Sony PSP Ad - Racist?

[MrsSpringsteen]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=18101


Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony Computer Entertainment has defended itself against accusations of racism over a controversial advert for the new 'Ceramic white' PSP.

The advert, which has appeared on billboards in the Netherlands, shows a white woman gripping a black woman by the jaw and features the slogan: "PlayStation Portable White is coming." Many websites and forum posters have protested that the advert is racist and are campaigning for its removal.

A Sony spokesperson has responded by stating that the ad does not have a racist message and that is part of a wider marketing campaign, telling GamesIndustry.biz: "The marketing campaign for the launch of the White PSP in the Benelux focuses on the contrast between the Black PSP model and the new Ceramic white PSP model."

"A variety of different treatments have been created as a campaign to either highlight the whiteness of the new model or contrast the black and the white models. Central to this campaign has been the creation of some stunningly photographed imagery, that has been used on large billboards throughout Holland."

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."

It seems the controversial ad is unlikely to appear outside Holland, with a representative from Sony's UK office telling GI.biz: "I would like to confirm that we categorically are not running this advert creative in the UK."


Apparently it is a series of ads, also includes this one

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

http://ctrlaltdel-online.com/index.php#1153

 

[dazzlingamy]

hrmmm.... i don't like it, but racist....im not sure. I mean its all about the new white one ove rthe old black one, so it tecnically is just contrasting colours rather then anything else...

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

To me it wasn't the white/black aspect that stood out, rather than the suggested violence of the photographs.

 

[Justin24]

The PC police are out for Sony eh!! Those people need to get a life.

 

[digsy]

great ads i think - they make a real visual impact.
and they guy in the link MRsS posted second made a very valid point - if the other ad of the black woman dominating the white woman were up there nobody would bat an eyelid.

this ad is about the colour of a console - black versus white - and everything about the ad is about emphasising that contrast as simply as possible - the backgrounds and womens clothes, the hair... so why shouldn't their skin colour be used to add to that imagery too?
its only when we learn to stop seeing skin colour for anything other than just that, a colour, that race will stop being an issue.

 

[indra]

I just think the images are ugly. But I'm not their market anyway.

 

[BVS]

Sony PSP's marketing has been pretty stupid so far. Anyone remember the dustballs talking about "outdoor carpeting"?

 

[verte76]

It's not racist. It's just using the idea of contrasting colors, a theme which I, as an artist, actually find rather appealing. Some people have to read skin color/politics into every damn thing. That's crazy.

 

[nbcrusader]

To answer this question, you really must find a common definition of the word racist. The simple illustration of reversing roles in the photograph would likely have made this a non-issue.

What we find today is that people will incorporate a history component in their definition of racism, even thought such component is often ill defined, selective or subjective.

 

[Se7en]

doesn't make me want to buy one

 

[melon]

Pretty photos. Crappy hardware.

Melon

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/naacp-attacks-raciallycharged-sony-ads-185647.php

"Sony's new European PSP ads have stirred up controversy. Some claim the ads are racists, while other write them off as nothing of the sort. The campaign has pissed off the Silicon Valley Chapter of the NAACP. Chapter president Rick Callender says:

"The days of blacks being portrayed in minstrel shows are long gone, and with good reason. The minstrel show was an awful chapter in history and this ad smacks of that age and time. It is even further unacceptable that some corporations still think it is okay to use racially charged media images. The latest Sony ad conjures up bad memories of when stereotypical and offensive images of people of color were accepted means of selling a product. Sony should immediately apologize and discontinue these archaic, advertising tactics. "

Jumping on the bandwagon, California politician Leland Yee added:

"I am deeply disappointed in Sony's senseless decision to publish this racially-charged advertisement. I can't begin to determine Sony's motivation but I believe this marketing strategy is unnecessary and is clearly offensive to many in our community. "

 

[AtomicBono]

hrmmm.... i don't like it, but racist....im not sure. I mean its all about the new white one ove rthe old black one, so it tecnically is just contrasting colours rather then anything else...

yeah, in that first ad she looks like she's about to beat the black one up the colour contrast from an artistic standpoint is very well done though, imo

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

It's not racist. It's just using the idea of contrasting colors, a theme which I, as an artist, actually find rather appealing. Some people have to read skin color/politics into every damn thing. That's crazy.

I agree.

