European PS3 marketers are crazy

Atarifever1 · Postby **Atarifever1** » March 26th, 2007, 6:59 am

Okay, I know Sony has done some stupid stuff here, but what in the name of God is this? Bluemonkey, could you please tell me if this is somehow a good campaign over there, and maybe I'm just misunderstanding it somehow.
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/24/this-is-living-toilet-girl-helps-flush-pal-ps3-sales/

bluemonkey1 · Postby **bluemonkey1** » March 26th, 2007, 3:01 pm

It's even worse than the horrible DC add campaign. I've been seeing their internet adverts for weeks now and I didn't even realise they were advertising the PS3. Yes the girl does sit on the toilet and talk about how she is going to write to her grandma to tell her dreams are real. What on earth does it mean?

I have seen two TV adverts. One for Resistance was actually pretty decent though looks bad when blown up on the cinema screen. The other has some qeird central American motel type place where a guy makes his girlfriend carry a heavy bag and someone throws a grenade by mistake and then a camp fat man kicks it out of fear and it blows up the money. Oh and some old bald guy throws a knife. It's completely random and is followed by some guy saying "This is living." Ehh?

Mind you the PS3 launch has been a complete failure over here. The 360 and Wii were hard to find for months. On Saturday the day after release every one of our 4 videogame shops had tons of PS3's for sale. I'm not exaggerating here, big piles. Even the magazine/stationary/bookshop WH Smith's which only has a token amount of videogame stock had 14 machines in a big pile. This was at the end of a Saturday shopping and they still had sold little stock. Check out UK Resistance for more images of how well the machine is going down.

The funny thing is I only saw two people all day even look at the PS3 section for more than 60seconds and I spent about 1 hour in those shops.

feilong801 · Postby **feilong801** » March 26th, 2007, 3:31 pm

Sony has a reputation of bizarro advertising in Europe (and in the U.S. also, the weeping plastic babies aren't exactly welcoming). I remember the bizarre ads for the white PSP, showing a white woman striking a menacing pose while a black woman looks at her with fear.

Very, very weird.

-Rob

Steerforth · Postby **Steerforth** » March 26th, 2007, 4:01 pm

Sony's been known to mock Christianity as well. There must be some real deep-thinkers over there, I am just too stupid to keep up with them!

feilong801 · Postby **feilong801** » March 26th, 2007, 4:09 pm

I remember that one, Steerforth. If memory serves, it was a picture of a person on a cross (presumably Christ) with the playstation controller shapes on it.

I also remember where they put that billboard, until it was deemed too controversial and taken down: Rome.

In a word: grotesque.

-Rob

m0zart1 · Postby **m0zart1** » March 26th, 2007, 4:32 pm

Whatever other mistakes they made, if I had been one of those preorder kids standing in line for a PS3 at the Virgin store, and told that because I had stood in line before midnight, I was getting a free 43 inch HDTV, well... all would be forgiven from my standpoint

But those kinds of promotional things only affect a few.

Atarifever1 · Postby **Atarifever1** » March 26th, 2007, 5:11 pm

[QUOTE=bluemonkey] Check out UK Resistance for more images of how well the machine is going down.

[/QUOTE]
That website makes me proud to be part of the Commonwealth. Honestly, I'm now very happy to have the Queen on my money, and am almost sad my province voted itself Canadian in 1949. That website is cooler than all of Sony's marketing put together.

Steerforth · Postby **Steerforth** » March 26th, 2007, 6:11 pm

Mozart - I would love to stand in line to get a PS3 if it meant I got a brand new TV for my trouble. But do you view that as a sign of desperation? Or is it just something Sony can do to prop up their product with help from another Sony division, something MS and especially Nintendo would have trouble doing?

I'll admit the PS3 would be on EBAY as soon as I got home, hopefully I could get all or most of my money back, and enjoy my brand new TV, it would soon have a certain sensor bar taped to the top of it. I'm such a Nintendo tool.

I know some people frown on the whole launch day/EBAY thing, but hey, if the demand is there someone should make a little money off of Sony hardware,

m0zart1 · Postby **m0zart1** » March 26th, 2007, 6:43 pm

[QUOTE=Steerforth]Mozart - I would love to stand in line to get a PS3 if it meant I got a brand new TV for my trouble. But do you view that as a sign of desperation? Or is it just something Sony can do to prop up their product with help from another Sony division, something MS and especially Nintendo would have trouble doing?[/QUOTE]

If they had announced it in advance, I would have thought "total desperation". But since it was only announced to those who were actually in line and registered to be in their basement area, I see it as a "thank you" to customers for being loyal.

Of course, it *is* something Sony can do too, since it is a company that is involved in television manufacture among other things. Hardware companies can give away free things when it really suits them. It's still expensive, even for them, but it's good PR.

[QUOTE=Steerforth]I know some people frown on the whole launch day/EBAY thing, but hey, if the demand is there someone should make a little money off of Sony hardware,[/QUOTE]

I agree.

Steerforth · Postby **Steerforth** » March 26th, 2007, 6:49 pm

Bluemonkey - I checked out UK resistence, that was very funny. Thanks.