MG412 Coursework 1: Comparing PS4 and Nintendo Switch Marketing Mix

This report provides a comparative analysis of the marketing mix strategies employed by the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and the Nintendo Switch game consoles. The executive summary highlights the core objective of examining the target markets, segmentation, and marketing mix elements (product, price, place, and promotion) for both brands. The introduction establishes the context of marketing and its role in communicating with consumers. The report delves into the STP (Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning) strategies, revealing how PS4 targets a broad demographic with various game ratings, while Nintendo Switch focuses on a younger demographic. The product analysis examines core, augmented, and potential product aspects, emphasizing emotional engagement in both brands. The report then compares the pricing strategies, noting PS4's premium pricing versus Nintendo Switch's lower-cost approach. Distribution channels (place) are explored, highlighting both digital and retail strategies. Lastly, the report discusses promotion strategies, emphasizing the use of social media and campaigns. The conclusion recommends that both brands refine their marketing mix, particularly through social media and targeted campaigns to enhance their market presence. The report's analysis is underpinned by various marketing models like Levitt's and Aaker's brand personality model, and includes references to relevant academic sources.

Principle of Marketing

Executive Summary
The main purpose of this paper is to learn the model of marketing mix. In this paper, Nintendo
Switch Game Console and PlayStation 4 Games Console have been taken into consideration to
examine their target, segmentation and marketing mix plan. As per the examination, both the
brands are the top competitors of each other as both serves the similar services to consumers
such as selling video games. Nintendo Switch Game Console adopts the cheap price strategy and
PlayStation 4 follows the premium price strategy that helps to grasp the market share in the
market as both implements the different techniques to each other. It attains the all objectives and
goals in the market but it is recommended that the brands have to implements the social media
for promotion to aware the targeting customers. .

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
STP (Target Market)........................................................................................................................3
Product.............................................................................................................................................4
Price.................................................................................................................................................5
Place.................................................................................................................................................6
Promotion........................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion and Recommendations..................................................................................................7

Introduction
The techniques or methods to communicate with the consumers are called marketing. The main
objective of marketing is to aware the consumers about the goods and services of the
organization. It is necessary for the companies to prepare the marketing plan in order to achieve
all the objectives by selling the goods and services quickly (Kerin, and Hartley, 2015). In this
paper, the discussion is made on the concept of “marketing mix” of two brands in order to
compare their plan. For the comparison of marketing plan of two brands, Nintendo Switch Game
Console and PlayStation 4 Games Console is selected to evaluate the analysis.
The PlayStation 4 is an eight generation home video game which is designed by Sony interactive
entertainment. The game was announced in various locations at the different time period such as
On February 22, 2014 in Japan, on November 15, 2013 in North America, November 29 in South
America, Australia and Europe. This consumer’s demand for this game has been increases due to
which it is easy for the company to achieve all goals (PS4, 2019).
Nintendo Switch Game Console is also a video game which is introduced by Nintendo
Company. It is a hybrid console that can be used in a stationary and portable device. There are
several features that help to connect a grasp accessory to deliver a traditional home console
gamepad form (Nintendo Switch, 2019).
STP (Target Market)
It has been found that PlayStation 4 game is segmented in various factors such as psychographic,
geographic, and behavioral (Andaleeb, 2016). As per the Sony brand, PlayStation A is available
in the Japanese market, European market and North America market. Men, women, Old, and

Young Players are the main target consumers of the company in terms of demographic
segmentation. The firm expands the business in wide areas by targeting the people with all age.
The game achieved the high growth in entertainment due to which the company target the above
age of people such as one person shooter is recognized with M that means the people with the
age of 17 and plus can install this game, other models of the game are labeled with the “E” which
means for everyone, E+10 for children with the age of 10 and T for teenage. The company
delivers the goods to all age and gender of people as per its psychographic segmentation. The
company supplies the game as per the needs and wants of the customers.
Nintendo Switch provides the variety of games to consumers such as electronic games and toys.
The variety of products delivered by the company spreads the diversity among the customers. As
per the demographic segmentation, the game targets the consumers with the age of 15-35. The
game targets the people who are extremely attracted to play games for the entertaining rather
than watching television. This game does not restrict the consumers as per the age and gender
limitation. All type of consumers target by the company such as men, women, young, old, kids
and families as this game is interested for all.
Product
As per the Levitt Model, the games should be classified in three categories such as core product,
augmented and potential. The company provides the different model of the game with the name
of PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, PlayStation App, PlayStation 3 and
accessories. PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 pro have been considered as the core product of the
firm as these games model has high demand in the market. PlayStation 3 is considered as the
potential product of the firm as the demand of these models will be increases in the coming

future (PS4, 2019). The games provided by the company are highly entertaining which depicts
the emotional attachment approach with consumers. As per the Aaker’s model that degines the
brand personality, the company is creative, adventurous and upgrading this satisfied the demand
and wants of consumers.
Playing Cards and different games are the main manufacturing products of the firm. Video Game
and Interactive games are considered as the core product of the game. According to Levitt
Model, Nintendo Switch Console is also recognized as the core product as its demand has been
increases. The games entertain the consumers which represents that it implements the emotional
approach that attach the people with the game while playing with their families and friends. The
company also adopt the excitement approach according to Aaker’s brand personality model as it
represent the personality of the person in the game in terms of daring, and imaginative
(Superskill, 2018).
Price

