Sony PR backfires

Mattigus

Mattigus

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I've read so many articles about Sony doing some dumb PR stunt, then having it backfire on them, that I've lost track of them. I feel there should be a thread to chronicle all of Sony's numerous PR missteps that have happened, especially in the past year or 2. Here are the ones I remember off the top of my head.

Sony decapitates goat on stage at God of War 2 release party.

Sony embarrasses the internet by releasing their "All I Want For Christmas is a PSP website.

Sony menaces all black people with PSP White ad.

Sony hires graffiti artists to make their cities uglier.

These are all I can think of. I know I'm missing a bunch. Anybody want to contribute to the list.
 
Oh man that billboard is ridiculous, how did they think that wouldn't be received poorly?
 
Holy mother of god that graffiti one is LAME.
 
Many people were up in arms about the billboard. People need to chill the **** out.
 
I still think the PSP marketing campaign was the biggest spectacle. While their other backfires were certainly embarrassing and bizarre, the PSP campaign showed how deeply and extensively they were out of touch with their core gaming demographic. Only somebody living in a fantasy world could think that insulting your customers with lame Youtube videos and talking like a retard is a good idea. It was like watching your father using slang and start smoking pot to convince people he's still hip. Jesus ****ing Christ.
 
Qonfused said:
Many people were up in arms about the billboard. People need to chill the **** out.
Click to expand...

Aside from being stupid, the billboard can very easily be taken the wrong way, I think it's dumb to get way overly upset about it.. but I can see why people might be offended.
 
People who get offended over that are getting offended just to be offended.

There are way too many offendeds in that sentence.
 
The PSP campaign was awful, absolutely terrible. And that site wasn't even the worst thing, it was those goddamn annoying TV ads with the talking ****ing squirrels or whatever. I literally had to get up, find the remote, and mute the TV when they came on. It's a shame, it's easily the best handheld available and it could've used a much better ad campaign.

The goat thing was actually pretty cool and way overblown. All they did was borrow the carcass from a butcher shop and put it on display during the press event - no one was allowed to touch it, much less reach down it's throat and pull stuff out. Then they gave it back to the butchers afterward.

The graffiti thing was stupid but not that big of a deal. They paid for the adspace, don't see how it was that special. And I'm not entirely convinced it ever really backfired that much either.

That billboard is a good ad. Just for the record they had other ones where the black girl was dominating the white girl as well. It was a pretty decent, somewhat edgy way to advertise the new white model PSP. A shitload better than those ****ing TV commercials.
 
smwScott said:
The PSP campaign was awful, absolutely terrible. And that site wasn't even the worst thing, it was those goddamn annoying TV ads with the talking ****ing squirrels or whatever. I literally had to get up, find the remote, and mute the TV when they came on. It's a shame, it's easily the best handheld available and it could've used a much better ad campaign.
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Oh damn. Forgot about the TV ads. Random, quite possibly racist drivel. It's like their inspiration was a stereotypical Adult Swim program.
 
The PSP adverts were some of the wort adverts i have ever seen!
 
Not sure if these count as PR backfires, but Sony ****-ups none the less:


Sony BMG music CD rootkit scandal:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Sony_BMG_CD_copy_protection_scandal


Sony PS2 disc read error faulty hardware lawsuit:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=sony+ps2+disc+read+error+legal+lawsuit

Sony has settled its ?disc read error? lawsuit by compensating the affected gamers with USD $25, a free game from a specified list, and (of course) the reduced cost repair or replacement (at SCEA?s discretion) of the damaged system. This settlement is subject to the courts? approval, and hearings will begin in the US and Canada on April 28, 2006, and May 11, 2006, respectively
Click to expand...
Unfortunately for everyone, unless you were studying up on the subject, you would have no idea that you had this offer, so basically, rarely anyone got the benefit of their settlement. I know I didn't, as I had already bought my 3rd PS2 and tried to fix my brothers PS2 for the 3rd time by then.




Sony sued over Blu Ray optical layer patent infringement alegation:
The suit, which names Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony Pictures, and Sony DADC, claims that products marketed under the Blu-ray name infringe on a patent it owns for reflective layer materials in optical discs.
Click to expand...
...snip

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6171498.html

Sony has had quite a year with its PS3. First they were awarded... something, for the SIXAXIS' motion sensitivity functions, after which people started accusing them of stealing the technology from Nintendo, then there was the rumble issue, which they settled on with Immersion Corp. later on, and now California-based Target Technology Company is suing the electronics giant over patent rights for the Blu-ray technology.

It's almost like Sony want to get themselves into trouble. Why do you think that the PS3's SIXAXIS controller doesn't feature vibration functionality? It's only because of Immersion's suing them over patent rights for the rumble technology, which happened right when Sony was developing the $600 next-gen gaming console.

Today's news bring yet another company suing Sony over patent rights: Target Technology, for the Blu-ray technology, which Sony has apparently stolen, too. Gamepot reports that the suit, which names Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony Pictures, and Sony DADC, claims that products marketed under the Blu-ray name infringe on a patent Target owns for reflective layer materials in optical discs. The patent is for specific types of silver-based alloys with the advantages of gold, but achievable at a much lower price than the precious yellow metal. The alloys are said to be even more resistant to corrosion than pure silver.

