Sony Paid for Fake PSP Graffiti?

Eli Gottlieb writes "It would appear that the Sony Corporation (known for their world-class rootkits) paid graffitists to paint pictures of children using their new PSPs on city walls. Sony "artists" (corporate operatives?) have even been caught in the act of painting advertising campaigns on public walls. Note that these are not paid-for billboards or advertising media, but illegal graffiti in the first place. Beyond that, Sony is attempting to co-opt the subculture and possibly even artistic integrity of real graffists to sell more PSPs! Luckily, people have started to paint back and show that corporate vandals are not welcome." Though it does appear the vandal depicted is copying the image off of a sheet of paper, there's no real proof of Sony's complicity. Take with a grain of salt.

Sounds familiar...

Remember the whole IBM/Linux graffiti fiasco [cnn.com]?

Re:Sounds familiar...

... and a MSN / Butterfly [itnews.com.au] one.

Re:Sounds familiar...

Some of those IBM/Linux sprays are still there, 4.5 years, 300,000 pedestrians and 150 rainstorms later.

I'm so glad it was "biodegradable chalk".

I don't know...This seems too illegal...

Any word on Sony actually being tied to this? I mean, yes it's highly unlikely that anyone would promote the PSP other than Sony, but I'm curious if this was a decision they actually approved or supported.

Conclusive

The graffiti characters all match, despite having been done by different artists. They're what marketers call "on message."

The idea that multiple graffiti artists in different locations simultaneously designed the same PSP using characters and then.... it's so laughable I can't even finish that sentence.

As long as these photographs are genuine, there is *no* way that this isn't centrally coordinated. I suppose it's possible some fanboys might have decided to promote the PSP this way, but it doesn't really seem like fanboy behaviour. It's too organized and the graphic design is too well done.

Nintendo occasionally gets that kind of grass-roots support, but only for their legendary characters, not for a current product shot. Two story Mario 1 mural, sure. Nintendo DS graffiti, no.

Re:Conclusive

This may not be graffiti, but I'm sure many people remember these Nintendo fanboys 4 story work of art [yikes.com].

Repeat of the xbox launch?

This sounds like a repeat of the XBOX launch. In my city (melbourne) Microsoft spray painted a lot of streets with the green "X" logo, causing a huge fuss in the media about it being graffitti. Seems companies never learn....

Double standards

Slashdotters were all cheering and happy when IBM sent guys around at night, painting those "Peace, Love and Linux" icons all over sidewalks what -- coopting pacifist culture? Is this another example of selective outrate where it's not what's done that gets people mad, but who's doing it?

Re:Double standards

First of all, yes, that's right, I'll reserve the right to be selectively outraged depending on what's being sprayed. I'm outraged at swastika graffiti, not so much at actual pictures. What's being sprayed is very much part of "what's done", who's doing it is really not relevant. Reading the CNN story [cnn.com] about the IBM graffitis that's also linked at the top of this thread, the IBM graffitis were really inconspicious, and sprayed on the sidewalks which certainly aren't as critical as building walls. Most importantly though, they were made from chalk: "It washes right off, so it will be removed the next time it rains." Total non-issue.

Re:Double standards

Most importantly though, they were made from chalk: "It washes right off, so it will be removed the next time it rains." Total non-issue.

The IBM graffiti may have been chalk-based but they sure as hell didn't wash off after one rain. The Boston-area ones

Re:Double standards

Most importantly though, they were made from chalk: "It washes right off, so it will be removed the next time it rains." Total non-issue.

Look for the next story about it. They didn't wash off. You had to scrub like hell, and if you didn't they stayed until

Re:Double standards

Reading the CNN story about the IBM graffitis that's also linked at the top of this thread, the IBM graffitis were really inconspicious, and sprayed on the sidewalks which certainly aren't as critical as building walls. Most importantly though, they were m

Like MSN in 2002

For the launch [clickz.com] of MSN 8 there were the MSN butterflies everywhere. Here are some pics. [altterrain.com]

Corporate vandalism is already rife

I presume it's the same everywhere but our city centre streets are continually blighted by illegal posters for records & tours etc.

Here's one such story with an Iron Maiden poster

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/ 4376267.stm [bbc.co.uk]

The big rec

Re:Corporate vandalism is already rife

If you like the poster it is freedom of speech. If you don't like the poster it is an eyesore.
Frankly I do think Sony needs some BIG fines for this. But if Greenpeace did the same thing I would want them fined as well. Freedom of speech doesn't mean the fr

Sony's complete apathy

Between this and the rootkit, it's obvious Sony doesn't give a flying fuck about anyone's rights. Not the rights of the owners of the property they are vandalising, not the rights of the owners of the computers they rootkitted, and not their customers. They just don't care. At this point, if all the prepaid PS3 orders come in as boxes filled with paper mache, it wouldn't completely surprise me. No ethics at all.

I'm surprised there's any doubt...

... that Sony paid for this. I mean it's the same looking characters holding PSPs appearing in cities all over the US. If it's not Sony then these are some really dedicated PSP owners out there pushing the brand.

Then again, given the lack of decent games and homebrew on the PSP I'm sure these guys have plenty of spare time to use in trekking across the country shilling for Sony. :p

Interesting

I think this was reported about a couple weeks back on This Week In Tech or somewhere else (not sure where). Although the link to Sony wasn't very clear then either.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was true though. The PSP marketing blitz hasn't done them

Luckily, indeed...

Luckily, people have started to paint back and show that corporate vandals are not welcome.

No offense, assholes, but your vandalism is unwelcome, corporate or otherwise.

Of course...

...I personally wouldn't put it past a different company competing with Sony (say MS, who just had a big product launch, or Nintendo who compete directly with the PSP itself) to pay for something like this to make Sony look bad. But then I am incredibly cy

Apprentice

There was also an episode of The Apprentice, where Sony wanted the team to paint a street graffiti picture on the side of the building advertising GT4. I guess they just took this to the next step.

What if Microsoft did this?

Do we have proof that Sony did this? There is a story of a guy caught in action, but the story never confirmed he was from Sony or anything else.

Look carefully at the pictures. They do not depict the PSP in a positive light. The PSP is like a toy to the ch

Well...

Sony need to stop trying to attract the kind of people who enjoy graffiti and rebelling against the system, because they will only be seen as the enemy if they try to take their corporate marketing to an anti corporate audience.

Re:Hilarious!

In some places - here in Gainesville, FL, for instance - there are walls where graffiti is permitted. So these people could be subverting the legitimacy of actual "graffists" both by painting corporate advertising and by painting in illegal places.

Re:Hilarious!

Some people hire graffiti artists to paint pictures on their walls. Not all graffiti is the illegal kind.