Ad critic: Sony's racially charged PSP ad [update 1]
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jul 4th 2006 at 6:30PM }
We've decided to run ad critic early this week after this one landed on our doorsteps. The latest in a long line of questionable marketing decisions by Sony, this ad -- gracing the streets of Amsterdam and the Dutch PSP site -- promotes the upcoming white PSP with the racially charged image of a white woman grabbing a black woman's face. Other images on the website (embedded after the break) offer additional avenues of interpretation.
While we think it's hardly debatable that the ad is offensive (debate ensues), why would Sony -- and their "disruptive" advertising partners at TBWA -- think this ad appropriate? Any Dutch readers care to offer a regional point-of-view on local racial mores? Any black readers, both in the Netherlands and elsewhere, want to offer your initial reactions to the image? Perhaps most importantly (this is an advertisement after all), will this fulfill the contention that generating word-of-mouth is the metric by which to gauge the success of an ad, no matter the method?
Please keep the debate friendly, respectful, and well-mannered. It is possible to express your opinion on sensitive issues like race while doing so.
See also: Ad critic: Superman, Ad critic: Auto Assault, Ad critic: Oblivion , Ad critic: Tomb Raider, Ad critic: Hitman.
[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]
[Update 1: Sony has come to the defense of the controversial ads, telling Gamesindustry.biz, "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." We'll gather up some of the best comments from this thread (thanks for keeping it on track everyone) and follow up later in the week.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Sebastien Rodriguez @ Jul 4th 2006 6:34PM
Good way to start more controversy. I dislike Sony even though I own alot of their products, but this is just bad. I hope the PS3 and all there next endevors fail, just because they were once big.
Indiana Jones @ Jul 4th 2006 6:34PM
it must be racist because it has people of different ethnicity! what an outrage!!11one
ed @ Jul 4th 2006 6:37PM
This ad could be interpreted racial or not just depends on your view. If you think it racial is guess it could go both ways as all three pics depict. Sony's ads seems to be going down the toliet. They used to present good ads, but I could tell and you could tell this was never ment to be shown to the U.S. public.
J @ Jul 4th 2006 6:37PM
The ds lite is the white chick. The PSP is the black chick. The psp is bout to get its @$$ whipped!!!!!!
Jouten Za @ Jul 4th 2006 6:40PM
Ok, I think that Sony has no cue about what Nintendo was talking about when they mentioned 'Distruptive' advertising. Not only is Sony got it all wrong, but they are also just alienating even more customers with this total disregard for culture. You would think that some sub-division of the KKK was responsible for this advertising. Sure, one of the pictures depicts the black woman being 'on top' or 'control' in one of the pictures, but I think it still inspires 'hate' on both sides of the racial coin.
Now let us all prepare for the onslaught of 'it's not racial or offensive' by the Sony Jabronis and maybe some 'color' commentary by the M$ Fanboys.
spike117 @ Jul 4th 2006 6:42PM
I personally find this add sexist. How dare they show a woman abusing a man! Sony must hate men!...or Black people, you can choose your own totally irrational knee-jerk reaction to this.
Andy @ Jul 4th 2006 6:45PM
Let me start off by saying the ad is a mistake. I do not think Sony meant any malice by a longshot but nonetheless it is a very harsh message.
I think many times when creating something you sometimes forget the other prespective. You see it through your eyes as an artist and miss other interpretations. In advertising that can obviosuly be a big issue. Certainly the ad is edgy with some very intense imagery (outside the racial connotation). It certainly seems to acheive that end.
I also think the imagery is startling from the racial context. I myself kinda blinked and had to look again. Certainly it is hard for me to make a conclusion but being from America, I believe, feeds that reaction. Most places do not have the history and racial tension we do, particularily between black and white. It plainly seems that Sony understands that as it did not release the ad here. Would this ad be taken out of the context of the PSP if Americans or others senstive to the issue have seen it? Its hard to say. Maybe so... maybe only a minority would even draw the connection.
