Sony Avoids Slap for Controversial Ads
Complainants should "take a running jump here"
The Advertising Standards Authority has decided NOT to ban a controversial PSP advertising campaign, much to the relief of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and their ad agency TBWA/London.
SPOnG reported earlier this year on the hoo-hah surrounding Sony’s controversial PSP advertising campaign, which comprised eye-catching posters that, you may recall, used a number of bawdy, cheeky straplines such as "Strong language and scenes of a sexual nature here", "Your girlfriend's white bits here", and "Saucy emails won't get you fired here".
Posters advising rail-users to "Take a running jump here" were removed from Manchester’s Piccadilly Train Station, for fear of lemming-like commuters throwing themselves gladly in front of oncoming trains.
Sony garnered a meagre 45 complaints, which centred around the accusations that the campaign encouraged violent and anti-social behaviour among young people, that the references to sex were offensive and objectified women.
‘Annoyed from Tunbridge Wells’ was also getting hot under the collar about the saucy ads, due to the fact that many of them were seemingly deliberately placed near schools or bus stops and were not suitable for children.
SCEE’s agency TBWA/London, justified the validity of their edgy, irreverent creatives, claiming that each one focused upon a particular feature of the PSP – including games, Internet browsing, photo and movie viewing on the go.
The Advertising Standards Authority, as reported in today’s Guardian newspaper, has decided to not enforce a ban on the ads, claiming that even though some of the locations of the ads were unacceptable, they contained no explicit language or images likely to cause widespread offence or harm to children.
So it’s a double whammy for Sony/TBWA, who not only manage to pull off a successful campaign, but also get the added bonus of pissing off middle England and generating some valuable national press coverage about the oh-so controversial posters. Funny that. Almost as if it was planned.
SPOnG reported earlier this year on the hoo-hah surrounding Sony’s controversial PSP advertising campaign, which comprised eye-catching posters that, you may recall, used a number of bawdy, cheeky straplines such as "Strong language and scenes of a sexual nature here", "Your girlfriend's white bits here", and "Saucy emails won't get you fired here".
Posters advising rail-users to "Take a running jump here" were removed from Manchester’s Piccadilly Train Station, for fear of lemming-like commuters throwing themselves gladly in front of oncoming trains.
Sony garnered a meagre 45 complaints, which centred around the accusations that the campaign encouraged violent and anti-social behaviour among young people, that the references to sex were offensive and objectified women.
‘Annoyed from Tunbridge Wells’ was also getting hot under the collar about the saucy ads, due to the fact that many of them were seemingly deliberately placed near schools or bus stops and were not suitable for children.
SCEE’s agency TBWA/London, justified the validity of their edgy, irreverent creatives, claiming that each one focused upon a particular feature of the PSP – including games, Internet browsing, photo and movie viewing on the go.
The Advertising Standards Authority, as reported in today’s Guardian newspaper, has decided to not enforce a ban on the ads, claiming that even though some of the locations of the ads were unacceptable, they contained no explicit language or images likely to cause widespread offence or harm to children.
So it’s a double whammy for Sony/TBWA, who not only manage to pull off a successful campaign, but also get the added bonus of pissing off middle England and generating some valuable national press coverage about the oh-so controversial posters. Funny that. Almost as if it was planned.
Companies:
SCEE
Read More Like This