Sony's marketing department lands them in it again...

[hippy fascist]

Sony in Hot Water Over UK PS3 Ad
Advertising Standards Authority fears it could potentially glamorise violence.
by Rob Burman, IGN UK

UK, August 8, 2007 - Sony is in trouble once again after the UK's Advertising Standards Authority ruled that a PlayStation 3 advert - shown on the internet around the time of the console's EU launch - potentially glamorised violence and could lead to anti-social behaviour.

The ad in question featured a character called Kovac brandishing a knife alongside the words: "Kovac mercenary or misunderstood?" and the PS3 tag line "This is living". After a number of complaints, the ASA investigated and said it broke advertising rules relating to responsibility and violence.

Sony was told it must amend all future ads to avoid a similar incident happening again. In a statement, a company spokesperson said: "We acknowledge the recent ASA ruling in relation to the PlayStation 3 brand advertisement and the recommendation contained within."

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/811/811427p1.html

 

[Avalanche]

Haven't seen the ad myself, but it does sound like a silly concept. The censors are often over-sensitive but this one just sounds in bad taste for a general PS3 advertisement.

 

[Timstuff]

European PS3 ads are just plain weird. I don't think anyone will ever understand them.

Why not just show the system and tell people what it does?

 

[hippy fascist]

European PS3 ads are just plain weird. I don't think anyone will ever understand them.

Why not just show the system and tell people what it does?

Because the more vague and pointless and advert is the more they can use words like high-concept and postmodern. This in turn allows marketing firms to charge $15million, for a piece of crap that you'd expect a five year old to come up with, and call it edgy :

 

[kingman]

Why on earth does it take them so long to bring these things up anyway? If there was a problem with the ad, which there isn't, they should've dealt with it back then... yet the ad is now gone and 5 months have passed so now they bring it up to publicise it more

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

Because the more vague and pointless and advert is the more they can use words like high-concept and postmodern. This in turn allows marketing firms to charge $15million, for a piece of crap that you'd expect a five year old to come up with, and call it edgy :

Its funny cos its true. That reminds me of the episode in Futurama where they advertise the delivery company thanks to the 80's guy with acute bone-itis..