Either way it seems Sony did let something slip that better judgement might have been able to catch for the sake of being a little more sensitive to viewers. Its more a shame that a racial context exists to cause such issue as I am sure we all regret, especially since Sony does seem to have created a very nicely stylized ad. Hopefully someday an ad like this will exist and never once will anything negative be brought to mind, as nothing negative exists
Neko Tsukimi @ Jul 4th 2006 6:52PM
Well, when I first saw about this image, I was thinking "Oh, it's gonna have some thugs advertising some Sony product, whatever." But then when I saw the ad, I was a bit offended 'cos it just feels wrong. It's not making that much of a point (the other images even with the race reversed really don't make that much sense in advertising the new, "better" white PSP. It doesn't change my opinion on Sony (never really did like them) but Sony or not, I really don't like this ad at all. It is a bit inappropriate giving a sense of opression.
While slavery is over in America, no matter how much you try to deny it and cover it up, racism isn't. Images like this will upset those who have experienced extreme instances of racism. If other members of my family would have seen this that have experienced racism firsthand in the form of segregation and general mistreatment back when black people were coloreds, they would be outraged (I've seen some of them get extremely upset in seeing a commericial where black people were the only people needing help and only "whitey" could save them). However, I've not had to experience much in the form of racism so while I did think it was offensive, it only made me uncomfortable.
The feelings are probably different in people from the north and I've no idea how things are in other countries when it comes to black people.
Neko Tsukimi @ Jul 4th 2006 6:54PM
Oh yeah Spike, the black one is a chick.
Euan @ Jul 4th 2006 6:58PM
aye well according to some commenter on kotaku it's all because europeans have no concept of racism. but beside that i think maybe this reflects the relaxed attitude they have in holland. the internet is global and we are in effect judging it on what we know. i'd like to hear the reaction is from the dutch. i certainly know they are a multiracial and embracing culture.
Spinfusor @ Jul 4th 2006 7:00PM
Unlike Loco Roco, this is racist.And is also more reason for me to hate Sony. They seem to be failing a lot lately.
someguy @ Jul 4th 2006 7:03PM
Good. I didn't feel like importing the white psp anyway. Why the hell the companies make you wait for the cool colors on their handhelds (Black DS) is beyond me.
darkmatter @ Jul 4th 2006 7:04PM
Ads, just like anything else is only offensive because WE let it be offensive. Ever hear the saying "Stick and Stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" Yeah....well I think anyone who gets offended by someone calling them names or ads like this need to get a life, and get un-offended....It's called common sense, and I think so many people are so bored with life in general, they choose to make a big deal out of crap like this, just so they have something to do. And if we are ever going to progress as a society, complaining or getting "Offended" by crap like this has to stop. :end rant:
spike117 @ Jul 4th 2006 7:06PM
Hey hey! Neko I will have none of your logic and reason here! The obvious knee-jerk reaction to someone with short hair is that they are a male, skirt be damned! Just like the obvious knee-jerk reaction to a white person with a black person is "OMG SLAVERY!", context and logic be damned!
Other then the fact that Sony is a JAPANESE company from a nation predominantly not white, they must be racist bastards.
MadHattr @ Jul 4th 2006 7:07PM
Errr, what exactly is racist about it? Black man here isn't exactly inferior. If anything, he's threatened by the white woman, and frankly, I think almost every man will be threatened by her - be he black, white, asian or middle eastern.
Frankly, I don't see what's so inappropriate here, except for the post giving a far-fetched racial enterpretation to the commercial.
HotDogOfDoom @ Jul 4th 2006 7:09PM
pff im black and i think its just an add, its very ipodish
Oshio @ Jul 4th 2006 7:10PM
Pretty much reminds me of this. http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=192
J @ Jul 4th 2006 7:10PM
I think its nice to see black and white people playin together. It's like Martin Luther Kings "Had a Dream" Speach
OyoyoY123 @ Jul 4th 2006 7:10PM
na~it s a cat fight.
Dux @ Jul 4th 2006 7:14PM
@6
No ad is a mistake, all ads are put out there with intention, and on purpose. Sony is not stupid, they know wether or not something will cuase tension between races or not. So yea the ad is cotriversal, but thats becuase Sony MEANT to make it contriversal. Nothing is a mistake in the advertisment world folks. Sony knew what type of effect this ad would have, wether it was for good or bad...
squeevi @ Jul 4th 2006 7:14PM
I agree that the ad gives me an uneasy feeling as well...
Something that might add to the racial undertones of the ad is that it looks like the White woman is wearing a neckles that looks a lot like an upside down cross... Am I seeing that wrong?
epobirs @ Jul 4th 2006 7:19PM
Which just serves to show, despite all the strangeness one can find there, parts of Europe are saner than here.
