... Paid out corporate adjustments are also no bad thing when done tastefully as this has been. I'd love to go and photograph it but I don't feel the journey in to town is compliant with the current restrictions.

Beyond the light boxes this is underwhelming. I stopped by on my way home from work tonight (a ‘valid’ route, no additional journey time, no actual detour, got home the same time as I would have done going any other way, recognising the Covid-19 so-called ‘Tier 4’ restrictions) and took some snaps.



The attention to detail is sloppy and the execution is fairly half-arsed compared to previous brand takeovers.

Interesting how many people seem to have had to make essential journeys across zone 1 today though - especially the correlation between these people and people who have previously lambasted the public for not wearing masks...

Perhaps the most impressive part of the whole thing was how empty Oxford Street was at 2230.

Enough for them to consider it worth their while, otherwise they wouldn't agree to it. I highly doubt you will get the detailed figure due to commercial sensitivities.

I've been tweeting about this, I can only find this tweet at the moment but my other tweet was along a similar vein, that being as we are in a lockdown people should not be encouraged to go out on what would be 'non-essential' journeys. I regret that I had to include the sign's builder in my reply, my ire was aimed elsewhere / not at them!

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And here is someone else's tweet which may be of interest here

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<<Rincew1nd: National restrictions on travel apply in England, people should stay at home unless travelling to/from work that cannot be done at home or for an essential purpose such as buying food or medicines. I'm not sure how going to look at an advertising campaign can be considered "essential travel"; the above post makes complete sense without the embedded tweets from those who have made journies specifically to see these advertisements - they have been removed.>>

It looks pretty cool although I don't think I would immediately associate the roundels (outside) with PS5. If I saw that on my travels, I would instead think it was some form of artwork piece.

In the news today is that footfall in Covent Garden is 80% down on this time last year (BBC TV London news) - I would expect similar % reductions in Oxford Circus.

This makes me wonder whether Microsoft is getting its money worth for the cost of this promotion? That said, the quoted amount does seem somewhat cheap, especially since it involves quite a few locations.

Its already too late for some of the promotion (there for just 48 hours) and by the time the lockdown ends it will also be too late for yet more of the promotion. However on reading the link supplied by goldenarrow it seems that part of the promotion will last until 18th December (but perhaps this only applies to advertising using this material - which means that it will be removed from the stations after seven days ... I am unsure!)

Also, I noted that £100k of the cost was for materials and £280k for the rights to advertise at the agreed locations. (plus vat - which is irrelevant as it can be offset).