SCEA comes clean over PSP website

[Darksaviour69]

Admits to being "busted" by eagle-eyed Internet users

Sony Computer Entertainment America has admitted that a blog purporting to be the work of real life PSP fans was in fact part of a marketing campaign designed to promote the handheld in the run-up to Christmas.

The site, alliwantforxmasisapsp.com, appeared to be have been designed by two friends and featured downloadable PSP greetings cards and t-shirt transfers. It also hosted a video showing "Cousin Pete" rapping about the handheld, which has since been removed from both the site and from YouTube.

"Consider us your own personal psp hype machine, here to help you wage a holiday assault on ur parents, girl, granny, boss - whoever - so they know what you really want," a message on the site read.

However, visitors to the site became suspicious and discovered that it had been registered by marketing company Zipatoni which, according to its own website, offers "integrated multimedia marketing initiatives".

Zipatoni's site lists SCE as a client, and featured a picture (also now removed) of an employee who bears a striking resemblance to a man posing in a home-made PSP t-shirt on alliwantforxmasisapsp.com.

As a result the blog was flooded with complaints from critics exposing its true origins. They have since been removed, along with the video, and the welcome message has been replaced with the following message, credited to Sony Computer Entertainment America: "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."

It seems likely that Sony will need to take more care with its guerrilla marketing campaigns in the future - and not just to avoid a backlash from consumers.

According to the Washington Post, the Federal Trade Commission has warned companies "engaging in word-of-mouth marketing" that they must disclose details of who is endorsing the product. A failure to do so, the FTC said, could be seen as deceptive.

gameindustry (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21702)

[dejkirkby]

It makes you think, What else has Sony done to pimp their stuff to us? Is it inconcievable to say someone from SCEA has signed up as, say a forum member, and fed us their pro-Sony Propaganda?

[bah]

'trying to be just a little too clever'???

More 'trying to be clever, but instead looking stupid'.

[gymnotropic]

Meh. Live and learn?

[darksoft]

It makes you think, What else has Sony done to pimp their stuff to us? Is it inconcievable to say someone from SCEA has signed up as, say a forum member, and fed us their pro-Sony Propaganda?

That would be a very high possibility, but I bet a crap load of large companies do that very thing.

I'm amazed at how stupid the people making that site were. I mean, putting a pick of yourself up on a site that is bull$***, that is listed on your companies site, and even putting your name on the registration of the domain is so stupid, its like they wanted to be caught. Negative publicity is publicity!

[The_Ultimate_Eggman]

$$$$ONY been devious and under handed ??? never.

[Veskgar]

This is gorilla & viral marketing at its most basic.

I guess its sort of like the Microsoft / Halo - ILOVEBEES viral campaign.

What is so wrong with this type of marketing ploy?

So SONY got caught out. Every smart company has "human intelligence" operatives. It sounds devious but its smart business. Its entirely probably that a few SONY reps are members of this or other popular PSP sites. They may post cleverly or they may just troll the forums without posting gathering "human intelligence".

I am pretty sure SONY has learned a lot from PSP homebrew.

Think about it, what can make the PSP more enjoyable than SONY can? HOMEBREW!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am pretty sure quite a few SONY employees have their PSP loaded up with homebrew. Either in secret for their own enjoyment or for "research" on how to combat it in future firmware upgrades.

[Psyberjock]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am pretty sure quite a few SONY employees have their PSP loaded up with homebrew. Either in secret for their own enjoyment or for "research" on how to combat it in future firmware upgrades.

Oh, I'm sure of that. Remember back to the Lik-Sang fiasco. Sony's own CEO in Europe bought import products through Lik-Sang. I'm certain they are using homebrew on their personal PSPs. They're not morons. Wait, they are morons, they're just not dribbling idio.... Well, they know a good thing when they se...... Everyone likes homebrew!:rolleyes:


Oh, and just in case a Sony employee is reading:
You stupid jerks! I just bought the GPS receiver and then 2 days later you released the map software. That in itself it not bad, it's great. The stupid part is that the software comes with a GPS unit and it costs $100! Now I can't buy the map software since I already have the GPS unit and there's no way I'm going to buy 2!! Pricks!

[Russoxley187]

Thats sony for ya...

I really think that they would actually make more money and sell more PSP's if they endorsed Homebrew...
Obviously not the ISO Illegal parts of it.
They could concentrate all their efforts on that one part, not stopping homebrew all toghether...
What do yall think?

