This summer, while other 10-year-olds get into the latest PlayStation game, Sony PlayStation will be gettin' its game on along the Croissette. The kid may be precocious but face it, you can pack a lot of life experience into a decade when you've got the collective likes of TBWA, David Lynch and Daniel Kleinman shaping your public image.

Sony's imminent romp on the Riviera comes courtesy of Cannes 2005, where its entertainment division has been crowned Advertiser of the Year. Oh, and it also triumphed with top-advertiser honors at the Clios in May.

While all the fuss is a bit tardy, it's no surprise. "PlayStation has always sought compelling, creative advertising," said Andrew House, EVP of Sony Computer Entertainment America, in a release at the Clios. Indeed, Sony and agency-of-record TBWA\Worldwide have amassed some serious bling in 10 years, including 26 Cannes Lions of various hues.

They've won the Grand Prix three times: first with two print ads - the naughty "Nipples" (TBWA\London, 1999) and gross "Rebirth" (TBWA\Paris, 2003); then, finally, the everyman TV epic "Mountain" (TBWA\London, 2004). Sony also scored gold with "Sound Check" - an NHL game spot where John LeClair body-slams a soundman against a safety barrier (TBWA\LA, 1998).

Safety is the last thing you get with PS2 creative. Just look at the offerings thus far in '05. London entertained us with "Porn Stars" (directed by Kleinman), and TBWA\California followed the amateur pyrotechnics of last year's "Tractor Beam" (Dayton/Faris) with "Sheepinator" (Peter Darley Miller). Meanwhile TBWA\South Africa surprised with the dark "Duel" and "War" (Keith Rose).

This ability to tackle diverse markets across the globe with consistently original creative is fast turning PlayStation into the Nike account of the 21st century. "There's probably a couple of thousand teams in the world that could do brilliant PlayStation commercials," says London co-creative director Tony McTear (who wrote "Mountain"), "and there are 15 teams here [at TBWA] that get the opportunity."

Hubris aside, there does seem to be something about PlayStation that attracts the most squeamish of talent. David Lynch, of Blue Velvet/Twin Peaks renown, helmed the surreal PS2 UK launch spot "The Third Place" in 2000. And music video prodigy Chris Cunningham overcame his antipathy toward advertising to direct the first batch of European TV ads for PSP, PlayStation's new handheld.

While these directors are infamous for their demanding standards, editor Steve Gandolfi of London's Cut + Run, who worked on the Lynch spot, says, "[The creatives] expect the best, and the results speak for themselves."

PlayStation, too, is exacting, but provides fertile ground for those creative imaginations to run rampant. "If you came up with a great idea and brought their game to life in an exciting way, they [Sony] were all for it," recalls Scott Duchon - former TBWA copywriter, now CD on the Microsoft Xbox account at McCann, SF.

Duchon's former boss, TBWA\California CD Jerry Gentile, adds that the brief on "Tractor Beam" et al "was enough to whet anybody's appetite. They just told us, 'blow shit up'."

That phrase could easily sum up Sony's initial impressive assault on the gaming world. In 1995, Nintendo and Sega owned 97% of the gaming industry and could have blown PS out of the water with their collective marketing clout. But before the launch, Sony recruited the likes of HMV, Virgin and Toys 'R' Us to sell the sleek new box. They sponsored the 1995 MTV Music Awards, and put out cryptic pre-launch ads with the tagline: "UR Not E." The 'E' was red, meaning Ready. (Red E. Get it?)

"It was a more subliminal campaign," offers Gentile. "The whole strategy was to go after the core gamers, because they were the evangelists." The campaign was a slam-dunk. Within two days of PlayStation's debut Sony USA had sold $45 million worth of consoles, outselling Sega by two to one, and within three years it was the undisputed market leader.

But by this time Sony UK, at least, was outgrowing its core audience.

"The market convention in gaming was little kiddies pretending to be either a little plumber with a big gay moustache, or a hedgehog on acid," says Danny Brooke-Taylor, co-creative director at TBWA\London. "So we said, 'Right, let's market computer gaming to adults'." Using the tag "Do Not Underestimate the power of PlayStation" and edgy ads like "Double Life" (see sidebar), PS1 was the first console to boast 'adult' titles like Resident Evil and cool soundtracks from The Chemical Brothers.

Sega didn't survive the onslaught but today Nintendo and, now, Microsoft (which launched Xbox in 2001) are nipping at the heels of their exuberant market leader, in terms of both sales and strong creative. "The competition is crazy," says Gentile. "[Microsoft] outspends us two to one." Sony knows it must shore up its dominant spot with new technology and - well - some dominant spots. Next up for UK and Europe are the Cunningham-helmed PSP ads, due out in September.

It's anyone's guess how many boards will surround the upcoming campaign for PlayStation3's rollout in 2006 - six full years since PS2 made its entrance. The new console, which previewed at the May geekfest E3, is shipping later than expected, creating a pressurized environment. "Everything's got to be done right," says Gentile, "because one tiny slip-up, and God only knows what might happen. It's a high-stakes game." But hey, a game's no fun when it's easy.

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