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.

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, in cities across Russia.

Stylistically and contextually, 'Honey Thank You for PS4' messages mimicked 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 by saying 'Honey thank you for the kids'.

The PS4 messages, however, were legal and easily removable. In total, 65 surfaces in 8 Russian cities were used, either of natural origin, such as ice or snow, or paid-for advertising spaces on apartment blocks or empty billboards.

Sony PlayStation took the limelight on the slow-news-day that is 23 February, the national holiday:

National TV coverage on Russia 1 Channel, Channel 4, and local regional TV channels

Over 100 publications in mass media (including 6 foreign press hits)

Massive buzz on social networks

Estimated audience reach: >20 million people.

3$ million in PR value against 0$ in PR spending.

This is the most effective Sony PlayStation Russia campaign to date.

The campaign that was launched on Russian Farther’s day directly targets its core audience — fathers, in literal and figurative sense, and, to a larger extent, men, 25-35, as the intended core audience for the Sony PlayStation 4.

Non-traditional outdoor/ambient media with a tongue-in-cheek message encouraged a direct response: massive buzz on social networks, feedback from 20 million people, over 100 publications in mass media, and total 3$ million in PR value.

Data gathering.

The creative data for the campaign came from a local insight, exclusive to Russia: the 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'.

Target audience.

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

A customer-centric approach was based on the main insight of this campaign with regard to its core audience.

Call to action is 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.