Warning: PSP ads can kill you

We thought we'd seen just about every dire warning about the dangers of gaming, but it turns out there's a new one. Sony has had its PSP posters yanked from Manchester train stations amid fears that the ads could encourage passengers to jump onto the tracks and be hit by oncoming trains. The poster in question reads "Take A Running Jump Here," and officials were concerned that riders would take the advice literally. Somehow, we'd like to think that train passengers are a little smarter than that, but you never know. After all, New York subway riders have been known to engage in bizarre antics ranging from sucking tokens out of turnstiles to daring to confront the big guy sitting with his legs sprawled across two seats (which may actually be more dangerous than following Sony's dubious advice).

[Via the Inq]

[keropipi @ Mar 9th 2006 2:39PM]

hahaha wtf is that Ad supposed to appeal to

[Brent @ Mar 9th 2006 2:41PM]

I guess Sony will have to rethink its new ad campaign "Shoot yourself in the head"...

[Adam @ Mar 9th 2006 2:49PM]

I'm guessing the main reason it was removed, is the fact it is of bad taste.

[invaderluj @ Mar 9th 2006 2:54PM]

sony must remember to never underestimate the stupidity of people...

[Frank @ Mar 9th 2006 3:03PM]

I am sure the lawyers who helped sue McD for the hot coffee will jump all over this bandwagon.

[PDubNYC @ Mar 9th 2006 3:03PM]

it's called natural selection.

It's a stupid ad campaign, but seriously, no one is responsible for their own actions. The world has to be idiot-proofed.

[Brian @ Mar 9th 2006 3:06PM]

This is exactly why Creative's 'Just Buy an F***ing iPod, Already' campaign failed.

[Finished.Law.School @ Mar 9th 2006 3:08PM]

Sony has been of consistent with the fuck ups lately...

And don't forget, the PS3 is a hoax.

[... @ Mar 9th 2006 3:09PM]

Lol, that is hilarious. I live very close to here, I wish I could have seen it... =(

[Kamalot @ Mar 9th 2006 3:09PM]

I think this is in very bad taste. People DO throw themself in front of trains. These tasteless (not to mention downright dumb) advertisements are insensitive to familes and loved ones of people who have committed suicide.

Come to think of it, if someone is already on edge, comtemplating suicide, walking by one of these posters wouldn't help matters.

PSP advertisements seem to be just as random and pointless as the PSP itself.

[KeG @ Mar 9th 2006 3:15PM]

Sony's ad campaign keeps getting dumber and dumber.
Like an old man desperate to don an image of cool, rebelious youth and all that. Too bad it missed and look ridiculous instead.
Hey Sony, you may think you're being cool doing all that, well you're NOT! So stop being annoying and get a clue (or two).

[invaderluj @ Mar 9th 2006 3:19PM]

wait a second...i just read the original article...the ad is for the ps2 not the psp

jeez read the article

[koppite1 @ Mar 9th 2006 3:20PM]

It's not that Manchester residents are stupid. Far from it. It's just that the more unscrupulous would use this advert to sue Sony...once they jump in front of a train

Damn compensation culture now in Britain thank you very much America

[Moogle @ Mar 9th 2006 3:21PM]

My coworker's reply was priceless:
'People are such whiners. *nasal voice* "But I don't wanna kill myself!"'

I'm envisioning that this resulted from the person choosing where to put ads up exercising amusing bad taste, or at least from mild innocence, ala "Well in videogames you often have to take dangerous jumps" and not considering the suicide aspect.

[Andrew @ Mar 9th 2006 3:23PM]

Only Sony could do something that dumb...

[Cjw @ Mar 9th 2006 3:26PM]

Saw one of these the other day on a side of a bus

"Your girlfriends white bits-here"

o_O

Ooh-err

[alex @ Mar 9th 2006 3:55PM]

somepeople are dumb as hell"i want a psp so lets jump on the tracks" idiots i could see someone doing that too!

[Andi Smith @ Mar 9th 2006 4:02PM]

#12 invaderluj - the ad is for PSP.. as it shows in the pic if you can read it.. these ads have been popping up everywhere in the UK.

Each says something different to highlight a different feature of the PSP and they are all provocative to varying degrees (depending how you read them).

One says 'Play with someone else here' for example.

Take a running jump seems to have been the one targetted for removal as it's a little distasteful to read that advert just as you hear your trains been delayed cos someone has jumped in front of a train a couple of stops before. It seems to happen all the time :/

[Jason @ Mar 9th 2006 4:05PM]

I say keep the sign up... Worst case is no one does anything... Best case is some idiot takes the sign literally and we improve the entirety of the human gene pool!

[Geoff @ Mar 9th 2006 4:30PM]

"DS users don't need a sign to tell them to jump in front of a train..."

[Matt @ Mar 9th 2006 4:50PM]

where's the punchline? failure

[Tom Sweeney @ Mar 9th 2006 5:14PM]

There's one here in Canada on buses that says "Play in traffic."

