Sony says Nazi PS3 ad is a "mock campaign" and not real
By Nilay Patel 
posted October 1st 2009 1:31PM
posted October 1st 2009 1:31PM
Settles that, we suppose -- although we're guessing BBDO Chile isn't going to be Sony's agency of record very much longer.This creative design did not involve and was never approved by Sony Computer Entertainment or Sony. This "mock campaign" was developed by BBDO Chile staff and was submitted to various creative competitions/festivals without prior notification or approval from SCE/Sony, and it is not representative of the views or advertising policies of SCE/Sony. BBDO Chile apologizes for using this creative concept without authorization or prior approval, and for its misrepresentation of the PlayStation brand and its values.
Sony make the best adverts for their gear. They need to grow a pair and say offensive adverts work.
I'm offended by your use of the term "grow a pair".
looks like that woman in the ad grew a pair in the wrong place!
nurse uniforms = fired.
No they dont. Controversial ads that break the rules of censorship work because most people hate censorship. Ads that offend people dont, theyre just offensive and make people hate you and your product. If you are after ratings for a show then being offensive can work since people will want to see for themselves, but if you are trying to sell a product then no people are not going to pay money for something they hate.
There is no silver lining in an ad that supports a racist and genocidal regime, it is nothing but bad for a company trying to sell things.
I still don't get it.... is Sony the Nazi in this scenario?
Mein PS3
@EH Your avatar is Michael Richards, that may offend some people.
@EH, I agree with ralph. Your racist avatar offends, please remove it. :-)
they use these tactics to get £$millions of free advertising. they are a pathetic scum corporation like many others.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOKqXY2OKiU
"By the way, if anyone here is in marketing or advertising...kill yourself. Thank you. Just planting seeds, planting seeds is all I'm doing. No joke here, really. Seriously, kill yourself, you have no rationalisation for what you do, you are Satan's little helpers. Kill yourself, kill yourself, kill yourself now. Now, back to the show. Seriously, I know the marketing people: 'There's gonna be a joke comin' up.' There's no fuckin' joke. Suck a tail pipe, hang yourself...borrow a pistol from an NRA buddy, do something...rid the world of your evil fuckin' presence." Bill Hicks
creating controversy gets loads of free news reports, far more than they can afford in advertising revenue.
disgraceful marketing.
Good thing Im not trying to sell PS3s
cannon fodder...I'm not going to say "how about you go kill yourself" because i refuse to stoop to your moronic level.
There is nothing wrong with Advertising, the problem is that people are gullible and stupid, and they deserve to be exploited.
Go stick with your Michael Moore Fillms and preach about how "educated" you are and how the whole system is evil. You will accomplish lots.
All the publicity, none of the blame. Sony has finally perfected their means of advertising.
This is true. It's unfortunate they won't stand up for their ad. It was obviously sanctioned by Sony... this 'they made it for a contest' line is so worn out that any multi billion dollar company would already have stipulated against unautorized use of Sony trademarks in unauthorized adverts.
And it's a good ad, too. It conveys something about Sony's off color and off beat style. This is the company that uses David Lynch to make insane Playstation ads. They are willing to push the envelope. Rommel wasn't a Nazi, though that's not a huge distinction to make, the truth is that he was not a monster and died because he fought Hitler and refused to execute Jews... this plainly was an ad that pushed the standards without crossing the line (though someone out there takes offense no matter where the line is).
Come on, Sony: take credit!
@Gimboa
absolutely right, Rommel was a good officer given the situation. He stuck to his values and integrity. He supposedly treated all POWs humanely, completely refused to murder innocents (jews/civilians). The corps (afrika korps) that he commanded was never convicted of any war crimes after the war ended.
He might have been a commander in nazi germany, but he was in the german military LONG before WWI or WWII.
Some people weren't abominations like hitler.
Well, I'm sure they're glad that their mock campaign pictures with the player throwing the lever to gas some Jews didn't get released!
Read the comment above yours, moron.
"Mock" meaning "we did these awesome comps for a campaign that Sony rejected, but we showed 'em around anyway because we thought they were funny."
The ads look too polished to have been done just for shits n' giggles. You don't hire models, build sets and design costumes just for a laugh. I think these got greenlit at some point and then rejected, but they probably tried to win some awards with them anyway and that's when they got leaked.
It's done all the time in the advertising industry in order to win awards. The agency comes up with the concept and pays for the ad to be made (usually with some approval from the client), but the ad rarely (if ever) see's the light of day outside of industry award competitions. If the ad goes belly up, as it did in this case, the client denies any involvement.
I suggest googling: DDB Brasil + WWF...
I still think it's an awesome advert.
yep, i do too, the world really needs to get over WW2, it happened 70 years ago
The photographs were from Spanish photographer Eugenio Recuenco according to Copyranter, who does a lot of these types of avant-garde photographs.