This is just drawing attention to the upcoming white PSP by creating a false sense of rivalry between two models of the same product. In other words, an excuse to play the 'hot girl-girl action' card in an ad in a city where porn is both omnipresent and easily ignored. To people whose minds don't seek out rascism where it doesn't exist this is about two thematic hot chicks vying for domination. It isn't any such idiocy as 'white saving us from black,' it's just mild eroticism used to sell a game system.
Benetton was doing this stuff 20 years ago. Has the world forgotten so quickly.
Alexander @ Jul 4th 2006 7:22PM
What if it was a picture of a man threatening a woman like that? The stance is threatening. The problem is the lack of judgement in whether people are ready to disconnect from race sufficently for this to simply be a 'black vs white' thing. The ad shows the white psp (as anthropomorphised by the white woman) intimidating the black psp (as anthropomorphised by the black woman).
It's true that there could have been smarter, funnier, better way to advertise the white psp. It's not a deliberately harmful ad, and if anything it's flattering to the viewer; it assumes you can make the distinction between advertising and the real world, between race and colour. It's just badly judged. The world clearly isn't ready for this kind of thing.
Jay @ Jul 4th 2006 7:26PM
First Sony rip off Selfridges adverts, then try and rip off Nintendo's disruptive ideology, then they try and rip off Microsofts "buy a 360 and Wii!" campaign.
What a shit company. forget being rational. they've dropped the ball just before they said "Hey, lets make a PSP". negative publicity for a product isn't good Sony.
Vincent @ Jul 4th 2006 7:26PM
Im am dutch and from my point of vieuw it isn't offensive at all. But indeed when you mention that it could be some racism in it you could argue. Yet the setting with the punk hair, the tie and the posture its clair that its not meant in that way. Besides wouldn't they have brougth out the white version then first? Is the white referring to the Klu-Klux clan? Is it white because it an 'improved' version... you see the paranoia?
We in europe are more concerned about people being held on Cuba where there is an extremely secured prison where tapes of interogations ...dissapear... As long as the PSP isn't orange with 'proud to be an american' on the back side i would not worry.
J B Cougar @ Jul 4th 2006 7:30PM
The Sony line on portables:
WTF, we'll try anything now.
Killer_Twinkie @ Jul 4th 2006 7:31PM
Wow. I can't believe Sony would print such an ad. Then again it is Sony we're talking about so it doesn't neccessarily come as a surprise. This ad looks as though its saying white is superior to black (even as people). It wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't had her in such a threatening stance and looking like she's about ready to bitch slap the black chick. The photos later on in the post seem not so bad almost to say that the black and white are evenly matched. I don't see why they couldn't have come up with some other scenario like a white blob taking control over most of the black billboard or something to that effect. I think it's kinda wierd though because in a sense aren't they trying to alienate their own product by saying that the white one is so much better than the black one?
Dirk Dorkelson @ Jul 4th 2006 7:33PM
"Most places do not have the history and racial tension we do, particularily between black and white."
Uh, don't African soccer players have racial slurs shouted at them on the pitch at European soccer matches? Why don't you ask a gypsy about whether there's racial/ethnic tension in Europe? Or the rioting African immigrants in France last year. Or the Pakistanis living in England. Or a Turkish immigrant living in Germany. Or...
Jigster @ Jul 4th 2006 7:33PM
This comes from the same company which had the oh so brilliant idea of putting an ad -- in Italy, mind you -- featuring a guy wearing a PlayStation-symbols-laden crown of thorns saying something along the lines of "give in to your Passion". Come on, it's blatantly obvious they know what they're doing: drawing everyone and their respective grandma's attention.
Whether it's tasteful or not, it's up to each person. I personally think it's just a bad use of shock value. Sad.
KyleK @ Jul 4th 2006 7:34PM
The image simply shows a contrast between the colors black and white (of the PSP), represented by a black and a white woman. The effect of the colors is strenghtened by their clothes and hair color. They're both going "to and fro" (for the lack of a better word), because the customer now has to decided whether to pick up a black or a white PSP. Both colors look very nice and many people can't decide (see iPod or DS Lite).
I don't see any offense or even racism you see in this picture. For me it's an ad by Sony for a technical gadget. It definitely grabs my attention, maybe because it is provocative, but no way it is racial.
I'm from Europe, maybe over here we do have a different opinion on things like this.
