PlayStation’s Family Guy Sponsorship Means No Ads for Sunday’s Episode
Sunday’s Family Guy episode will have no ad breaks for the first time ever due to PlayStation, the sole sponsor of the extended episode. Instead, a 60-second spot called “Arrow” promoting God of War 4 will air before and after the episode.
“This format, verses buying a 30-second ad unit, is appealing as it creates an event feel and offers a more unique approach on how we reach existing and new fans,” said Asad Qizilbash, Vice President of marketing for PlayStation. “The more we are able to eventize media buys, the bigger impact we see to present PlayStation as a leader in gaming content.”
Given the large audience overlap between Family Guy viewers and action game fans, the company saw an opportunity. And since Sunday’s episode falls within the “crucial” six-week launch window for God of War 4, it’s the ideal time for advertising.
“When we evaluate media partner opportunities, we look at three things: the right audience alignment, the right time—proximity to launch—and strength and reach of our distinguished partners,” said Qizilbash. “Family Guy checked all the boxes.”
God of War 4’s game director Corey Barlog explained why the team wanted the game to be a different experience compared to the other games in the series.
“I think the industry, the gamers, the team, myself; we’ve all grown,” he said. “We’ve evolved forward. Looking at what we’re playing now and comparing it to 10 years ago, it’s very different. That’s not to say 10 years ago that wasn’t awesome, or not even awesome today, it’s just as creatives, I don’t think we want to keep rehashing the same concept. I think for me especially, it’s like looking back at your high school or college years and going: okay, that’s who I was then, that’s interesting, but this is how I view the world slightly differently now. I’m not a different person, I’m just seeing things through a slightly different lens.”
God of War 4 is set for release April 20 on the PlayStation 4.