Jorge Rivas

Who Could Forget Those Sony Ads?

Remember this crazy Sony ad from a few months back? The ads graced the streets of Amsterdam and the Dutch PSP site promoting the upcoming white Portable Sony Playstation (PSP) with a racially charged image of a white woman, white hair and white clothes looking down on a black woman. It hardly needs a caption to convey the message: “white PSP power”.

I did a little digging and here’s what I learned about the people who created that ebony and ivory catastrophe:

The ad was created by TBWA\, an agency that prides itself in “disruptive messaging.” They’re responsible for the Apple iPod’s dancing-neon-silhouette campaign, Absolut Vodka, and now Sony’s portable PlayStation, PSP campaigns.

Well, with Sony’s PSP they decided the “disruptive” (read: racist!) campaign to a whole new level.

Clearly this doesn’t appeal to anyone else than Starbucks white chocolate mocha-drinking buzzword-throwing Manhattan marketers.

The ads have been removed and sony has made a public statement: According to the spokesperson, “All of the 100 or so images created for the campaign have been designed to show this contrast in colours of the PSPs , and have no other message or purpose.”

Posted at 9:19 AM, Aug 28, 2006 in Pop Culture | Permalink | View Comments