Sony Behind Fake YouTube Viral Campaign

Wowzer writes "Sony is up to the same old tricks again. Following in the footsteps of their fake PSP Graffiti campaign, Sony has hired marketing company Zipatoni to set up a YouTube-based viral marketing scheme for the Sony PSP. The company did this by registering the domain alliwantforxmasisapsp. There are no disclaimers to show it isn't 'real', but the website's whois points out it's setup by Zipatoni." From the C&VG article: "The lies don't end there, fake comments have been posted at Kotaku only linking to the Youtube video to increase its pageviews: 'Good call on DJ max. Regarding music: if changes were to be made for westerners, this guy should be considered - LOLZ'" Update: 12/13 02:37 GMT by Z : The Washington Post has an article stating that the FTC will look into situations like this, if they perchance to come up.

Must read Bill Hicks anti-marketing rant

[aendeuryu]

This here's a must-read if you haven't read it yet... Bill Hicks's rant on marketing.

http://sennoma.net/main/edits/Hicks.html [sennoma.net]

This is how it starts... "By the way if anyone here is in advertising or marketing... kill yourself."

It only gets better.

Re:It's called Marketing

[Aladrin]

In the same vein, this does appear to be a blog by someone whose friend wants a PSP. But reading just a little into the site shows how lame this site is. It says the same thing constantly: Here's how to bug the people in your family that have money until they buy you a PSP. Nowhere at all does it show the fanboyism that would be necessary to create a site like this.

Add to that the fact that the site is VERY well designed, the graphics are all professional, and there's a really cute chick. Any 1 of those 3 could be chance, but the change that a 13-yo professional-level web and graphic designer ALSO has a cute chick for a friend is absolutely absurd.

The only people going to fall for this are the same 13 year olds that ALREADY want a PSP for xmas. Nobody else will care.

The best part...

[Otter]

My favorite part is:

you can always try to use this $249 bill to buy a psp entertainment pack for yourself. don't rlly try to use, though - if you do, you'll be playing it the next 5-10 years in cell block H!

Some poor lawyer had to pretend to be a subliterate 14-year-old while adding a disclaimer to that mess!

Re:This Just In.

[voice_of_all_reason]

Marketroids are duplicitous, unscuplulous, charlatans

Not to mention you're fucked without the ice beam.

Re:It's called Marketing

[hexix]

This story on Slashdot has that strange "lying" spin on it. Everywhere else I read this story, everyone just seems to be laughing hysterically at how pathetic Sony is. Watch the video and you'll understand.

If the point of this campaign was to make it look like the PSP had a big underground following for being cool, it has totally backfired. Who wants to own a PSP now if it means being associated with the character in this video?

Re:It's called Marketing

[chrismcdirty]

I hope you don't smoke at the bar, or sit around people who do smoke. Have you seen what a smoker's lungs look like? I suggest you stop hanging out at bars, stop smoking, and have some Chewlie's gum.

Re:It's called Marketing

[Tim C]

He was moaning that it was *too* obvious, not that it wasn't obvious enough. Perversely, he seems to want to be taken in when people lie to him...

Re:The best part...

[Dutch_Cap]

Yes, lawyers hate it when they have to pretend to be human beings.

Re:It's called Marketing

[drinkypoo]

If 9 is the kool-aid, then 7 is a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun in your mouth spraying your brains across the ceiling.

Re:It's called Marketing

[brkello]

When information is presented, it should be cited when there are profit-based slants involved. I don't want to say there should be a law about it, but in some cases, there are already laws about it. But basically, I believe that if companies have a right to sue and use legal intimidation to slap down critics and even genuine fan-based media, then the public should also have a right to be informed when they are being fed a load of crap generated by marketers and advertisers. I would only consider that to be fair and balanced.

But that would mean the end of Fox News.

Re:Critique

[FriendOfBagu]

People do not use colons on the internet. That key is the jaded and lost son of the realm of QWERTY.

Too bad. :(