James Delahunty
6 Dec 2005 13:01
Wired has an article on the Sony PSP graffiti that has popped up in several U.S. cities, much to the annoyance of some people in those cities. The graffiti is of kids playing with the PlayStation Portable (PSP) console. Due to the strange looking big eyes on the graffiti, some residents found the graffiti weird and posted on the Internet about it. In one case, a woman was so offended she complained about the graffiti and asked for it to be cleaned.
Since the graffiti didn't mention Sony or PSP, nobody really knew for sure if Sony was behind the graffiti or not. Of course, the company was, and Sony spokeswoman Molly Smith explained how the company was targeting these ads. "With PSP being a portable product, our target is what we consider to be urban nomads, people who are on the go constantly," she said.
As well as receiving criticism, many also approved of the artwork. "It's a cheeky wink toward a savvy audience who are already familiar with the product," Piers Fawkes, who runs the IF blog that focuses on new currents in marketing said. "It's reflective of modern approach to marketing. The creative classes are sick of marketing when done badly or blandly, but when it's done in (an) intelligent manner, we appreciate it."
This is not the first time this sort of advertising has been done by a company. IBM was fined more than $120,000 after spray-painting Linux advertisements on cities' sidewalks. Unlike IBM however, Sony got permission from building owners first and paid for the use of the walls for the advertisements for short periods.
Source:
Wired