 

[silja]

Jumping on the bandwagon, California politician Leland Yee added:

"I am deeply disappointed in Sony's senseless decision to publish this racially-charged advertisement. I can't begin to determine Sony's motivation but I believe this marketing strategy is unnecessary and is clearly offensive to many in our community. " [/B]

Racially-charged? That certainly depends on the observer. The advert was meant for the Dutch market, not the US. When I spend time in the US I occasionally see adverts that I consider deeply offensive but it's not really my business – I’m just visiting. Maybe the esteemed Mr. Yee should realise that different societies can have very different sensibilities and stop pretending that the advert is a carefully crafted insult against his community.

 

[Muggsy]

* People from different contexts will read this image in different ways. It is evident that those images are made to create some controversy, because of their visual and conceptual strength. Where's the controversy? as beauty, it lies on the eyes of the beholder.

I don't know how those adverts would be interpreted in the US. Here they would be seen as a little suspicious . Looking at those pics I couldn't help to recall all the things that I learnt in "Visual Comunication" about the place that people gives to different races in the images, and I can start to talk from this, looking for coincidences, bringing up old images similar to those ones.

However I also can see the chromatic and gestual comfrontation that makes the images so strong and that I think are the bases of the message they want to comunicate. The thing is that those are portrayed persons and you can't expect not to touch some people's sensitivities, and that should be considered I guess. those adverts, although they are in a country far away they "won't stay there", they are travelling trough the internet to other countries so maybe the advertisers should consider that too... anyway, those images are doing what they are meant for: create controversy.

 

[BonosSaint]

Delete.

 

[Harry Vest]

Creepy

 

[nbcrusader]

Looking at both pictures again, has the overly quick reaction to the color masked the elements of violence contained in the photos?

 

[verte76]

Looking at both pictures again, has the overly quick reaction to the color masked the elements of violence contained in the photos?

Perhaps. It wasn't really in the initial perception of the images, but maybe that's because I was looking at the color so much and not the images. Come to think of it, though, that's a disturbing picture, very threatening looking.

 

[LyricalDrug]

The fact that we're all having this dorky conversation is proof that the ad campaign is working as planned

 

[silja]

The fact that we're all having this dorky conversation is proof that the ad campaign is working as planned

 

[Angela Harlem]

Sony aren't racist. Pfft.

 

[indra]

The ads have been pulled.

Sony Removes Dutch PSP Ads Seen As Racist

TOKYO - Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has removed billboards for the new white version of its PlayStation Portable video game player following complaints of racism, the company said. Sony also apologized.

The billboards, which went up in the first week of June only in the Netherlands, showed a white woman dressed in white threateningly grabbing the face of a frightened-looking black girl, with an attached catch copy saying, "PlayStation Portable White is coming."

The provocative image was one of several versions showing the two women in different poses, company spokesman Nanako Kato said Wednesday. They appeared exclusively in Amsterdam and several other major cities in that country.

Sony said the ads were intended only to emphasize the color contrast between the existing black PSP and the new ceramic white PSP.

"We only intended to make a sharp contrast between black and white, but never meant to discriminate against anyone," Kato said. "Even though the ad was perceived in an unexpected way, we'd like to apologize to the people who were offended by the ads."

She said the complaints have come mostly from outside the Netherlands.

The PSP, a portable version of the PlayStation, is a hot-seller for Sony. It went on sale in Japan in December 2004 and the United States earlier this year.

Last year, Sony sparked controversy in the United States with PSP ads disguised as graffiti.

 

[shart1780]

People really need to get a life... this in reality probably means nothing at all. These PC people really are making this world a worse place to live.

Every single thing has to be scrutinized under the microscope of these overly sensitive people. The only racism in this situation is in the heads of those who are so upset.

Oh I can just imagine if it was the other way around, the man dominating the woman. Geez the feminists would be flying off the hook.

 

[indra]

Oh I can just imagine if it was the other way around, the man dominating the woman. Geez the feminists would be flying off the hook.

Um. The ad is of two women.

 

[shart1780]

Haha... oh man I couldn't even tell. Now that I look at the second picture I should have known it was a woman.

 

[SunBloc]

Sony is obviously seeking controversy to generate more buzz for their new product. If contrast in color were their goal (not violence, not racism, not sexism.....) there are a million other ways to do this in very artistic ways.

 

[fly so high!]

Either way Sony has made sweet bucks with this one......it would not be a suprise to me if they intended to pull the ads anyway...they knew what the reaction would be.....it's definately got rascist tones....look at the body language....take for instance the white female,she even appears higher than the black female in the photo....the second shot shows the black female struggling....and the outcome...well we know that already.....the white console will prevail.....clever imagery....but certainly in bad taste....I'm glad Sony pulled them.