I kind of liked them too.
There was a time when I was really into WWII shooters and I think the ad does a good job of portraying someone's desire to keep the war going/playing).
@ Mark Anderson and G
I take incredible offense to what you have said. Effects being are still being felt (is THAT an understatement!) from the result of that psychopathic war. The very idea that one should disregard the horror of a tragedy because it has passed, is something that surpasses my comprehensive capability. Additionally, BECAUSE the results of the Second World War are still so blatantly before us, it is questionable as to how your argument has any validity (or sanity for that matter). Sony has been well known as of late for their moronic adverts. Free speech can only go so far before someone takes serious offense. I can guarantee you that many people have taken offense to this advertisement. What exactly it is supposed to be advertising remains a towering mystery to me. Psychopathy, as far I can understand.
Next time you speak, whether verbally or through text, consider the effects of the message you send forth. This sort of tragedy is not to be relegated to a laughable matter. Strange...A person who has no inkling of what a proper historical education might be, has completely ruined my day. Is it not the purpose of the scholastic system to teach people how they should relate to one another? I'm at a loss for words. I feel a great remorse towards people like you, and especially cretins who side with you. Please get a proper education before sharing your remarks about events that involve the taking of human lives.
@VerganFreak
WWII is not a laughing matter. But in no way is this ad aiming to be funny. It's aiming to be painfully ironic, which it succeeds in perfectly. This ad is not trying to be funny, it is not trying to just provoke for the hell of it, and it does have a message. A message which is not obvious enough, so for that matter the ad fails short. It should not be used.
You may not like this ad, understandebly, and that's OK by me. What I find startling is your remark on freedom of speech. 'Freedom of speech can only go so far until people start taking serious offense.' You honestly believe freedom of speech should stop right there? You wish to live in a country were offending someone is illegal? Which, according to you apparantly, can already be achieved by a picture? A collection of pixels? God, am I glad that the world is not ruled by people like you.
If someone is closely related to the horrors of WWII, then trust me, a picture is his/hers least concern. (And yes, after 63 years, those people do indeed exist.) And if not, well, then it SHOULD be your least concern.
I never tried to offend you. If I have, you may downrank me. Just don't send me to jail, please.
@VeganFreak:
Might I suggest the bacon double cheeseburger?
Vegan Freak, you and your Michael Moore Mentality can gtfo
@guusvoorham
I don't believe that I was on the path of calling freedom of speech something to be controlled. I may have phrased it the wrong way. Took it out of context? The particular attenuation of importance and impact of the WWII set forth by the morons I was initially replying to simply ticked me off. Let me clarify: the way this advertisement is presented has a peculiar mocking effect on the entire matter at hand.
Let me address the point you have made."This advertisement is not funny, but painfully ironic." Perhaps what's the most painfully ironic, is the fact that you cannot see the damage done by putting out such an advertisement in the first place. It has a diminishing effect on the consequences, if a similar image/advertisement is used again by the same company, or really, even another company. It is really 'too bad' that Sony has partnered up with a company that sees such content as usable for a world wide distribution. Let me also elaborate to your remark on the advertisement "not trying to be funny." An interpretation such as that is something I have trouble getting a full comprehensive grasp of. You're pushing the idea forward that your particular view of what the advert means to you (i.e. it being not particularly funny to you), should be the basis of the error in my interpretation of it. Surely you know how individuals' minds react to the image, and therefore you would know that using such images has no particular lessening effect of the comprehension of the horror of WWII on the psyche of people who aren't fully informed about it.
On the point you make about an image being simply a collection of pixels. Let me just state such an oversimplification is most likely the most incredulous remark I have heard about ANYTHING relating to the interpretation of a visual representation. Most importantly you miss the point I make about the image. It isn't about the image in any sense. It is about the message. It is the MESSAGE that you so fully have seen justified to rebuke from mentioning. The message that displaying this sort of approach to the horrors of of WWII is acceptable. That it isn't to be scrutinized. It is the aggregate of the psychopathic imagery, and their nonchalant approach towards their distribution of it in this picture, that makes up the congregate reason for my scrutiny towards the message of this advertisement.
What I'm getting at, is that while the company may have full right to post such images, it surprises that they would. I hope they dearly suffer for it. Their latest advertisements are of such a nonsensical nature that I couldn't hope for anything else but a world wide spread criticism from gamers around the world, and Sony's sincerest apology for employing the psychopaths that create such revoking garbage. The thought that the effort to decipher the meaning of these images would yield any sort of practical, or applicable result, is truly an astounding retrospect.
I don't understand the issue... He's giving a blood transfusion to a Nazi.
Does it matter that its a Nazi?
A Nazi is still a human being, however unpleasant.
Would you rather see an ad campaign of a Nazi dying from haemophilia?
