The inspiration for the campaign came from a series of graffitis that said 'Honey thank you for Sonya' — an example of an odd Russian tradition of celebratory 'graffitis' left in vicinity of maternity homes wherein men would often thank their partners for giving birth to a child. Coincidentally, Sonya is also a popular slang for 'Sony PlayStation' in Russia.

Messages like 'Honey thank you for Sonya' present a quirk that is known to all Russians, and are often witnessed on the sides of apartment blocks and in parking lots.

For the campaign, we took the existing formula, but juxtaposed 'Sonya' with 'PS4', suggesting that it is PlayStation 4, and not the child, that is the most desired Father's Day present in Russia.

On Russian Father's Day, February 23, messages 'Honey Thank You for PS4' were scotch-taped, watercolored or sprayed on various unusual surfaces, from frozen rivers to football stadiums, on total 65 surfaces in 8 cities across Russia.

Stylistically, 'Honey Thank You for PS4' messages mimicked a Russian tradition of celebratory 'graffitis' left in vicinity of maternity homes wherein men would often thank their partners for giving birth to a child by saying 'Honey thank you for the kids'.

The first news broke in the early hours of 23 February on a major gaming website, creating a snowball effect among major gaming communities in social media. By the end of the day, news made it to the mainstream media, with over 100 publications and 3 TV news coverages.

23 February is a national holiday and a day-off in Russia, a 'slow-news-day', which helped the campaign to dominate over the news that day.

Tier 1: Media Outputs

>100 publications that largely focused on the photographic evidence of the 'Honey Thank You for PS4' graffiti. The tone and message delivery mostly (71 out of 100) done in a positive way, acknowledging the success of the campaign and the cultural relevance. Over 80% of the publications and respondents on social networks reacted positively to the creative idea, with a consensus that said: 'Few large international companies get Russian culture as well as Sony does'.

Tier 2: Target Audience Outcomes

Sony PlayStation 4 remains the most popular and known product on the market in Russia. However, the perception of its advertising and public image saw improvements since the launch of the campaign, with half of the respondents favourably comparing this PlayStation Russia's campaign to the [rival] Nintendo Russia's recent advertisement that also tried to rely on local insights. Respondents note that PlayStation outdid Nintendo by being 'more savvy and brave in their communication'. In total, this PlayStation Russia campaign generated over 10,000 responses in social media, with over 60% being of positive or encouraging nature.

Tier 3: Business Outcomes

PR-wise, this was the most effective PlayStation Russia campaign to date, with over 100 publications in mass media (including 6 foreign press hits), 20 million people reached, and 3$ million in PR value against 0$ in PR spending. Business-wise, Father's Day 2018 was the most profitable for PlayStation 4 in 2 years, making PS4 console number one best-selling product in this category during the February holidays.

The campaign uses ambient media surfaces and unusual channels to reach its targeted audience and change perception in a way that strengthens the perception of the brand as knowledgable of local culture. Due to relation-building and response-driven creativity the brand was able to get closer to its customers as never before.

Target audience.

The campaign specially targeted middle to upper class men and women from the age of 28-45.

Target media.

No media was targeted as there was no media budget planned.

PR planning.

The campaign was designed to get earned media by creating a thematic newsworthy event on a Russian Father's Day. To ensure that the media would pick up on the news, 65 ambient surfaces were used in 8 major cities making the creative execution almost unmissable.

Approach.

A customer-centric approach was based on the main insight of this campaign with regard to its core audience: a tongue-in-cheek message that raises awareness and heightens interest among targeted consumers of the product. It encourages Russians to purchase Sony PlayStation 4 as a gift that is welcomed and celebrated just like a birth of a child.

Sony PlayStation adapts its global campaigns for other regions via translation & voice-over. In 2018 Russia, this approach yields no results since the majority of 'core gamers' have already bought the console, and current advertising does little to sway others to join the fray.

Consequently, the goal was to produce an exclusive PlayStation 4 PR campaign for Russian audiences based on a positive local insight.

Ideally, the campaign had to be a viral one, making a massive buzz on the media, and dominating the news prior to or during the Father's Day holidays in Russia.