http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
After Sony cleans up its ad squad, I think they should also issue an apology for their horrific lapse in judgment. Other than that, I see no reason to get riled up over these pictures unless someone can provide evidence that Sony is a white supremacist group disguised as an electronics company. It's just bad taste plain and simple.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
I don't think Sony did have any wrong intentions, but ignorance is not an excuse.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
But, the most obvious point of contention is the connotations of violence. Why even pitch a new product as a 'threat' to an existing product? Why suggest that the white PSP is going to violently knock the black psp from its spot? I mean, thats just simple counter productive marketing, never mind the inclusion of a racial overtone to the whole conflict.

If the ads involved a white and black figure in a cooperative outlook, and with a less confrontational slogan than 'white is coming' (even something as simple as 'black and white' with white in italics..) then noone would even bat an eyelid at this. Indeed, there might even be a chance among the more Politically-correct circles that Sony would be applauded for the encouragement of good inter-race relations.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/May 7th 2007 6:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/There isn't any excuse for this really. I mean if the sample picture is anything to go by, then yes, the images are ivocative, but is corporate memory so short that they have forgotten the furore that 'evokative' images such as these can cause.

Was the (united colours of) Benneton fiasco so long ago?

Fist the hidden rootkit DRM, then the Wiii, now this. Is someone actively TRYING to destroy consumer relations at Sony?]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
I also agree that depicting your own products as competing against one another is just not a good idea advertising-wise.

Next time, try the Ying/Yang symbol Sony.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.joystiq.com/media/2006/07/sony_whiteiscoming_web_3a.jpg
is racist because it shows a "black woman" in a dominant position over a "white woman"? Whom is it rascist against?]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
It's akin to writing "I am going to kill you and your family" on a billboard on one side of a city, and "only kidding!" on the other side, and expecting people to read it as one sentence.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
I've withheld buying a PSP (got a nintendo DS), a bravia LCD (got a pioneer plasma 43 inch), a DVD recorder (got a panasonic), a LCD front projector (got a sanyo), and will not buy a PS3 (will get a XBox 360 even though I've had a PS2 earlier).

I am too ashamed to own their products anymore.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
But are you proclaiming that ANY picture cotaining two people that have different skin colors is racist? What the hell? Have you people still not gotten past the skin color issue?

Please read up on the defenition of racism. It's a picture featuring two people for Gods sake. I would say it's racist to claim that two people of different skin colors can not appear in the same picture are the racists. Somehow you think that skin color makes a person who he or she is.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Apr 24th 2007 11:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
I live in South Africa - a country where if someone does something even remotely viewed as a black/white comparison, some idiot cries foul. This is not some racial issue - there are more important things to worry about. Keep it real.
]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
ANYTHING can happen in Holland...
]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
If it didn't have the slogan, perhaps not.

Sony are obviously not being racist, that implication is ridiculous, and when people post comments here insulting people who see this as bad marketing as being too politically correct and whatnot, it just proves how ignorant they are to the topic at hand.

This is not a question of racism, it's a question of Marketing. Whether you like it or not, people will (read: have) found this extrememly offensive, and it will affect the sales of the white PSP in the locations these ads have been shown. Is it racist? No. Is it extremely poor marketing? Well, figure it out for yourself.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/I'm not a Sony fan, but this is free publicity for them.
I'm not racist, and I'd never saw any racist intent in it if you didn't point it out.
Again who sees the problem is racist (positively or negatively), or feels like others are, just because he/she feel inferior somehow.

Alessio.]]>Jul 6th 2006 4:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 4:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
Every comment in response to this post that said this was bad Marketing has made pretty clear that they don't think the ad is racist, or that Sony are racist.

And yet people still need to be oppositional to something.. so they come in telling people off for seeing racism where it isn't.

It just shows you how profoundly ignorant the vast majority of internet browsers (and by extension, humanity) are. Makes me wish I was a duck or something.]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 5:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 5:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 5:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 5:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 5:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
Jokes aside, I don't believe that Sony Japan had much to do with this ad campaign. I'm in Japan right now and the Japanese PSP commercials are so normal that the contrast is jarring. Sony Japan's PSP commercials are funny, witty, attractive and stays away from any taboo.

Don't blame Japan since it's obviously not their fault. Sony Europe, however, will be in big trouble once Sony Japan finds out who was in charge. Sony America should also stop with the idiotic squirrel/graffiti campaign as well.]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
All i see is sexual tension in the photo, not hate. Like they want to rip each others clothes off and have some inter racial lesbian sex.]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/However, Sony's marketing dept. should have the known (considering the worlds current social/racial climate) what the overall reaction would've been, and rethink the content of the ads, particularly the slogan.
In my opinion (my interpretation) the campaign does carry racial connotations, mostly due to the accompanying slogan. I don’t know much about the Dutch demographic and maybe there’s a reason this was run in Holland in particular!
Regardless, this is a risk which you’ think an international cooperation would consider a little more carefully.
]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
at least its not a black guy grabbing a white women.


seriously, though. How can people in european countries be so racist? first the comics, now this. ]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
It kind of reads like a Dutch ad agency taking the piss out of accusations of racism. Two women, could be fighting, could be ahem... doing something else, and let people see what they want to see.

