Brilliant PS3 Slim ad loses Nigerian scam reference, internet rumors now known to have started WWI
By Ross Miller 
posted September 11th 2009 9:31PM
posted September 11th 2009 9:31PM
[Via Joystiq]
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Actually, both versions are quite funny.
And the latest one is even better:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/09/it-only-does-family-togetherness/
The title got my ire up when I read it on Joystiq, but watching the revision, I think they made the right marketing move. The ad just got double exposure and the line is funny.
Sony must have gotten an email from the "king" of nigeria and fell for it. lol. Hope they didnt send a bank draft.
Eddie suggests that "maybe Nigeria should stop the scams from happening"
I have a better Idea, how about we stop labeling everything bad, "black" or "african".
SINCE WHEN THE FK did these email scams originate in AFRICA?
How is that even possible when the poverty there kept them from getting computers and internet service as quickly as the west?
I keep getting requests from a fake Russian girl to buy her a fkin oven to keep her and her sister warm. Are those nigerian email scams too?
And why was District 9 racist towards the Nigerians?
Aliens don't really steal sneakers.
I don't know why Sony is so concerned with how offended Nigerians might be, it's not like they can afford to buy anything that Sony sells. Speaking of which, how did they manage to see this commercial without electricity?
Jason
Because if you weren't an IDIOT, you'd know Nigerians live in America too as well as other countries with television.
>>Quantumphysics
"SINCE WHEN THE FK did these email scams originate in AFRICA?"
You're shitting us, right?
@rawhead:
How is he shitting you?
As I sit here in Hong Kong writing this reply...oh wait! You don't know where the fuck I'm sending this from do you? The same way morons who fall for email scams can't have somehow managed to track down the IP address of the person who sent the email in the first place.
So yeah, how do you know it's Nigerians?
And for your information, it's actually Lebanese people, NOT Nigerians, who run most of the scams. You'd be surprised how many are still in Nigeria.
@Jason: Why don't you go research where your country gets your oil from. A lot of Nigerians have a lot more money than your entire family tree combined.
Damn, you boys have a bad night with a bottle of Jack?
It's a nigerian scam in the same way that my grandmother calls my zune an iPod, and no matter what brand you buy, they're always kleenex
Ps3 slim = best ads in a long time
It is called the Nigerian scam because it originated and is dominated by Nigerians. There is even a Nigerian pop tune about it and I have done 419 baiting and chatted with the scammers who said they were Nigerian, spoke with a Yoruba accent and admitted that they are scamming.
And, 419 is part of the Nigerian legal code.
Dam EVERYTHING causes a stir with black people. Heck when Popeye's chicken sold out of chicken guess who was going insane?? BLACK PEOPLE!! Oh yay the new Resident Evil came out, oh here we go again!!! BLACK PEOPLE!! I'm surprised that they have not said anything about Black Friday, black outs, or even ahh nvm....
Why does everyone think the nigerian letters originate from the internet? it was out there long before internet became widley popular. People were getting letters written on you know.. paper... they were actually poststamped from Nigeria. They were a widley known before the internet scams. When they first started to show up on the internet it was more or less just a copy of the letters, but without the muchy smelling paper and the nigerian stamps.
Nigeria isn't all that poor. They can afford computers at least.
Read the "Nigerian Scam" page on snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/nigeria.asp
Or see what the FTC says:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt117.shtm
'Nigerian advance-fee fraud has been around for decades, but now seems to have reached epidemic proportions: Some consumers have told the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) they are receiving dozens of offers a day from supposed Nigerians politely promising big profits in exchange for help moving large sums of money out of their country.'
It is called the "Nigerian Scam" not because people are racist or hate Africa. It is called that because the first few thousand versions of the letters (the paper kind), fax, and email purported to be from the central bank or government of Nigeria (or some high placed official) requesting help. In the days before email, it was easy to see where the scam originated, since the postmark of the letters sent out (and the address you were supposed to wire money to) were in Nigeria.
Today, such letters are not so specific, and name countries all over the world. They are still called "Nigerian Scams", because that is what they were called at the beginning. Also called "419 scams" or "Advance Fee Frauds".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_scam
"The modern 419 scam originated in the early 1980s as the oil-based Nigerian economy declined. Several unemployed university students first used this scam as a means of manipulating business visitors interested in shady deals in the Nigerian oil sector before targeting businessmen in the west, and later the wider population."
Maybe Nigeria should focus more on making sure those scams DON'T happen instead of whining when people acknowledge them. Seriously, I can't believe they can't deal with jokes about things that really do happen in real life.
There's no way their country can patrol all that shit, so instead they go after an easier target.
