One of the main challenges this holiday season will be for Sony to convey a positive image for the PS3. That the system will sell out this holiday is a non-issue; it will happen. The key is spinning the PS3 and all of its features (HDD, Cell Processor, Blu-ray drive) as being future proof for the next several years and a value at $599. Sony also wants to reassure consumers that, in the next few years, there will be a huge lineup of "must have" titles.

"This holiday, we're trying to demystify the technology and talk about the great power of the PS3," ventured Dille. "We have a range of technology that our competition just doesn't have, like Blu-ray for games and movies, and the PlayStation Network, which will be free (something different from our competition). For this ad campaign, there's also a lot of detail on the Internet, like playb3yond.com, where we have a series of videos like, 'What makes the Cell more powerful?' Same with Blu-ray; great for movies, but it also has more storage than the competitor.

"On the software side, we've got NBA 07 that is running 60 FPS in 1080p, something that a lot of people thought would never be possible. We've also got Resistance coming in at 16 Gigs, and that's first-gen software! It's our number one title for the holiday and it shows off the technology as well as anything; the power of the Cell with the potential of Blu-ray. On playb3yond, we have a walkthrough that shows all the data that the PS3 is going through. The game also has 40-man multiplayer, so it's one of the most exciting launch titles.

"We're going to have 20 titles with the launch period. We think it's the best lineup of titles we've ever had for the PlayStation release. We also have all the great titles for download. The games over [Xbox] Live Arcade are nice, but they're yesterday's news. Games like Blast Factor are built specifically for the PS3 and are designed to be enjoyed in short bursts. We've also got David Jaffe developing Criminal Crackdown. [The title of Jaffe's game has since been changed to Calling All Cars! - Ed.] We'll also have free demos of these titles too. This is not to mention backwards compatability and downloadable PSOne titles—if you never experienced games like Jet Moto, or the original Warhawk."

Sony has a complicated task of marketing not just a next-gen system, but also a current-gen and a portable system as well. This is compounded by the fact that any serious ad campaign must involve TV, online and print. Dille did not want to discuss specific numbers regarding Sony's holiday marketing, but GameDaily BIZ theorizes that the number lies in the tens of millions of dollars.

"You'll see a huge push for all SCEA products," asserted Dille. "PS2 has, in fact, sold better than next-gen consoles thus far. And you're still seeing core gamer products releasing for the system, like SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals: Combined Assault, and the anticipated God of War II, as well as content that hits all other bases: family, sports, and you'll start to see things like SingStar in the U.S. We're still very excited about the system; that's why we launched the Silver PS2."

"We've spent over 20 million dollars on marketing so far for the PSP. It's the fastest growing platform we've had to date, and we've had plenty of hit titles like Killzone: Liberation or SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo. We also have a third pillar of ads that are educational. Sometimes we'll talk to people about the PSP and they'll go, 'I didn't know the PSP could do that' so it's important to let people know what our systems are capable of.

"Obviously, based on the cost of doing business, the lion's share gets spent of TV. There's only so much heavy lifting you can do in TV, so print is important. In TV, you're building the brand and sending people online. For print you can inform, but online can really bring something to life with interactive features and video."

"One thing some people look past is retail," he continued. "We've spent a lot of money getting these user interactives using the Bravia HD monitor. Once they see the PS3 on a HD set, there's no going back. I think we're going to sell a lot of HDTVs over the next few years."

If the ads for the PS3 have left you wanting for more, your wish will soon be fulfilled. The Sony hype machine is going to shift into top gear this week and running through the holidays. The anticipation for the system might be palatable now, but soon you'll be able to cut it with a knife.

"[Between November 12 to November 18] you'll start seeing game footage. There will be spots that show off the games and one focusing on Resistance in particular," said Dille. "You'll start to see ads emphasizing the Blu-ray movie capabilities after November 17. We don't see that as a primary selling point, but it's not a unimportant selling point."

"This was a bit of a planned reveal," he admitted. "There's the notion that software drives hardware. But in this case hardware drives hardware. We wanted to convey the advantages and the specific brand marketing message of the PS3 and that message is that this is a machine that will define entertainment for the next ten years. We've proven that with the previous consoles. When you look at the technology in it... this is a tech that will be used years down the road."

Shifting to demographics, he added, "The guys that we're targeting, are the guys who are a bit older and a bit more affluent and they now are successfully employed. These are the guys with the kick ass home entertainment system that impresses all their friends. They're between 26-34 years of age and ethnically diverse.

"I've got a focus group at home (in my kids) and they all want the system. Although we're focusing on the older segment, there's plenty of high school kids that want it too. In fact, we know that there's many, many millions of PS3 fans that want it, and we'll try and get as many systems as possible into people's hands."

The conversation with Dille, a marketing veteran who just rejoined SCEA earlier this year, shifted all about the Sony universe. He noted that the company's diversity was a real boon, letting them do things like the packaging of Talladega Nights into all the launch PS3s. When queried about Nolan Bushnell's disparaging remarks thrown Sony's way, he simply said, "Our success speaks for itself" and when asked about potential jabs taken at the competition with negative ads he responded, "We don't need to go there. That's more of what you see from companies that are in second place. If you're a market leader you should act like it."

Finally, when probed about rumors that the PS3 has psychic powers and can levitate off the ground, Dille responded with a chuckle, "You'll have to get one home and try it for yourself."