Pretty hilarious from that angle.]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 5:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 5:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
As much as you'd l like to think about it, very rarely is an organization run by a few hundred to a few thousand of people really "stupid". Whatever it is Sony has in mind, they at least know what they're doing. I'm even going to defend New Coke as claiming that it was just a marketing ploy to increase the popularity of Classic Coca-Cola. And it worked too.]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
I'm not saying that -nobody- here is offended by this ad, but I do believe that less people would see it that way as compared to North America or some other parts of the world.

For example, look at one of the biggest holidays in Dutch culture - Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is sort of their version of Christmas with "Sinterklaas" instead of Santa. (Two different background stories behind these characters).

Sinterklaas has a sidekick called "Zwarte Piet" (Black Pete or Black Peter). You can see info on Zwarte Piet here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwarte_Piet

Basically it's Sinterklaas' sidekick / slave boy.

Here in the Netherlands (Holland) in late November / Early December there are Zwarte Piet's everywhere you look. From dummies in shop windows, fake Zwarte Piet figures climbing the outside of buildings, or blond haired/blue eyed Dutch people dressed up in an afro wig and black face.

To the eye of an American it's ghastly, to the Dutch, it's tradition.

The North American in me can understand the reactions some people are having to this ad. On the other hand, after having lived here for almost 7 years I look at it and think "So what, it's a clever ad meant to grab your attention and that's what it does".

I can assure you, 9 times out of 10 the people who live here walk by that ad and don't see it through the same eyes as you would. They look at it, think "cool, new psp" and keep walking and going on with their day.

It's all about culture, people.]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
Thou the ad is really questionable.]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 5:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
And for the issue of marketing, I agree with Tudor. This ad campaign isn't racist, however, the fact that some ignorant people, but people nonetheless, may interpret it as such, makes it bad marketing. However, the only people that would interpret this as racism must be racists themselves. Skin color shouldn't affect how you or I interpret it, only a racist mind thinks that way.

I also agree with Pal. This clearly wasn't Sony's fault as a whole.

And Prodigal_Son makes a good point. It must have seemed like a good idea at the time: "A sexually charged ad campaign! What could be better?"

This lapse in judgement, however, will cause Sony some damage.

Again: Bad marketing. Not racism.

- Eddie

]]>Jul 6th 2006 5:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/Jul 6th 2006 6:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
Does that mean Sony should brand this kind of adverts? or perhaps the question should be is this kind of marketing the best for the industry?

Why didn't Microsoft quip in "White is Good, Black is Bad" to underscore the fact that their console looks great in white? I'm sure sales would have risen a hundred-fold if they did *sarcastic snigger*.

And fyi mike, there's nothing ingnorant about discussing discussing an ad like this.. nothing at all. As filipau points out, the ad and the inherent connotonation are questionable.]]>Jul 6th 2006 6:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
If this was an advert with two identical twins - only one being platinum blonde and one being black haired there wouldn't be any problem. Even if they were posed in the exact same position as this I dont think there would be any outcry at all. Or if the first round of PSP's were green and the second round of them were red, and the models were body painted to those colours, nobody would have a problem with it either. So why have a problem with something coming in two different colours being represented by two different people?

The people crying foul on this obviously have a problem seeing black and white people on the same level - and are only showing off their own racist tendancies. Just because something involves a black person and a white person does not mean its racist.]]>Jul 6th 2006 6:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
Then again, they could have used cartoon PSPs to depicts this. Plus, that chick looks like a freak!]]>Jul 6th 2006 6:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/
I don't mean to be an idealist, but this is a known problem...

Personally, I think there're plenty of ways Sony could have gone with this idea. Obviously it would have been easy for them to depict a black person and a white person being friendly, etc etc. So why did they spend copious amounts of money to generate exactly what you see? I find it difficult to believe that a megacorp. like Sony would experience a lapse in judgement for every person this ad was approved by. Nick15 a few posts above me had a wonderful point about advertising strategy... And Sony's excuse.. People are calling it lame, but perhaps they don't apologise for a specific reason. It's seems obvious that an apology and admission in judgement lapse would satisfy most offended customers, but an apology is missing for some odd reason.

As an example, I remember once when I was in a camera store with my cousin, he explained how Kodak brand film and generic film are more or less identical, but the extra money you pay for Kodak is the money they use to advertise their brand to you.

In other words, big companies have advertisement and brand name trust on their side. My best guess is that too many people have gone in the direction of Conrad Benedict (post above) and gone with other brands, and Sony is getting desperate to push their name back in to the spot light.

In the end, I say they're just desperate. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Sony is going to die, but I'd generally say the only time big companies feel the need to spend for brand advertisement is when they feel they need it. Consider Sony as the squeaky wheel for now. ]]>Jul 6th 2006 6:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/06/sony-under-fire-for-racist-advertising/But no corporation is stupid in their advertising, ads don't just get spit out and printed willy-nilly after all these things cost major bucks, so you got to believe there are tons of approvals, focus groups and the like.
About the ad itself, I think what sony is going for is a sense of dichotomy, to get people riled up enough to defend one or the other. This would encourage them to think along the lines of "do I want the black or white PSP?" rather than "do I want a PSP or DS?". With the first question, it's a win-win for sony. I bet that Coke was thinking along the same lines for the New Coke product, by getting people 'for' one or the other, they will disregard other companies' offerings. So having dueling PSPs isn't such a stupid marketing idea after all.]]>Jul 6th 2006 6:27AM