Another Controversial Ad. for Sony

MH_Stevens wrote on 7/6/2006, 3:35 PM
Sony has another controversial ad. read all about it here:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/games/archives/2006/07/05/sony_ad_casues_white_riot.html

"A new billboard advert for Sony's white PSP has caused consternation across the US video gaming community. The ad shows a white model dressed entirely in white threateningly grasping the face of a black model. Next to them are the words, "PlayStation Portable. White is coming".

Comments

winrockpost wrote on 7/6/2006, 3:54 PM
is that real ? If it is stupidity is running out of control at sony,, if its not ,, oops sorry
Jim H wrote on 7/6/2006, 5:04 PM
I vote stupidity.
Orcatek wrote on 7/6/2006, 5:27 PM
Actually the ad is doing its job. Its generating a buzz. Good or Bad it is getting Sony a lot of free press.

<rant>
The real question is would the stir be the same if the roles were reversed. Its like "Martians" making jokes about Martians and it is accepted, but a let a "Saturnian" make the same joke and the are degrading them. A lot of bad things have happened - true, and unfortunately still do, but people tend to often over react. The only way to remain PC anymore is to say nothing, as the rules change daily. BTW, if I've offended someone, it was not intended.
<end rant>

farss wrote on 7/6/2006, 5:41 PM
Couldn't agree more.
I'm long over this PC thing, going to buy a Mac, at least they aren't PC, see you cannot buy them in black :)
Bob.
fldave wrote on 7/6/2006, 5:51 PM
When I first saw the ad, "racist" was the last thing I saw. I saw a provocative, sexy, ad. What were they selling?

Seriously, this is a European ad, not a US ad, where we are much more prudish (if you read the popular press:) And it is plastered on all Right Wing websites as an abomination.

Enjoy, or not, the ad for what it's worth, then buy or don't buy the product. The hype is yet another Willy Horton, Flag Burning, Gay Marriage diversion. Remember, we have an election coming up in November. And us in the US have much greater problems right now.
Steve Mann wrote on 7/6/2006, 9:49 PM
You haven't seen the eiMacs, have you? Apple is making an iMac for the classroom - in black.
TheHappyFriar wrote on 7/7/2006, 5:47 AM
nothing wrong with that. dells in the classroom are black too.
Chienworks wrote on 7/7/2006, 9:00 PM
At times like this all i can think of is a story my mom told me from her Kindergarten teaching days. We live in an almost entirely caucasion area, so people of other colors are very rare. Well, one day my mom had a new student who's family had moved into town that week. He was assigned a seat next to a girl who's family wasn't very, ummmm, accepting. The little girl started taunting him with, "I'm white! You're black!" over and over again. My mom grabbed her shoulder, turned her around, and said to her, "you're pink and he's brown, so just shut up."

Thus ended the problem. :)
filmy wrote on 7/8/2006, 10:02 AM
I tend to think Sony marketing have their heads so far up their asses they have lost a concept of what is going on in the world around them. This is the same company whom, after September 11, 2001, blindly went out and marketed their "make it a new day tommorrow" campaign and answered Septmber 11 aid inquirys with "These issues take time away from paying Sony customers who really need assistance".

This is right up there with the brillant idea that going to inner cities, already plagued with gang related tagging, and tag for the Play Station. Someone pointed out that this "white" ad is not a US ad - yeah, ok. Sony must have looked at the World Cup that had racial overtones in some areas. Maybe this is Sony trying to play into that eh? I suppose these ads will only appear in the "all black" areas of Europe.
filmy wrote on 7/8/2006, 10:04 AM
Hey - nice to hear from you. How was the flooding there? I was a bit concerned your palce was in one of the areas that got hit hard. We somehow missed it all but it hit all around us.
Chienworks wrote on 7/8/2006, 10:17 AM
Filmy, not much flooding right here, just a little damp. I'm right at the headwaters of the Delaware so there isn't enough here to make a flood. However, 18 miles down the road in Delhi my parents were evacuated for 3 days. When they got home they had 5 feet of water and mud in their cellar. No structural damage in the area but there will be massive amounts of expensive cleanup. The FEMA engineers are still out all over rebuilding roads and river banks.

Actually i missed the whole thing. I just started a new job in Suffern so i've been spending the weeks down near NYC and only coming home for the weekends. We'll be moving there after my wife finishes her job here. I don't have a notebook computer yet so i probably won't be online during the week much for a while.
TheHappyFriar wrote on 7/8/2006, 10:28 AM
they're not the only ones doing this. congressman Joseph Pitts (of PA) said "It's safe to say that a wealthy kid from the suburbs can play Grand Theft Auto or similar games without turning to a life of crime, but a poor kid who lives in a neighborhood where people really do steal cars or deal drugs or shoot cops might not be so fortunate."

That's a direct quote. So, by his logic, what Sony is doing is approperiate since inner city kids are trash & should be expected to act/be treated as such.

Perhaps Sony marketing is following in the footsteps of the US congress.