However, this suit is not as serious as the one with Immersion over the rumble functionality implemented in Dual Shock 2 controllers for the PS2. The same site reports that Target does not specify in their suit whether all Blu-ray discs infringe on its patent, or just a portion of discs manufactured in specific ways. The company received the patent in March of 2006, two years after its filling.

Sony representatives declined to talk about the issue, and will probably keep shutting up about it, just like they did on the rumble issue. I wonder if it's really true or not.
Click to expand...
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Sony-Sued-Over-Blu-ray-by-Targed-Technology-Company-55586.shtml

There is more, but these are the ones that bugged me the most.
 
How about the time Sony started telling everybody they won an award for the SIX-AXIS, but in the end they didn't? Those were the days...
 
Despite all this not a lot of people judge PS3 from actual gameplay experience, I wonder why


oh yeah, no games


awkward.
 
I really didn't mind the billboard. I think it's only as racist as people want it to be. I'm just surprised that Sony didn't realize that maybe people will take it the wrong way.
 
Guys. The PSP is like a nut

that you can play with outside.

What is not to love?
 
Heh, cool billboard. It's 2007 ffs, don't get upset by this.
 
The billboard ad is PERFECTLY fine, there is nothing racist about it. Only in a world like ours will people use that as some lame ass excuse to complain about racism.

As a matter of fact i like the ad.
 
Wow, another "Let's bash Sony with old news that's already been brought up in other threads" thread.

Yeah, Sony's f*cked up. What major company hasn;t in some way at some point?
 
HAHAHAHAHAHHA

:LOL: :LOL:

That Graffiti one is so ironic!
 
Asuka said:
The billboard ad is PERFECTLY fine, there is nothing racist about it. Only in a world like ours will people use that as some lame ass excuse to complain about racism.

As a matter of fact i like the ad.
Click to expand...

Ditto.

I wonder if everyone would be cool, if the ad was the other way around? I wouldn't mind...
 
Sony rocks. You'll see.
 
babyheadcrab said:
Oh man that billboard is ridiculous, how did they think that wouldn't be received poorly?
Click to expand...

Yet nobody mentions the billboard with the black chick owning the white one.

Unfocused said:
I wonder if everyone would be cool, if the ad was the other way around? I wouldn't mind...
Click to expand...

Yeah it was that wasn't the only board there where 4 if I recall correctly. Two with the black chick dominating and two with the white one dominating. Or maybe just the two I don't know.

nibanner.jpg


babyheadcrab said:
Despite all this not a lot of people judge PS3 from actual gameplay experience, I wonder why


oh yeah, no games


awkward.
Click to expand...

Careful there I remember another console that had no games when it was launched too, and it took quite some time to get anything even remotely decent.
 
I have no personal qualms with the billboard, it just seems poorly thought out, shows there ignorance in marketing (along with the other examples). I could care less if they have it going both ways.

As far as games availability; all the next gen consoles are lacking, I was simply making a point that it's not easy to defend Sony's marketing mistakes when there's not much else good to look at.

Resistence actually has some GREAT gameplay, and I think Home has some serious potential, as does CELL and Blu-Ray, but poor timing, horrible marketing decisions and waning third party support all point to a questionable future for the console. Only time will tell.
 
Marketing has always been a strong point of sony, but these recent events make it seem like they're desprate or something. Just deliver good products. I don't like the way sony is going with this. I think the PS3 has huge potential, but it will only be potential if sony doesn't start delivering.
 
I'm willing to forget the past and forgive anything Sony has done to me and my family if Sony Pictures picks up my brother's movie, "Chasing Ghosts".

Other than that, **** Sony forever, - been boycotting them for years.
 
Oh god, how the hell can people be offended by that billboard!? Have they been living under a rock? Damn, that ad is peanuts compared to some of the major fashion designer ads...

French Connection United Kingdom (FCUK), Calvin Klein, United Colors of Benetton, etc completely blow that Sony ad out of the water.
 
AiM said:
Oh god, how the hell can people be offended by that billboard!? Have they been living under a rock? Damn, that ad is peanuts compared to some of the major fashion designer ads...

French Connection United Kingdom (FCUK), Calvin Klein, United Colors of Benetton, etc completely blow that Sony ad out of the water.
Click to expand...
For the benefit of us less educated in such things - what were they? Do you have a link?
 
Okay, who's more stupid - people who find that billboard offensive, or Sony for putting it out there?

"Should" people find it offensive? Probably not. Will they? Most definitely. This is people we're talking about.

Important question - did Sony's PR know this? Quite possibly >_>
 
Sony Marketing and PS3 are two different things in my head. D:
 
but i am an xbox fan, and i'd rather get the 360 because its gonna have halo 3 which ps3 will never have. also the 360 has been out for a year or so longer so there's gonna be HD games sooner and more of them
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What the hell is this moron talking about?
 
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