A reader emails in info about a sick marketing campaign allegedly being undertaken by Sony to market its PSP product. Chief Bratton better get his clubbing stick ready, because Sony is tagging up our neighborhoods with "public art" in an attempt to market its "toys". Gamespot.com reports on the graffitti campaign, quoting a local yokel from Lincoln Heights who's had enough:
"Is anyone else concerned that Sony Playstation paid someone to vandalize our neighborhood to sell their latest toy," writes "Michelle," who claims to be a Lincoln Heights resident. "It's quite obviously an advertisement, but when I called Playstation Consumer Services this morning, they claim to know nothing about the campaign. I guess there's just some clever youngster out here in LH that just really LOVES the PSP and wants the whole world to know about it..." Michelle also told [the web site] Popgadget she has since taken action against the PSP graffiti. "I called the city today to have the stencils on the back of Juan's Market painted over," she wrote. "For some strange reason, I'd rather see my friendly local gang lay claim to that wall then have it given over to some crappy corporation and their urban marketing campaign."
Before tagging anything, we always ask ourselves "What would Eric Garcetti do?" That usually sets us straight. However, these urban marketing taggers have no moral compass. We hope they get caught and beat about the head. Gamespot reports similar tags in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Of course we realize reporting this just advances the PSP marketing agenda, so just to even things out: NINTENDO! NINTENDO! NINTENDO! XBOX! XBOX! XBOX! COLECO VISION!!!!
· PSP street art rankles residents [Gamespot News]
· Sony PSP Corporate Graffiti [Popgadget]