I absolutely hate the television commercials. Sometimes being random is funny and sometimes it makes you think "I bet it took them several days and a large team of marketing execs to think up something that seems random."

[m13a8 @ Mar 9th 2006 5:45PM]

I think the ads should have stayed up. It's called thinning the heard.

[Misery Notes @ Mar 9th 2006 5:54PM]

Now that's comedy.

[c.Lake @ Mar 9th 2006 7:58PM]

@Kamalot,

Yes this ad is pointless and stupid, classic Sony. However, we are bombarded with Advertisements on a daily bases! Are you seriously telling me that one stupid-ass ad is going to send someone over the edge to jump in front of a moving train? Come on.

I'm not trying to be an A__hole, but if someone is at that point, the decision has been made. They have been OVER the EDGE for some time. Are we such babies that advertisements control what we, as individuals, do with our lives? Maybe we're ALL over the edge and past saving.

[DIJ @ Mar 10th 2006 4:08AM]

I think if people are stupid enough to actually jump in front of a train because an advert told them too, then let them.
The average I.Q. of the world will improve!

[zoara @ Mar 10th 2006 7:53AM]

I don't find these adverts confusing at all...?

I think they're very clever. Although the Running Jump one is a little tasteless. However, there's one of those just around the corner from where I live, and it made me double-take. So it worked.

I like the "Get away from your girlfriend's pointless questions here" one; it's saying that finally you can watch a film without the "oh, is he the murderer then?" and "Why did he go back in the house?" questions :)

What astonished me most is that some people have picked up on the girlfriend's white bits as racist. What?!

[OddManOut @ Mar 10th 2006 8:41AM]

"Come to think of it, if someone is already on edge, comtemplating suicide, walking by one of these posters wouldn't help matters."

That's probably true. Then again...a Nike "Just do it." ad would likely provide the same effect, but I don't remember THAT ad being very controversial (I was kinda young when it debued though so I could be wrong).

If a person is in a unstable enough state that they accept instructions from any random media in their immediate environment I think they are in big trouble one way or the other.

While I do feel those who've lost people to suicide (including they themselves) all in all to a certain degree I share "PDubNYC"'s feelings (currently post #6). Why is no one responsible for their own actions anymore (except at tax time) ??? " ~~~ made me do it!" is like some kind of pop culture get-out-of-jail-free-card (very likely with a pile of money in tow). Do we really want to live in a world where every wall is padded, every room is made of rubber, and all you can get for desert is soft serve vanilla chocolate swirl (cause anything else would promote racism) ?

Well...maybe that's a bit of hyperbole, but seriously...how far do you go ?

Imagine this, some poor soul is despondantly prowling around the subway track contemplating suicide. Why ? His girlfriend left him, and made him feel about 1 foot tall on the way out... enumerating every single fault and every little reason why he is the lowest scum on the planet and then laughed in his face. Now as he's wandering around he happens to pass by two other people. They are a young couple. Just married a few weeks ago and very much in love. They stroll by holding hands basking in each others presence, chatting. As most guys do this young casanova makes some idle joke and his pretty paramour laughs amiably...laughs...
And to this poor totured soul standing on the brink of insanity it sounds just like the mocking cackles of his new X as he gazes at a couple who have found in each other everything they will ever need and everything he (feels he) has just lost...

Now THAT could push someone litteraly AND metaphorically over the edge. So what...do we ban strolling with your mate/lover in public cause it might upset somebody ? Do we ban laughing in public cause not everyone is happy ? Yes...this PSP ad is likely in poor/questionable taste (and is stupid to boot), but I honestly doubt it would end up being the lynch pin in anyones suicide (except perhaps for the Sony execs that approved it...'Harakiri' is a form of suicide afterall...)

I'm actually rather curious what ad they put up in place of the "...running jump..." ad. Was it cleared by a panel of psychologists to ensure it promotes only postively, socially acceptable thoughts/feelings/actions ? Perhaps bunnies and rainbows and the slogan "Everyone is Precious and Valuable. Don't waste that potential!"

I swear...if they started posting ads like that up *I* probably be 'looking for escape' in short order.

Morover, if people are that susceptable to suggestion, statements like that in a subway would just promote MUGGINGS. ANYTHING can be taken the wrong way.

Sorry for the tirade folks...please don't hurt yourselves over it...

[zoara @ Mar 10th 2006 9:15AM]

*applause*

Great post, OddManOut. Agree with it all.

[Kamalot @ Mar 10th 2006 9:56AM]

Agreed Zoara!

OddManOut, great well thought-out post. You should get a star! :D

[magicaltrevor @ Mar 10th 2006 12:06PM]

I live in Liverpool, and these ads are everywhere. They're a treat to see, as I know when I see it (and of course know what it means) that I am of an elite crew of people with a decent IQ. The running jump one (which is still in Liverpool Central station) has always made me laugh.