Kevin Butler Isn't Real, Says Sony

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I’m sure most of our readers are aware of Kevin Butler, the fake Sony Vice President who appears on commercials for the PlayStation 3, talking up some feature of the PS3, usually at the expense of the Xbox 360 with a little bit of humor. He’s played by actor Jerry Lambert, but some media outlets think he’s really real. Like Santa Claus.

In an interview with IndustryGamers, SCEA Marketing Boss Peter Dille was asked about the Kevin Butler character. Dille admitted that they were happy with the PS3′s “It Only Does Everything” campaign (done by LA ad agency Deutsch/LA), and unlike some ads that people enjoy, they actually remember what it was about when the 30 seconds are over.

IndustryGamers’ David Radd then asked Dille if anybody actually wrote into Butler at SCEA, thinking he was a real person (for those who haven’t seen the commercials, Kevin Butler often answers “questions” from “people” regarding the PlayStation 3 or whatnot). Dille said:

That has happened, and while you might think that a consumer or two might be that naive, we’ve gotten contact from media people that aren’t aware that he’s a character, asking for an interview!

Oh dear.

At any rate, Sony seems really happy with the campaign. They’ve extended the “It Only Does Everything” campaign through 2010 and I would expect it to continue into next year. The campaign, which launched near the time of the $299 PS3 price drop, may have helped the booming PS3 sales that the console is been seeing the past 12 months (or so).