Sony PSP advertising hits the streets

by Alan Rose { Nov 17th 2005 at 1:55PM }

Looks like Ken Kutaragi's been "getting up" on the streets of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco where a series of PSP-inspired graffiti art has been spotted. The chalk drawings and posters illustrate cartoonish looking children playing with oversized PSPs.

So is this a legitimate Sony marketing campaign perfectly timed for next week's holiday shopping rush, or the workings of some carefully-coordinated, underground PSP-loving cult?

Visit the Wooster Collective for more images and decide for yourselves.

Tags: Advertising, Marketing, Sony, Sony ads, SonyAds

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

As adorable as these little "throw-ups" may seem. It's kind of comical to one who already owns a PSP to see these deformed kids hanging the PSP on puppet strings, one of them is riding it like a mechanical bull--because you can't do any game playing on it that's for SURE!

No but really, thank god for Liberty Cities--I finally have something to do on the commute to and from work.

mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

Weird, right after nintendo announced their "undergroun" compain, whatelse is new Sony Mimic Nintendo in evrything, i'm waiting for the remote redesigned PS3 controller !!! ....Pathetic.

BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

heh...Mike, Sony announced connectivity between the PSP and PS3 through the infrared...before the Revolution controller was announced, so relax their buddy. LOL

Fuzz @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

I think this campaign suits the PSP perfectly. Things to do with your PSP, other than play games with it.

Zachary @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

Sony, it's important to cater to a large demographic, it is also important that you do not alienate one part, with the ads for another. This "urban" advertising does nothing for me(I find
it quite annoying) and if you cease to advertise to me, I will cease to purchase your products.

mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

"heh...Mike, Sony announced connectivity between the PSP and PS3 through the infrared...before the Revolution controller was announced, so relax their buddy. LOL"
.....What are you talking about !????

mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

..and keep in mind your "psp-ps3" connectivity will not be used at all, you know why ? because Sony will stop PSP production in 2006 because it's a HUGE FLOP !!!!!!!

timothy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

If this is indeed a Sony blessed marketing campaign, then I need to have a talk with them. A couple of their stickers (large, about 14" tall) of this little guy were plastered in my bar's bathroom. It took us about 45 minutes to get that crap off. I didn't know it was a possible campaign 'til now. I'm off to call Sony, thanks for posting this.

BobaFett @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

i hate 'street' campaigns..... we have enough ads everywhere - TV, magazines, billboards, etc., etc. etc. why does sony need to further pollute the urban landscape in order to seem 'cool' and 'edgy'..... i know they're just chalk - but it's still a corporation finding another insidious way to pimp it's shit....

/ end rant

BXJoseff @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

Mike...the PSP and PS3 will connect through the infrared "port" although it's been stated that it might just be through wifi connectivity in order to transfer music, movies and photos between both systems. Yes, we all know Mr. Crazy Kutargi like to lie a lot - but I don't see why this wouldn't be true since the PS3 is supposed to act as a media extender as well when the supposed HDD is made available. I'm pretty sure they'll include the ability to have the PS3 act as a Location Free extender as well...

But I'll say it again, the "REMOTE CONTROLLER" ability between the PS3 and PSP was mentioned WAY before the Revolution was announced Mike. So just take a deep breath and relax.

WizarDru @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

Speaking as someone who's been walking the streets of Philadelphia mere moments ago...where exactly are these things supposed to be turning up?

Pixelantes Anonymous @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

The first thing that popped in my mind after seeing those things was not an ad campaign, but that some artist came up with a way to do social commentary, as in: shame for all these kids hunched up playing PSPs while they could be doing all these other things.

The eyes on all of those images look like the kids are hypnotized.

strider_mt2k @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

The PSP is fizzling out at an alarming rate.

Did I mention my gladness at having dumped it?

Nick Lundgren @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

Am I the only one who sees this as a piece of semi-legitimate art with an equally semi-legitimate messege? The PSP (Video-games) has become the only toy for children... it's an interesting idea... Not that I agree with the nihilistic context bu- What's that? It's a Sony marketing campaign!?!?!?!