@VeganFreak
I refuse to be lectured on morals by a plant killing monster like you!
I'm joining People for Ethical Treatment of Plants. People like you who continuously pick on and only on vegetation are disgusting.
I'd rather wear fur than freaking lettuce leaves.
People are idiots.
no we is not!
This is why we are waiting till you self destruct
- transmission from galaxy R165
This is why we are waiting till you self destruct
- transmission from galaxy R165
That's unpossible
well at least Sony wasn't as dumb as we thought......
Was it ever mentioned in what medium this "ads" actually ran?
I wouldn't put it past Sony to make something akin to this but I'm holding out on totally disbelieving that they really had nothing to do with it.
The point is: Nazis=still offensive to portray.
Personally, I thought the ads had a great concept, but were poorly executed when it came to choosing the particular historical characters. I mean, you've got all of history to choose from, and you choose something that's not only particularly offensive, but also still exists in living memory? Bad form.
Nazis being shot: OK!
Nazis being heroes: NO GO.
Nazi zombies: OK!
Nazi zombie children: .....MAYBE
The Nazi is supposed to be the original Magnificent Bastard, Erwin Rommel. Google him and tell me if the ad is still so offensive.
Internal leak from Sony shows Pol Pot and Mother Teresa in the next batch of ads.
"He also deserves our respect, because, although a loyal German soldier, he came to hate Hitler and all his works, and took part in the conspiracy to rescue Germany by displacing the maniac and tyrant. For this, he paid the forfeit of his life. In the sombre wars of modern democracy, there is little place for chivalry."
-Winston Churchill on the death of Erwin Rommel
I might think its an awesome advert if I actually UNDERSTOOD it.
I don't.
I mean I understand what is going on, but how does it tie back to the PS3? Like...the experience is...so....real....its like....getting...a blood transfusion...from...a...na..z.
fuck it you know what, I don't get this shit.
Me too. I'm all for shock advertising when it has a message, but what is this all about? I just... don't... get it.
Really? Is it that hard to grasp? The message: The games are so real that you're becoming part of them. In this case, that means part of your body is actually going into the characters you're portraying.
It's supposed to take some thought to get... it's supposed to be weird. Sony's had adverts from really awesome and crazy directors that just don't make sense at first glance. I'm glad someone is doing that instead of just listing the games and stats of the processor. I think it's a better world with that kind of company.
I really thought it meant something different
The daring part of this ad is not the nazi's themselves, it's the fact that ps3 (or the ad agency, anyways) is criticizing the costumer in his very face.
This ad is simply an exclaimation against all those adolescent immature games who have no moral objection at all to spend entire nights in front of their TV doing nothing but brutally shooting nazi's. Like TrueEddie said, it portrays gamers desire to 'keep the homocide alive'
And that, coming from the very producer of the console. (Not the violent games, mind you.)
It represents the wicked, unhealthy, the wrong but oh-so exciting.
Intriguing?
Yes. Should be aired.
You should probably find the other ads like this one. The original story here on engadget showed this one and another one where the gamer was giving a heart transplant to Joan of Arc. He isn't getting a transfusion FROM the soldier, he is GIVING blood to him. The soldier is Erwin Rommel (aka the Desert Fox). From his wikipedia page:
Rommel is considered to have been a chivalrous and humane officer, in contrast with many other figures of Nazi Germany. His famous Afrikakorps was not accused of any war crimes. Soldiers captured during his Africa campaign were reported to have been largely treated humanely. Furthermore, he defiantly ignored orders to kill captured Jewish soldiers and civilians out of hand in all theaters of his command.
Late in the war, Rommel joined the conspiracy against Adolf Hitler, but opposed the failed 20 July Plot of 1944 to kill the dictator. Because of his great prestige, Hitler allowed him to commit suicide. He was buried with full military honors, but the real reason for his death didn't come to light until the Nuremberg Trials.
I think the ads were meant to convey giving life to the historical characters through gaming. The characters portrayed in the ads were "good" historical characters too. I'm sure there was a reason they used Rommel instead of Hitler. lol If anyone has played Call of Duty 5, you can play AS the Nazis. I think the only people getting offended are those that don't know about the ads themselves. Click the link to go to the site for the company that made them (link in original article) and read what they say about the ads. They clearly state who the German soldier is. If you don't know who Rommel was or anything about him then of course the ad wouldn't make sense. Someone even posted on the Copyranter site that they were offended until they looked up information on Rommel and found out who he was. Then they weren't offended by the ads and they even made more sense. I guess the ad company forgot that the world is full of stupid people that are quick to judge on first impressions without bothering to understand the subject matter first.
Sounds like a lame game... Sit in unconsciousness for 7 hours whilst your bodily fluids are transferred!!
Shake the Sixaxis to avoid infection now.
You have the wrong blood type - Game Over.
AB+ Fail.