Shaymus22 @ Jul 4th 2006 7:35PM
Wow, that post was linktacular!
It's because of the oodles of dirt that the gaming community has on sony.
LongshotX @ Jul 4th 2006 7:36PM
Darkmatter I wonder...Have you ever been hosed? Have your people been abused, stereotyped for hundreds of years as "apes", enslaved, lynched, held back because of lack of equality, killed all because of the color of your skin? No I'm sure you haven't. I haven't experienced some of those things but I have been subject to racism many times over the course of my life. I'm 20 years old now and it's 2006 but it's still there: in the media, on the streets, sometimes in video games, even at work. This ad only adds to the ignorance. Assigning people colors is the stupidest thing ever. I am mostly African but I'm also Hispanic and Native American. I am brown skinned dammit! Why do ignorant people insist referring anybody with brown or dark bron skin as that "black guy" or that mexican so on and so forth. Brown People assert yourselves! There's more of us than the Peach People! Stand up! Fight! Fight! Ok ok that last part was pretty crazy.
WARLYKE @ Jul 4th 2006 7:40PM
I'll just say it's questionable, but not blatant. Pretty stupid from a business standpoint. Controversial fine, but if you skirt close to racism, doesn’t matter if idiots scream about the racism, to the race you're offending, you just lost a sale.
Rhork. @ Jul 4th 2006 7:45PM
I'm glad you guys at joystiq agree it's hardly worth debate and it's good to see that there are several rational minded readers as well. This is simply an ad doing exactly what it meant to do- get noticed. Not an ad with an underlying white supremacist agenda. Granted- it's a little over the top, but that's what it takes to make a great ad.
If there is one thing I've had far too much of, it's racial tension. You're black, you're white, you're some other color... Get over it.
Fedde @ Jul 4th 2006 7:45PM
I am from holland, and I kinda like the advertising I don't see it as being racially charged at all.
I'm not very big on Sony but I really can't see the problem with this commercial, it's not as if they are saying 'Yay super white power!' 'White's are superior' or something similar.
It wouldn't be any different to me if two white women where attacking each other. Honestly I can't see ANYTHING inappropriate I had to read the tekst first to understand there was a problem with the add.
To help analyse I would say that maybe, it has something to do with the fact that we don't have such a severe history of racism (in our own country at least).
Brief history lesson: We had no slaves in our own country. We did enslave like half of the world but we took them to other parts of the world like the U.S. A huge part of the U.S.was property of Holland, (like New York than called New Amsterdam) where we had our slaves working their behinds off.
No slaves, no great population of poor black people,
we never had any special cinemas/pubs/diners etc. for black people like you guys still had in the fifties. So maybe we are less keen to see rasicm, if we haven't experienced it as much as you guys did?
On a side note, the only fragments of rascism (as I would call it) in my daily life are some remarks by friends (very mildy rasicst jokes) and stuff from movies.
Enigma @ Jul 4th 2006 7:51PM
#29 great post
I am also impressed that the average (and we know the average joystiq reader is more partial to Nintendo and hate that of Sony) is not ripping this to shreds, and is being rational about this and saying this media hype on it is un-necessary.
Then again it is only 30 replies long so far, so this can still implode.
Karyyu @ Jul 4th 2006 7:55PM
I can see why people are getting overly worked up about the ad, but honestly, its not bad or racist at all. Sure, a white person and a black person clashing. That's not racist by itself. It really is clever marketing, actually. The two races standing for their respective colors of PSP is artistically appealing to me. It only becomes a problem when someone cries "racism!" and forces it into the public eye as a problem. Let's be reasonable here: If the white PSP came first, and this ad said "Playstation Portable Black is Coming," and depicted a black person grabbing a white person's chin, it would be hailed as some sort of "black empowerment movement" or some such nonsense. My point is that the ad itself is not racist in any way, it is the people that are worried about "offending someone" that make it seem racist.
Manuel Labour @ Jul 4th 2006 7:57PM
This is much less racist than the commercial McDonalds ran during football season. The one with the two black guys in the kitchen debating whether or not quarter-pounders count as hors d'oeuvres. Why not just write out on the screen "Black people are funny, eat here."
I think there's too much sensitivity, but apparently the rule of thumb is that if something involves race, it's racist.
terrance @ Jul 4th 2006 8:00PM
Show the complete ad and it will no longer seem racial at all, this website is pathetic!