It's the way it works anywhere in the world, or just in society in general. Hell, if you can't deal with the root of the problem, find a scapegoat, or a more vulnerable target to blame you problems and insecurities on.
Exactly! I was about to say the same thing but you beat me to it. It's still rampant, whether you encounter it as random spam mail or when shopping and purchasing on eBay. It's damn annoying and it's actually quite easy to spot but unfortunately thousands of people lose money to these scumbags all the time.
So yeah, screw the Nigerian Government. It's the truth so they should keep their sensitivity in check. We are continually being censored because people can't contain their sensitivities and control their emotions.
what exactly is the sam about?
i meant scam
I dont know exactly, but please help mee. My fathur just died, and I need someplace to transfer the money until I can get into the United States. I am asking for your service to help me, and in return, I will give you a portion of the money. If you could give me your bank account and routing number, my fathur would be greetly appreciative.
@ Aaron
touchée.
and that's how World War TWO got started.
I bet you Sony got tricked by Nigerian scammers. I bet you the Nigerian government hasn't even seen this yet.
@JKD23: Who is the 'we' being censored here? the Nigerian govt didn't complain about anything you did, it's what Sony did. They lodged a complaint. It is up to Sony to decide whether or not to acknowledge it or ignore it. Your complaint about over-PC-ness should be directed at Sony, since they clearly think it's not worth losing an entire market just so gadget nerds can have their fill of internet-meme-jokes.
Stupid Americans, still don't know how u ppl believe that an African country with an internet penetration of 1.4%, is responsible for all internet scams. Still keep believing that BS while ppl like Bennie Madoff, Jeffrey Skilling and CO are scam billions of dollars.
Rather than sony getting tricked in a nigerian scam I expect they bought stock in a scamming outfit and are protecting their investment, but either is possible I guess.
.
Because the scams account for 89% of Nigeria's GDP
Yeah...that new one won't upset anyone...Now I'm all for some lightly off color humor every now and then, but in an ad campaign you might want to keep it PC.
It happened damn near a century ago. I think it perfectly fine to use it in the context of this commercial.
I would advise you not bring that up if traveling abroad...
did the internet even exist back then?
either way both are funny!
I find the second one slightly offensive. Something about misrepresenting an event where over 15 million people died.
@Fanandualum
- - - SCANNING - - -
- - - SCAN COMPLETE - - -
- - - SCAN RESULTS: sarcasm not detected - - -
*facepalm*
Maybe the nigerian government should stop the overwhelming number of conmen and outlaws if they dont want a bad reputation.
That would be like asking the Russians to stop killing political oponents. Ain't gonna happen any time soon, even with international pressure. It's how they role.
It's as much a cultural stereotype - unfortunately for Nigerians, the word 'scam' is now hot swappable with the word 'Nigerian' and I suspect, will be for a long, long time.
It's funny both ways.
How if we can find out what was in the lower right of the screen while Kevin walked toward the camera that caused them to apply a non-linear stretch to fill over it.
The effect is visible on the still frame YouTube shows as a preview for the uncensored version. The rightmost 9 on the screen is distorted, and the dude with the deely-boppers who comes onscreen is distorted also.
Id guess they just screwed up the shot and you could see off-stage, but they didnt want to do a retake
"It's funny both ways."
That's what she said.
Hahaha, I find this commercial funny either way.
WWI because it's just so random and out there; Nigerian Millionaires because it's true. :)
The change saddens me.
killed the blue-ray reference also (gotta pause it right after the blu-ray text shows up).
ahhh typos.
"blue-ray" >> it's "Blu-Ray". ahh, typos.
haha no that IS the typo... its in the old youtube clip. gotta pause it very very quickly though.
can't see it without the last 'free demos' highlight.
http://tinypic.com/r/2nh225z/3
old version was funny,
new version is funnier. it would actually be an interesting ad campaign if all they changed was the different "you cant believe everything you read on the internet" theme for each commercial. it could be like the coors light commercials with the guys asking NFL coaches questions and then spliced in post-game interviews (you guys know what im talking about right?)
anyways, big props to sony for doing this "advertising" thing right for a change.
Actually, no, anyone have a URL? Thanks....
Is that dude one of the four pentagon analysts in the first Transformers movie? He was in it for a total of about 2 mins and I think his only line was, "Guys, check it out. It's the secretary of Defense...." Can't remember exactly what he said but I'm sure that's close lol
People without a sense of humor make me want to cry.
The uncensored version is a lot funnier, and shame on Sony for giving in to whining of corrupt Nigerian officials who either didn't get the joke about Nigerian SPAM or refuse to acknowledge its existence since these scams bring in probably half of their GDP.