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Sony America drops ad agency of 13 years -- now?
Advertising Age reports Sony Computer Entertainment of America kicked their ad agency of 13 years to the curb yesterday. TBWA/Chiat/Day was eliminated from the review of the $150 million PlayStation account. After all the numerous incidents over the years and the disastrous PS3 launch ads, the company finally turned things around for this holiday season. Looks like it was a day late and $150 million dollars short.There's still some questions that'll probably be clarified when an official announcement of the new ad agency is made. For example, all information on the issue speaks directly to Sony America, however TBWA is also responsible for the twisted, disruptive, ridiculous, and sometimes racist, European ads as well. Sony has yet to comment.[Via GameDaily]
European PS3 ad takes a step back ... into crazytown
Just a few days after we lavished praise upon a new series of PS3 ads, we see this recently released European PS3 ad, and all of that is wiped from our mind -- as was whatever shreds of sanity we still clung to after the start of the "This is Living" campaign. Seriously, around the 25 second mark we were fairly sure we were locked inside a prison constructed of our own nightmares."OK, here is my pitch. We blend Cirque du Soleil with A.I. then we take that concoction and dip it in glitter, using the tears of five-year-old orphans as adhesive. Then, we set the whole thing on fire. That ... is your ad.""Why would that make someone want to buy a PS3?""... I don't know what that is.""You're hired!"
'Violent' PlayStation 3 internet ad banned in UK
The Advertising Standards Authority has deemed fit to assassinate a UK PlayStation 3 advert believed to "glamorise violence or anti-social behaviour." Life Style Extra reports that the internet ad, depicting a gun-toting man called Kovac (seen in a different video to the right), drew 23 complaints after featuring on Yahoo and BT websites. The combination of the disgruntled fellow and the on-screen text, "You on my side? listen up I've killed for less. The music plays Puccini in my head," prompted the commercial watchdog to ban the ad for its "underlying tone of violence." While both the ad makers and Yahoo insisted that Mr. Kovac was placed behind a registration process and was only meant to mingle with adults, the ASA was firm in its concern that "the images of Kovac holding the knife and the gun, in conjunction with the text" would give impressionable youths all sorts of dubious ideas (none related to purchasing a PS3). Heaven forbid they end up in a dimly lit apartment and lying in a bathtub, muttering about the tiresome banalities of life. [Via MCV]
This is living: your PS3 is better than your girlfriend
Does the subject line not say everything that needs to be said? Why the heck does a girlfriend cost more than a PS3, given all the completely logical and rational comparisons presented in the video? Feel free to add your own "PS3 does this... your girlfriend doesn't" posts. Keep 'em clean, boys n' girls, else you'll notice your brilliance doesn't appear on the comments page for long. Just remember...Your girlfriend can give you a hug and tell you how great you are... Your PS3 tells you that you died.
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 14
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. Kingdom Hearts (Birth By Dream)Download MP4 (22.5MB) | Download JPG The following videos are featured after the break: Halloween, Lair [PS3], This is Living, Illegal Tender
'This is Living' toilet girl helps flush PAL PS3 sales
Previously we said that we've completely given up trying to explain the European PS3 ads and marketing campaign. Somehow the "This is Living" campaign, with its cup-stacking, bike tricks and quirky characters was supposed to move PS3 unit in Europe. Given the tepid response in Europe and Australia -- we're going to go with it didn't work. Spinning things even further into general awkwardness was Microsoft unleashing a PR blitz on European gaming sites. Can you think of a better way to show those Euro game journalists the cost difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 than by sending the monetary difference in beer? Sorry to say, but it's time for Sony to find a new advertising agency in Europe, because what the girl does at the end of the commerical above is exactly what that company did with Sony's money.Find some more ads that were supposed to appeal to Europeans after the break. Be warned, they are NSFS (not safe for sales).
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 9
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to MP_ROOT/101ANV01/. Requires firmware 2.00 or above. Do NOT place in "VIDEO" folder. Firmware 2.80 or above do not need to download thumbnails. This is Living (PS3 Blu-Ray advertisement)Download MP4 (10.6MB) | Download THM The following videos are featured after the break: Black Sheep, Paprika, Calling All Cars [PS3], Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai: Another Road [PSP]
"This is Living" commercial induces yawns, nods
All right, so the big bad Blu-ray ad has gone live in the UK, toting the "This is Living" slogan. What's it like? Watch for yourself, or read on. Essentially, we get to hear a woman talking about Blu-ray to an implied group of people who (like the man wandering around his home) are stuck in the "past", technology-wise (even though a quick glance around this apartment reveals a bookshelf worth of VHS anime). It's a fairly clever commercial, but the fact remains -- it's kind of boring. It's sort of like the first five minutes of a drama, except nothing dramatic ever happens. They get the point across, but is this living? There are probably a few people left in the world who live like the poor old chum in the commercial, sporting bookcases of VHS tapes and sugar cubes. The commercial definitely appeals more towards everyman and not the techno-junkie. What do you think? Good move? Our money is on yeah, but future commercials should try something a bit more exciting.[Thanks to Andrew Yoon for this tip as well!]
European PS3 slogan: "This is Living"
Unveiled at the Leipzig Games Convention and seemingly ignored by most, the official PS3 slogan for Europe has Sony proudly declaring, "This is living." Reeking of hyperbole and only tenuously linked to gaming, it's the sort of marketing that fits in quite snugly with an industry asking us to "jump in" (with your credit card details) and assuring us that playing is the equivalent of believing (the praise or the criticism?). Of course, as with the other snappy lines, it's only a matter of time before witty internet personalities pervert Sony's message into something scathing and occasionally amusing. "This is living. So, it's true. The cost of living really has gone up." "This is living ... in abject poverty!" "This is living -- it really does have four dimensions!" "The PS3 is living? Well, at least that's a few steps up from the thinking Dreamcast." "This is living (now attack its weakpoint for massive damage)." Nyuk nyuk. Be sure to make your own as you watch Kikizo's embedded video, marveling at consoles floating in a void and imagining how much more effective "You need this to play Metal Gear Solid 4" would have been.[Thanks Neil!]
