This is old, but since I was talking about blonde white women in the media in relation to black woman, I decided to pull up this old ad for the roll out of the White Sony PSP. Is it racist? Or clever marketing. I will post all the pics I could find, to show you the ad campaign in as much of it's entirely as I am possibly able to.
Note this ad was a European Ad, never released in America. How well do you think this ad would go over in America?
The billboard ad:
The web campaign:
26 comments:
I have seen this ad and I was disturbed by it.
I think the ad itself may not be racist but its exploiting racist sentiments.
Who can deny that reality television highlighted the dynamics between white and black women ?
With the dominant audience that is white women, who do you think they will root for? And when such women see this kind of ad, don't you think it will have an impact?
To me the ad is subtle and it does indeed carry some racist buggage.
Also looking at the industry as a whole, there are a few products exploiting race indirectly, like Coca Cola black, The Chocolate phone, Black Berry etc. Sex sales but also race sells, if it doesn't backfire that is.
So it seems like race and racist themes are taking a firmer root in the marketing world through very clever spinning. And naturally it will look like the blacks are over reacting yet history shows that it has been building to this.
To show you how twisted this ad is, other than the white woman's outfit and crazy hair, the gesture in the ad is very reminiscent of slavery.
It looks tlike the black girl is being "inspected" and confirmed to her 'lower' status. Notice that in the begining where she is overpowering the white woman, you can hardly see her, she doesnot even look triumphant. It looks like a temporary fall for the white woman and when she triumphs it looks like she is in her right ful place.
In a nut shell the ad is extremely offensive and I am wondering why there was no uproar as we are having with Lebron.
Just my take.
Does this look familiar;
Image 1
Image 2
Oh I've seen this ad before and I dare anyone to tell me I'm overreacting. I don't care what they were trying to sell. With all the ppl Sony pays in their PR and Advertising department, you think they couldn't have come up with something else. I find the ad offensive and WELL over the line.
OK! Its official, I am pissed. Sid, your militancy rubbed off onto me.
The first picture of this white woman lying on the ground is reminiscent of renaissance art or sculptural poses with an evil force of some variation, maybe a devil, a lion, a villain etc over powering the victim.
This is a pretty old formular and depiction of how good eventually over comes evil.
No, we are not there yet. People should stop assuming that these things will go unnoticed and if their strategy involves creating a storm of criticism then I guess the campaign works.
Tickle the blacks and our product gets attention.
Remember when Michael Edwards went on his N word rant? The Seinfield DVDs were being released and guess what, the sales where unexpectedly high.
So the marketing industry seems to realize that its a strategy that can generate sales.
Abuse the blacks, they make noise and the whites out of empathy or pure racism will buy the product.
It would go over like a lead balloon here...Interesting, to say the least!
Also looking at the industry as a whole, there are a few products exploiting race indirectly, like Coca Cola black, The Chocolate phone, Black Berry etc.
Huh?
I loved these ads from the very first time I saw them! They are great conversation-starters on the racial dynamic between BW & WW...which is generally ignored.
To me the ad is subtle and it does indeed carry some racist buggage.
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Grata, I would say this is heavy-handed, if anything.
I honestly think it is clever marketing, they are using race because they know it is controversial and will get people talking. People were up in arms here in America about an ad that wasn't even released here, so it got people talking about Sony and their new white PSP. Sony needed all the help they could with the PSP, it wasn't selling well compared to Nintendo DS due to it's higher price point. OMG I am such a nerd to know this, and yes I got a black PSP, before they even had the white ones LOL.
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Grata:
Most definitely this ad is exploiting race.
OK grata, I love my crackberry, but it is not black or white, it is red :) I might have to give it up and go to the iphone, of course I am not going to AT&T for such things, I will have to wait for it to branch out to T Mobile, if it ever does :( In terms of Coke black, I think that is because it is sheer crack, it is like Jolt cola with all the extra caffiene and a coffee flavor. Do they still make Jolt cola?
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It would go over like a lead balloon here...Interesting, to say the least!
Yeah CW, these ads would not work here. Hell I remember the controversy of some United Color of Benetton ads in the 1990s advocating IR relationships and same sex couples. No way would this work. Sharpton would have a boycott of Sony in no time.
"Huh?"
Yeah, Huh!
That is the whole poblem with identifying people as black.
Anything with the label black will be highly scrutinized.
I know afew people made comments about Coca Cola-black. I wonder if its still on the shelves anyway. Some thought it was a ploy to appeal to the black market while some blacks I encountered said they were not going to ever drink it.
After I heard these views, I thought that some marketing people are onto something as regards black vanity, name anything black and you have a good portion of the black market and once you get the hip hop crowd rapping about it, you are home free.
These copywriters are mentally super active people. They are not your average person.