[Vega]

Its really laughable isn't it ? Ah well . . . keep it up $ony . . . crap marketing = good laughs

[Hungry Horace]

i dont get why everyone is having a pop at Sony over this though?

so... they employed a marketting team to sell their product. that's nothing new. it's standard practice, particularly given all the (bizarre imho) sony-hatred doing the rounds atm.

If anything, Sony should be pissed off at the them, for running a campaign so shallow it was easily exposed as a fraud, and has once again put Sony themselves in a bad light.

the marketting company cocked up yes, but it's hardly new (or unexpected) that someting was made-up to sell a product is it??

we are told all the time how products can improve our lives (the latest Lynx advert... "Get some" - acompannied by hoards of attractive women throwing themselves at one single male is frankyl ridiculous) - do we believe all of them? no, we take them with a pinch of salt, and this should be no different.

[The_Ultimate_Eggman]

i dont get why everyone is having a pop at Sony over this though?

so... they employed a marketting team to sell their product. that's nothing new. it's standard practice, particularly given all the (bizarre imho) sony-hatred doing the rounds atm.

If anything, Sony should be pissed off at the them, for running a campaign so shallow it was easily exposed as a fraud, and has once again put Sony themselves in a bad light.

the marketting company cocked up yes, but it's hardly new (or unexpected) that someting was made-up to sell a product is it??

we are told all the time how products can improve our lives (the latest Lynx advert... "Get some" - acompannied by hoards of attractive women throwing themselves at one single male is frankyl ridiculous) - do we believe all of them? no, we take them with a pinch of salt, and this should be no different.

I think the thing we find so amusing is that $ony showed some intelignce wonders will never cease.Now al we need from them is some originality in there games and some "A" list titles as well as some support for thier dying handheld.:rofl:

[uranidiot]

somebody quick...make a site called LOWERTHEPSPPRICE.COM maybe SONY will get the hint.

[dejkirkby]

You think that this is stupid advertising. The dustball adverts are so stupid that they're funny!

[Veskgar]

I know how to create some serious "buzz".

Today will be GREAT day for PSP homebrew. Oh I'm serious. Just you wait..... Just you wait. Something big is about to happen!

[Hungry Horace]

Now al we need from them is .... some support for thier dying handheld.:rofl:

i dont think it is dying. I'm sure Sony are pretty happy with the sales and usage of the console itself, although obviously not with the UMD format.

everyone assumes becasue the DS is selling more that the PSP is therefore a failure.... but it's a different market the it sells to... and i'm positive the alongside the PS3, the PSP will continue to sell at a level which keeps Sony happy for quite a number of years. homebrew users - being in their little nieche - seem to have a rather odd perspective on the matter imho.


You think that this is stupid advertising. The dustball adverts are so stupid that they're funny!

now that's just a ludicrous thing to say! :rolleyes:



I know how to create some serious "buzz".

Today will be GREAT day for PSP homebrew. Oh I'm serious. Just you wait..... Just you wait. Something big is about to happen!


oh oh!! what? what??! i MUST know this new5or!!!1 PM me 3veryThing!12 i wont tell any1 prmois3!!!1138

[fistikuffs]

"funky fresh"? Is this the 70's?

[juggaleaux]

I just wanted to say how great the PSP is! Everyone should buy several of them! Right away!

(oh no! i'm a sony spy!) :P

[F9zDark]

To be honest with yall, this is probably Sony's best idea of advertising to date, given the atrocity of some of their previous adverts.

Now if Zipatoni was smart, they'd have named the kids wanting the PSPs after someone in the office and have had registered the domain from home, at least this would have led up the faccade a little longer and maybe even make this marketing strategy work.

To be fair, no publicity is worse than even bad publicity. And this may have been Sony's intention all along; if the plan failed, they would have garnered alot of publicity from it anyhow. Either way, whether it succeeds or fails, works to their benefit.

[Basil Zero]

wow, never knew about this till now....sony was doing something like this...lol

never knew, was too busy with my own psp

[Hungry Horace]

To be fair, no publicity is worse than even bad publicity. And this may have been Sony's intention all along; if the plan failed, they would have garnered alot of publicity from it anyhow. Either way, whether it succeeds or fails, works to their benefit.

one of the best posts i've seen on the matter on any of the PSP forums.

definately agree there.