@raesONE said in Does anyone else find it odd that PS is spending millions advertising a system they can’t provide for the customers?:
There could be, and probably are, multiple reasons actually. First and foremost the product has been released and whether there is stock or not, the advertising campaign that is paired with the release will roll out regardless. That is what's happening.
Second of all, stock will be refilled eventually so according to the AIDA marketing communication model (attention - interest - desire - action) they can still achieve 3 out of those 4 goals. They could even take action as well, by putting money aside for the system as a direct result of the advertisement campaign.
Then there are partnerships/sponsorships where events are partnered up with brands and it includes air time in the package. Like the beer brand and the Superbowl for example, every commercial break they will have air time for their brand which often doesn't even evolve around the actual product. Its building the brand that matters.
And last but not least, they are still competing in a competitive market. So the campaign is almost certainly also centered around the strength of the brand compared to its competitors, like Microsoft's Xbox. Growing brand favoritism doesn't sell any consoles at this particular moment, but it brings profit eventually. Especially if you can keep your customers down the line for future console releases and all other products/services.
So yeah, that's just a few reasons I could go on and on. Marketingcommunication is an interesting and lucrative business.
Sounds good to me lol