Ironman273 Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 New Sony viral marketing ploy angers consumersGamers across Web 2.0 are shaking angry fists at the latest <a href="http://forums.<< filtered for offensive content >>/showthread.php?s=&postid=319545186" target="_blank">alleged viral marketing campaign</a> orchestrated by Sony. Piggybacking the YouTube bonanza, the company has hired "consumer activation" firm Zipatoni to create a false video-and-blogging approach to generate interest in their flagging PlayStation Portable handheld machine. The video/blog/ads featured people portending to be authentic PSP fans creating messages of love/want for the console, but were quickly uncovered by <a href="http://forums.<< filtered for offensive content >>/showthread.php?s=&postid=319545186" target="_blank"><< filtered for offensive content >>'s</a> dedicated base as superficial facades shielding mouthpieces for the corporation. In the past, Sony's award-winning PlayStation brand ads were celebrated for their creativity and innovation. Their recent campaigns, including an ill-advised series of graffiti art, suggests that they are having difficulty getting a handle on the bottom-up, community driven opportunities made possible with social software. As I (and others more qualified than I) have commented before (under a different guise), big business must tread carefully if it wishes to employ "yoof" tactics to generate interest in its brands. Blogs and other social software rely upon the trust of the reader, which is why links, references and disclaimers feature on many (not all) posts. Transparency is key in the modern advertising-savvy marketplace. Bad fakes can be spotted a mile away, and good fakes often get found out with a fanfare of negativity. As an aside, I'm very curious how the YouTube-viewing public will respond to lonelygirl_15 when she makes her first above-the-board debut. Unfortunately this latest attempt to integrate with the MySpace generation on their own terms marks another instance in Sony's recent PSP campaigns which consumers claim is undermining their trust. The most important currency online is trust. rhino86, a SomethingAwful commenter, sums it up succinctly: and today class we are going to learn about how viral marketing can fail miserably and create distrust and hatred in our user base. Interactive advertising is so much more than throwing a few irritating pop us in front of content or putting placeholders in the latest software du jour. It needs to start from the community, perhaps - if needs must - sparked by a few good ideas. Why can't they stick to bus stops covered in bubble wrap? Source I haven't even seen any of these? Has anyone? And what's with "Gamers across Web 2.0"? :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadFerIt Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Source I haven't even seen any of these? Has anyone? And what's with "Gamers across Web 2.0"? :( Web 2.0 is a term used to describe the newest generation of web-based services. To put it simply.. Think Wikipedia, Myspace, and other new communication and knowledge gathering tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spenser.d Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Heh, PA did a bit on that today... (Had to edit that, original is here.) :rofl: -Spenser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironman273 Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Web 2.0 is a term used to describe the newest generation of web-based services. To put it simply.. Think Wikipedia, Myspace, and other new communication and knowledge gathering tools. They could've just said "Internet users" :blink: Reading through that Penny Arcade link led me to the website where they actually posted an apology! :D Kind of cool they actually fessed up. Not so cool they did it in the first place :( Busted. Nailed. Snagged. As many of you have figured out (maybe our speech was a little too funky fresh???), Peter isn't a real hip-hop maven and this site was actually developed by Sony. Guess we were trying to be just a little too clever. From this point forward, we will just stick to making cool products, and use this site to give you nothing but the facts on the PSP. Sony Computer Entertainment America Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ji@nBing Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Another couple of links on the subject. Pretty funny stuff :rofl: Link 1 Link 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DELTETHISACCOUNT Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 Extremely sad... that's all I can say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corris Veteran Posted December 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted December 14, 2006 I feel left out of "gamers" I hadn't heard about any of this, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted December 14, 2006 Veteran Share Posted December 14, 2006 Pay me $$$, Sony and I'll endorse any of your crappy products. Make sure you pay by cash, however as I don't want any Sony products in trade. How is that for a product endorsement offer? Does it sound... um... genuine? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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