Double Life (Playstation ad)

Double Life
A screenshot from Playstation Double life.
Client	TBWA
Product	Playstation
Directed by	Frank Budgen[1]
Production company	Sony Europe
Produced by	Frank Budgen[2]
Release date(s)	1999
Running time	60 seconds
Country	Europe (Mainly Ireland and the United Kingdom)
Language	English

Playstation Double life is a Television Advertisement released in 1999 by Sony Europe. The 60 second long ad shows 19 Playstation 1 gamers discussing their PS1 gaming experience. The ad has won a Clio award and also gone on to gain a cult status.

Content

The ad begins with a British sounding man who walks trough a busy street. He starts the ad by saying "For years, I've lived a double life. In the day, I do my job - I ride the bus, roll up my sleeves with the hoi-polloi.", then a number of different characters are seen including man lying on a bed with his girlfriend ("But at night, I live a life of exhilaration,"), a woman of Asiatic appearance ("of missed heartbeats and adrenalin."), a man in his living room ("And, if the truth be known",) and his teenage daughter ("a life of dubious virtue.") a man beside a car, ("I won't deny it -") and wearing a scary - looking mask ("I've been engaged in violence, even indulged in it."), a half naked teenage boy ("I've maimed and killed adversaries, and not merely in self-defence."), a man in a bathtub ("I've exhibited disregard for life,"), a black man in a wheelchair ("limb"), and the man in the bath again ("and property,"), a "couch potato" ("and savoured every moment."), a woman with a deep voice ("You may not think it, to look of me"), a foreign sounding woman under an overpass ("but I have commanded armies,"), a preschool child ("and conquered worlds."), a cyclist wearing a scarf around his neck ("And though in achieving these things"), an oldish looking man ("I've set morality aside,"), a youngish woman holding a crying baby ("I have no regrets."), the black man spinning in his wheelchair again ("For though I've led a double life, at least I can say") and, the man, who was sitting with his girlfriend again ("- I've lived.") before a black screen comes up at the end saying "Do not underestimate the power of playstation".

Reception

The ad is internationally known (even though, it is a mainly European ad) and many people from the USA and Asia have commented on its quality. Scott Steinberg, author of Videogame Marketing and PR and founder of Embassy Multimedia Consultants commented on the ad in 2008, saying "Pure genius, nothing less... From sheer caliber of script to general casting, dialogue, acoustics, camerawork and striking use of both color and imagery, this promotional spot commands the audience's attention like few other videogame ads – or advertisements, period – that've come before. Epic in scope, yet elegantly capturing every man's desire to transcend the boundaries of mundane life, to this day, the piece remains nothing short of iconic... not to mention instrumental in conveying the PlayStation family's inherent scope and value. Watching for the first time, it's near impossible to take your eyes off the screen, even if, upon reflection, the number of half-naked men and face time they're afforded proves slightly disproportionate... and disturbing. Still, it's quite possibly the first and truest example of modern "pull" vs. "push" game marketing in motion: Regardless if you can appreciate the depth of the prose, or simply prefer the promo's off-kilter sense of humor – seriously, is that a real baby or homicidal Cabbage Patch doll? – it's impossible to peel yourself away.".

Legacy

Playstation double life has clocked up 198,517 views on Youtube^[3] and the ad topped Joystiq.com's "Top 10 Best Playstation Ads". On May 11, 2007, Double life was added to the Clio Hall of Fame.^[4] Also, the first few lines ("For years, I've lived a double life.") are the first things featured on IGN's podcasts. A small screenshot of the ad was featured in The Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition.

References

1. ^ Joystiq.com
2. ^ Joystiq.com
3. ^ Youtube.com
4. ^ Clioawards.com