Jay @ Jul 4th 2006 8:02PM
Rhork; wrong.
the first image you see is a white woman, seemingly threatening a black woman (not man, tch).
the connotations here is that white is superior to black. By using humans as the replacement for the PSP is the key. If they used chess pieces or piano keys, something other then the racist side would likely be fully removed. But it *doesn't* and therein lies the problem.
On the flip side, the adverts background being black shows that this is a world of black PSPs, and the white has arisen. But again, it appears to dominate the black. Though I've yet to understand the black attacking the white image, theres no need in that, then again theres no need in any of these images. This advertising campaign could have been something great but trust Sony to piss it up the wall.
I took advertisement studies at university and produced a nice little awareness scheme about unintentional racism in adverts for industry folk. But this, this isn't unintentional. this is blatant.
I also like the fact the camera is looking up at the 2 women. signifying some kind of market dominance, yet in reality, there is none.
Travis @ Jul 4th 2006 8:03PM
I personally see it as racist, but let's set that aside for now. Some things we all can see within the ads are hatred, bullying and struggle - yet this is all from one company, Sony. So their products are fighting against eachother... wait, what? Would Nintendo ever create an add of the black DS Lite kicking the white one's ass? I don't think so. Sony is going down, and fast.
darryl @ Jul 4th 2006 8:04PM
Only Americans would have a problem with this advert. Nothing wrong with it at all.
Enigma @ Jul 4th 2006 8:06PM
"#29 great post
I am also impressed that the average (and we know the average joystiq reader is more partial to Nintendo and hate that of Sony) is not ripping this to shreds, and is being rational about this and saying this media hype on it is un-necessary.
Then again it is only 30 replies long so far, so this can still implode."
I meant number 30 NOT 29
Tourian @ Jul 4th 2006 8:09PM
Saying it's racist is invalid because it's not stereotyping any characteristic of a particular race.
I can even hear at lesbians saying this ad is a negative portrayal of homosexuality because of the agressive nature of it.
Remember that advertisement where the Mac and the PC are having a chat and along comes a Japanese lady who plays "that new camera from Japan"? Well, same thing here, they're just making a metaphore with a somewhat strong style, that's it.
IMHO whoever finds this ad racist must have a serious inferiority complex.
Knoxximus @ Jul 4th 2006 8:09PM
For the last time....that Black "man" is a woman.
*rolls eyes*
Ian @ Jul 4th 2006 8:11PM
It probably would never make it to the US but in the UK and Ireland theres a lot of racists and not to many black people. It depends how you interpret it but either way Sony seems like they want to keep borderlining their ads in the UK.
Flamecuber @ Jul 4th 2006 8:11PM
I haven't read the comments here because it is obvious what they say.
Actually, when I look at the ad, I don't really find it racist really. I just doesn't give me that feeling.
HOWEVER, the ad still sucks and is stupid as hell. So yeah....Sony racist? I don't think so. Dumb as hell? OH YES VERY MUCH.
Indiana Jones @ Jul 4th 2006 8:22PM
Way to shower yourself in ignorance Ian. There are indeed plenty of black people in the UK and Ireland, in fact in many places there is a higher black to white ratio. There are racists in every country in the world, its a fact of life, however countries with lower frequency (Spain, Australia) seem to have a higher concentration of people who are vocally prejudiced.
sjenky @ Jul 4th 2006 8:27PM
I saw the same one here in Rotterdam a while back and racism wasn't the first thing that came to mind. But racism isn't a big issue here in Holland when it comes to dark-skinned people. We can't use the term African-American of course ;-), here it's mostly Surinamese or Antillean people, of which I am one myself.
You never hear any black jokes on TV, no talk of emancipation or racial inequality so I doubt anyone here was bothered by it..
Religious discrimination is another story. This IS after all the country where a filmmaker got murdered for making a film that portrayed the muslim religion in a 'negative' way. Hope Sony doesn't go THAT route :)
Dision @ Jul 4th 2006 8:28PM
"40. Saying it's racist is invalid because it's not stereotyping any characteristic of a particular race."
True enough. People have a tendency to give the word "racism" a loose and overbroad definition that encompasses anything involving race. "Racism" more properly means racial bias or perpetuation of racial stereotypes. This ad campaign certainly is unnecessarily and inexplicably suggestive of racial strife, but it isn't racist.