Media is the art of the right content in the right place at the right time. And for gamers in 2022 and beyond, that means being on TikTok.

We used our knowledge of the platform to identify an opportunity, build credible content partnerships with key creators and use paid always-on formats to amplify the message in PlayStation’s 15 biggest markets.

In doing so we’ve delivered more than 35 billion global views, strengthened relationships with indie game developers and created record revenues for a key product.

#GameTok is a media success.

Sony Interactive Entertainment, the creator of PlayStation products, is known for its exclusive games and innovative hardware. But part of the joy in playing games via PlayStation is the vast universe of experiences available, particularly from indie game-developers.

There are more than 3,000 great games available on PS5. Our challenge was to make it easier for people find the wide variety of games – not just the blockbuster ones – they wanted to play on PlayStation.

More specifically, we had to:

1. Highlight the breadth of games and regain favour with smaller game developers; and

2. Re-launch PlayStation’s subscription gaming service, PlayStation Plus, which allowed customers to access a greater variety of game titles and experiences.

We knew that gaming content was growing on TikTok, but our insight was that PlayStation had an opportunity to become a bigger part of the TikTok community.

With the gaming community quickly adopting the platform, TikTok was the perfect medium to reach our core audiences: users and potential users.

When we looked at ways to take gaming-related content to the next level, we alighted on #BookTok, which was seeing huge engagement and driving sales of books.

We needed an equivalent for PlayStation and our big idea was #GameTok, a celebration, conversation space and invitation for the TikTok community to talk all things PlayStation.

It would act as an always-on destination for anyone looking to find out more about the latest and the greatest – as well as some of the most under-the-radar games – things to do on the platform.

#GameTok would celebrate all elements of the PlayStation lifestyle, brand and the breadth of games.

We would make it a must-click destination by partnering with global content creators, encouraging everyone to declare their love of PlayStation via creative expression.

Our strategy would be to make #GameTok more than just a media play. It would be an always-on umbrella for the 24/7 conversation about PlayStation and pop culture.

We would partner with more than 75 top tier influencers, including AsapBlockay, Danocracy and others who had an authentic relationship to the gaming community and could speak to PlayStation’s audiences with first-hand knowledge.

#GameTok would be a place that could house future game releases as well as our wider conversations about PlayStation, combining both an organic and paid always-on approach. The program would increase in complexity, number of markets, and depth over time.

Ultimately, we would position PlayStation as a key part of pop-culture in an evergreen manner. From the legends of indie games through to blockbuster titles, #GameTok would become the rallying call for all gamers on TikTok.

We launched in three markets to start – the US, Canada and the UK – expanding to PlayStation's 12 biggest markets throughout the year as part of our always-on strategy.

We enticed TikTok-ers to express their love for PlayStation via:

• A hashtag challenge dovetailing into the #gametok hashtag, where people could create content centred on their love for gaming.

• 75+ handpicked creators selected for both local and global relevance in a coordinated global effort to launch a centralized message.

• A sponsored editorial landing page, with the PlayStation team trained to highlight indie game-related content on the landing page.

These organic efforts were backed up by a full slate of TikTok ad products to build awareness, including Spark ads – generating 246m video views – to boost our creator content, build reach and frequency, and engage with the gaming community on TikTok.

#GameTok is now active in 15 markets and has become a global movement.

To date, we’ve driven more than 35 billion global content views, 1.4bn global likes, and 41M comments across 75+ content creators.

The core launch period saw a 23% rise in branded search year on year, driven by #GameTok.

The campaign generated a global average CPV of $.007 (30% above benchmark) and a 33% VTR.

Ultimately, we strengthened the bridge between PlayStation and the larger gaming community on TikTok, driving awareness and sales of individual games and PlayStation Plus subscriptions.

PlayStation Plus saw the strongest holiday sale period in its history, powered by an all-time high of revenue generated from paid ads. This was driven by a jump in new buyers who were first-time purchasers.

We delivered a new platform, a new conversation with indie gamers and a massive revenue boost.

#jobdone.