(Source: Game, 2018)
(Source: Amazon, 2019)
The above photos depicts that PlayStation 4 adopts the premium price strategy as it supplies the
games at the high rate as compare to Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Switch provides the games at
the cheap prices so that upper and middle class have enough money to purchase the game. The
pricing strategy of Play Station 4 makes its different from the others as the luxurious product can
afford by the upper class only. At the end, it can be said that Nintendo Switch implements the
low-cost pricing strategy and PlayStation 4 implements the premium pricing strategy.
Place
Place defines the areas in which the firm operates the business. The game PlayStation 4 has been
distributed in the market through retailing and digital channels. The people can simply install the
game in their mobile phones through internet which is considered as the digitalized channel. The
company also develops the digital platform for the players so that they can easily install the
game. The digitalized platform is also called with the term of Play Go” (PS4, 2019). The
company offers the products in the market with the high prices in order to supply the game to the

upper class to earn the high revenue. Retailing is the other method in which the company supply
its game to all over the nation and even in the different countries.
Nintendo Switch spread its supply chain across the world through different channels. The
company distributes the video games through containers and digital platforms. Amazon is one of
the best social platforms that deliver the services to consumers via online. Nintendo Switch has
its online stores from where it also supplies the goods to consumers. Apart from it, the company
distributes the games through trading the services by export or imports like from Honkong,
Europe and the other areas. It has been noticed that it is a luxurious brand as it supplies limited
game packs by comparing to other firms just because of making the product luxurious. The key
network of the organization is to digital and trade. The firm wants to explore the operation in
different areas of the world.
Promotion
PlayStation 4 promotes its games through different marketing channels such as campaigns,
television to attract the consumers towards the video games. The game uses the different slogans
such as “The Game Is Just the Start, It only does everything”, Move into the action” , “Ultimate
Just Got Power”, “Start PS3” with the motive to marketing the game in different areas (PS4,
2019). It is suggested that this game has to use the social application to communicate with the
people for their goods.
Nintendo Switch promote its game models through social media to provide the information or to
aware the consumers towards its video game. Further, the company organizes seminars for
detailing about the video game. It is observed that the company uses all the channels to
marketing the product but it does organize any campaigns to launch the game. It is suggested that

it has to establish the campaign during introduction of the game in front of audience (Nintendo
Switch, 2019). It can also plan the seminars in different locations such as public places such as
public gardens, shopping malls, schools and colleges and many others. The firm can also set its
luxurious position in the industry by making its more attracting with the help of packaging and
attractive promotion videos (Baker, and Saren, 2016).
Conclusion and Recommendations
As per the above discussion, it has been found that both the firms classified its consumers as per
the three factors such as behavioral, psychographic and geographical. According to analysis of
both the brands marketing mix, it is recommended that the brands have to specify the particular
age of people in the group with the purpose to influence the consumers towards its goods and
services. It is also suggested that these companies has to social media for promoting their games
as nowadays people are more updates on social media. Apart from it, these brands also have to
organize the campaigns and seminars. It is concluded that the brands have good image in the
market due to which they can easily operate the business at the international level.

References
Amazon. (2019) Nintendo Switch Game Console. [online] Available From:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/slp/nintendo-switch-game-console/b2p3y95mchnk4ok [Accessed
29/3/2020].
Andaleeb, S.S. (2016) Market segmentation, targeting, and positioning. In Strategic marketing
management in Asia: case studies and lessons across industries (pp. 179-207). Emerald Group
Publishing Limited.
Baker, M. J., and Saren, M. (2016) Marketing theory: a student text. Sage.
Game. (2018) PS4 Console Deals & Bundles. [online] Available From:
https://www.game.co.uk/en/hardware/playstation-4-ps4-consoles?cm_mmc=Google+-
+Consoles-_-PS4-_-PS4+Exact-_-playstation+4+-
+b&gclid=Cj0KCQiAt_PuBRDcARIsAMNlBdq2VcLH0H9EYmVU2NcIx7pGxuvVoRA4btj7c
y2R2MNlaQ1nZk-_sz8aAkBWEALw_wcB [Accessed 29/3/2020].
Kerin, R. and Hartley, S. (2015) Marketing: the core. McGraw-Hill.
Nintendo Switch. (2019). Home. [online] Available From: https://www.nintendo.com/switch/
[Accessed 29/3/2020].
PS4. (2019) Introducing the PlayStation 4. [online] Available From:
https://www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/ps4/ [Accessed 29/3/2020].
Superskill. (2018) Aaker’s Brand Personality Dimension. [online] Available From:
http://www.superskill.com/aaker-brand-personality-dimension/ [Accessed 29/3/2020].

Appendix
(Source: Superskill, 2018)