I agree with you Siditty these ads were used by Sony simply to generate revenue. Controversy always draws attention whether it be good or bad. Sony was counting on this fact so they could hopefully increase their bottom line! It's about money...
"Grata, I would say this is heavy-handed, if anything".
Maybe. But keep in mind that the artistic designers are more knowledgeable of images than your average person. These are people that have studied the full impact of images for a minimun of one year in art history.
They know why Judas Escariot in t renaissance art is the darker figure, they know why secondary characters appear smaller and less detailed. They, know why certain colours and gold tints are used with glorified figures. They know why some images are designed to be placed above. (in this picture the black girl is looking up to the white woman. Why did they not get one of the same height? And why exaggerate the whiteness and the blackness ?)
In short, these people are not open minded and unconscious of race.
My first feeling from the last picture before super analysing it was that of an auction scene. Sorry if that is heavy handed but it was my first impression.
And before some one suggests it, NO, I don't need therapy.
And you would think only blacks react to offensive ads, check out Lebron's ad that was banned in China.
Banned ad
It looks innocent on the surface but it offended the chinese.
I think the industry, if their intention was not to offend, they would have test audiences for these ads and get the reaction from people. But that may spoil their strategy, if it is one.
I wish I was wrong, but we don't know the minds behind these ads so we can not know for sure but judging by the history of imagery, this ad is not right. And if it had run here (thank goodness it didn't) you know there are people that would analyze it worse than me.
clarification.
I used the reality TV example before I knew the campaign was not run here.
But what ever country it was run in, it would be interresting to know the race relations there and if they are fed with American Reality TV shows.
I've never seen these commercials before. Pretty weird. The black girl seems shorter.
What's going on w/her on top of the white girl?
ikky!
I'm still not sure what the point of making this advertisement was. To me the whole thing does appear to have a racist undertone. I wonder what the company was thinking when it created these ads. I wonder if any one called them on it. I don't know how the ad would have gone over here.
There was uproar over the ad and it was pulled.
"There was uproar over the ad and it was pulled".
You know the globalization process only has a short way to go to become complete.
Just because something happens off the shores of America does not mean that it does not affect blacks still.
All over the world, black humanity is constantly undervalued and under mine. the civil rights activists have to think globally.
If we do not value our selves NO ONE ELSE will. So such ads, even if they are in Luxemburg or Lithuania, there should be calls for a boycott especially if its a multinational company like Sony.
So sony will respect blacks in America but not in Holland? What then will they do in Japan?
Depending whether or not this ad is still running, I encourage those who are upset to write to the company and get these ads removed from circulation. Its a start atleast.
Ladies do not buy PSP for your children or husbands. So, Sony do you still thnk the ad was worth the trouble?
Ann F.
The ad has the bw who is supposed to represent the old blk. play station and the ww the newer psp..
Ok, I got that. Notice how less attractive Sony has made the bw appear. Sony's marketing depart. is not helping their sales report because if I were in the market for a game system it would NOT BE SONY. Remember Sony blk. ppl buy game systems also. Why not make one of the females Asian since Sony is a Japanesse company?
Ann F.
"Depending whether or not this ad is still running, I encourage those who are upset to write to the company and get these ads removed from circulation. Its a start atleast".
Anonymous I will take you up on that one. Will keep you updated on my blog.
Yea Siditty, you and Chelb are right. Clever marketing. They were counting on some controversy.
The ad has the bw who is supposed to represent the old blk. play station and the ww the newer psp..
Ok, I got that. Notice how less attractive Sony has made the bw appear....Why not make one of the females Asian since Sony is a Japanesse company?
Ann F.
There's a lot not right at all, on many levels:
old v new = makes sense in this context but not emphasised in visuals, merely mentioned in text confirming that the controversial imagery was delibrate.
victor v vanquished = senseless or unnecessary, emphasised in visuals, definitely exploiting emotional issues around 'contrasting' skin colour, to a lesser extent female rivalry for superiority in attractiveness
bright lighting / styling v dull lighting / sytling = derogatory imagery, superiority in lighter being better is subliminally presented.
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all in all the plan is to create a trail of controversy and when that ends it leads to the money trail...ka-ching!!!
Demographics and marketing also matter: someone mentioned blacks esp BM buying games. I dont know any men who will complain about the ad, and that inc BM. Women of any race / skin shade will typically pick up the subliminal message clearer but they don't matter in euros and cents (profits). It's men who predominantly purchase repeatedly, and if they continue to buy while ignoring the ad....*shrug*
Women buy as gifts mainly around Christmas I would think. Women who find this offensive AND feel strongly about it should get the men they know who buy these products to co-complain
sometimes i wonder what would've happened if the AA model refused to the shoot when she realized what it would look like. would her agency drop her? would sony have had an easy replacement?
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