Phygital Marketing: How PlayStation revolutionised Sol station with its spaceship

In recent weeks, Madrid was the scene of one of the most talked-about brand activations of the year: a spaceship crashed in the middle of Sol station, with futuristic lights, alien signals and an atmosphere that turned the underground into a portal to another universe. The installation, created by PlayStation, not only transformed an everyday space into an immersive experience, but also demonstrated the extent to which urban experiential marketing is entering a new phase: that of phygital marketing, where the physical and digital worlds are no longer separate.

But this campaign had an additional ingredient that amplified its impact: the role of TheGrefg, one of Spain's most influential content creators, who not only talked about the action, but also integrated it into a broader narrative through a short film that extended the story of the ship beyond Sol. This combination of urban intervention and digital expansion is precisely what makes this case a perfect example of the rise of phygital experiences.

The campaign: a spaceship, a city and a brand that plays on another level

For those who didn't see it live, it's worth putting it into context. PlayStation's campaign consisted of recreating the impact of a spaceship in the middle of Sol station. The visual shock was immediate: a gigantic object embedded between the walls of the underground station, flashes of light, encrypted messages and an atmosphere that seemed to come straight out of Returnal, No Man's Sky or any other science fiction title in the brand's catalogue. 

And most importantly, nothing was designed as a simple backdrop. The installation was designed to encourage participation, to make people stop, take photos and share. With this action, PlayStation demonstrated something that many brands are rediscovering: in a world that has been digitised to the extreme, the physical is once again an emotional luxury. When a surprising element bursts into public space, the psychological impact is incomparable: it activates curiosity, breaks the routine, generates memory and, above all, turns people into storytellers.

What we saw in Sol was not an advertisement. It was a place where the advertisement happened with people, not in front of them.

The physical matters, but the digital amplifies: this is where TheGrefg comes in

The most interesting part of this campaign, and what makes it a paradigm of phygital marketing, is how what happened in Sol did not stay in Sol. PlayStation understood that the experience needed a second narrative level that would allow the story to expand beyond the underground. And that's where TheGrefg comes in.

The creator, who has millions of followers and a community closely aligned with the PlayStation universe, did not limit himself to ‘commenting’ on the action. He went one step further: he produced a short film directly inspired by the ship, using it as the central element of his own narrative. Instead of making a traditional promotional piece, TheGrefg did what he does best: generate creative and emotional content that his audience perceives as genuine.

The result was a digital extension of the physical experience. For those who visited the installation, the short film served as an emotional explanation; for those who never made it to Sol, it became the gateway to the campaign. In both cases, the action ceased to be a one-off urban stunt and became a transmedia phenomenon.

This synergy is the key to phygital marketing: the physical surprises, the digital endures.

Keys to success in this activation: lessons for experiential marketing

Beyond its visual impact, PlayStation's campaign reflects three fundamental trends in today's marketing:

1. The return of the urban environment as an emotional setting

Brands are reclaiming public spaces as places to connect with consumers. In an era of digital advertising saturation, real experiences generate a type of connection that is impossible to replicate on a screen. A metro station is not an advertising medium: it is a meeting place for people. And that changes everything.

2. The power of narrative as a natural extension of the experience

The installation alone would have worked, but it would have been short-lived. With the participation of TheGrefg and his short film, the campaign gains depth, temporal continuity and cultural expansion capacity. The story does not end in the underground; it begins there.

3. Content creation as a driver of media value

The campaign did not need a barrage of advertisements. It was the users themselves who fuelled its virality: photos, videos, creative angles, TikToks, memes and reactions. Every person who passed through Sol became a means of communication. This generates what we call in marketing ‘urban earned media’: organic impact generated in the physical environment, but amplified on digital platforms.

Why these types of campaigns connect especially well with young people

Audiences aged 16 to 30 are looking for experiences, aesthetics, participation and a visual language that fits with the way they consume content. And this campaign ticks all those boxes.

• It's surprising and photogenic.
• It's aesthetic and easily shareable.
• It's immersive, yet accessible.
• It has a narrative component thanks to TheGrefg.
• It connects with cultural references from gaming and science fiction.

Young people are not looking for advertisements: they are looking for experiences that they can turn into content. The PlayStation ship is not a message; it is a stage ready to be reinterpreted.

The strategic value of the phygital approach

The main lesson from this campaign is clear: the future of experiential marketing is neither purely physical nor purely digital. It is hybrid. Brands that understand this will be able to:

• Conquer iconic urban spaces.
• Create memorable moments in real life.
• Extend those emotions in digital format thanks to creators.
• Build transmedia stories that generate community.
• Turn users into brand storytellers.

PlayStation not only turned Sol into a science fiction world; it turned the internet into its narrative echo.

Conclusion: a campaign that sets a new standard

The PlayStation spacecraft in Sol was not just a flashy stunt. It was a manifesto about where marketing is headed in 2025: a territory where urban experiences combine with digital narratives to build universes that live both on and off screens.

And TheGrefg's role was fundamental in closing the circle: he brought the physical experience into the emotional realm of digital content, where the campaign found its second life, its amplification and its permanence.

In a world where attention is fleeting, success lies in creating experiences that breathe in two worlds at once. The physical surprises; the digital immortalises it. And when the two come together, as in this campaign, the result is an action that defines the future of urban experiential marketing.

References

Una nUna nave espacial se ha estrellado en la Puerta del Sol. (2025, 11 julio). Reason Why. 

https://www.reasonwhy.es/actualidad/playstation-esto-pasa-ps5-campana-nave-puerta-sol

De, D. N. (2025, 6 noviembre). Una nave espacial en plena Puerta del Sol: la nueva acción urbana de PlayStation. elpublicista.es. 

https://www.elpublicista.es/anunciantes/nave-espacial-aparece-puerta-sol-nueva-accion-urbana-playstation

Jules. (2025, 11 noviembre). Desvelado el misterio de la nave que aterrizó en Puerta del Sol. PureGaming |

Videojuegos y Hardware. https://puregaming.es/desvelado-el-misterio-de-la-nave-que-aterrizo-en-puerta-del-sol/

Contenidos-Ctrl. (2025, 7 noviembre). Una nave de PlayStation «se estrella» en la Puerta del Sol [Vídeo]. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6R0E6qh7ac