Awww f@#k you viral marketing! I hate you!

(PS #13 I bought mine first day it was out... loved lumines and WO: Pure, but after I beat those there was nothing else... I waited.... Still no quality games, so I dumped the thing and haven't been happier :D )

petey @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

BXJoseff post10 said to Mike: "But I'll say it again, the "REMOTE CONTROLLER" ability between the PS3 and PSP was mentioned WAY before the Revolution was announced Mike. So just take a deep breath and relax."

lol, lol & lol, stop smoking BXJoseff, what you're saying is pointless, how on earth can you compare that to the motion sense of the Rev, the connectability is not the feature here, Wavebird did that years ago, what you'r talking about is the GBA-Cube conec. minus the cable... you made me lol, I'll give you that!!!

Blade @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

Does anyone still play their PSP anymore? I should sell mine quick before it loses the rest of its value.

(If the rumoured new DS is Rev-inspired, I might get one. Then I'd have great games AND great industrial design.)

Adrian @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

First of all, the PSP will never Flop. Its a multimedia giant, with so many endless possibilities: WiFi, Infra Red, Movies, Music, Pictures, and best of all Homebrew. When the first PS2 came out, there weren't very many quality games, but after a while they gradually got better and better, so i'm pretty sure that the same will happen with the PSP. Besides all this Sony took a big jump by making a handheld even though they were already successful with the Playstation, PS2 and their wide variety of other Multideae. And in my view, there is absolutley nothing on the current market that can even come close to the PSP for a good couple of years. Sure Sony might take a few ideas from here and there but guess what its call "COMPETITIVE BUSINESS". And as for all of you who are either to broke to buy new games and movies and therefore opted to sell your god given PSP, I sincerely feel sorry for you guys, get a job or if you have one, get a better one. i mean, common a little patients goes a long way. NFS Most Wanted just came out, Infected, SOCOM, GTA: Liberty City Stories, and the Sony Talkman. I know of at least a 100+/- people here in Alaska, that showed so much distaste their DS or Micro, that they traded UP to the PSP, and they have never been happier, and thats just here in Alaska. sure doesn't say much about Nintendo when even the frozen north shuns they're half-ass attempt of a gaming machine. 2 screens what a joke, what are your eyes going to do, keep one fixxed on the top and one fixxed to the bottom, god that would be funny looking. LOL!!!!

PSP IS KING!!!!!!!!! GET OVER IT ALREADY!!!!!!
STEWIE FOR GOVENOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

zach @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

does anyone see the connection between this art and the 360 release? no? well, 2 of them are outside of my house in NY and I decided to take a closer look after I saw the post. one thing I noticed was there's no sign its been made by sony (plus would sony really spend money to illegally tag buildings and bars). also why would sony show kids doing something besides playing a psp (besides that fact that anything you can do with a psp is better than actaually playing it)? the one thing I concluded was that they weren't put up by sony, but probably as publicity for the 360. the eyes on the kids look like the rings of light used by microsoft and the timing is perfect. also they've appeared in all the major.
cities the 360 is having large openings in. I know it might seem odd (especially because they're holding psps) but it makes sense... if you think about it... a lot

KingBozo @ Dec 18th 2005 10:03PM

Shout to Adrian in Alaska! lol! there seems to be a lot of jealousy and other wierd shit going on, I would like to say that I haven't played my psp for a week, and I just bought Pursuit Force, coz I have been doing other stuff like working and sleeping, going to concerts and playing frikkin ping-pong, yep, real, 3d, move yo ass and sweat ping pong with real people!! And this evening I have just downloade free music, videos (coldcut/franz ferdinand/gorillaz), and a new tv series called "dubplate dilemma" onto my psp. And that's cool, and it won't go away! I love games, was a hardcore arcade fan and creamed over my atari, open your eyes... the psp is not just a *games console* it is a kickass multimedia toy that just happens to wipe the floor with all of its competitors (ipod, ds, archos etc.). You can even us it as a wi-fi network scanner and hop onto some poor nOOb's unprotected network ;-)))