Richard A. Johnson

I am not one of those people who see conspiracies in everything I encounter on a daily basis. I do not believe in aliens, the magic bullet theory nor do I believe in the insidious plot by the “Illuminati” to take over the world. However, I do believe in the negative consequences of racist advertising practices.

Racism is not what one usually thinks of when discussing marketing campaigns for video games. In 2006, Sony ran several billboards promoting the launch of a white ceramic version of its Playstation Portable device. The original device was available in a black plastic version only. The advertisement’s slogan was simple enough: “Sony Playstation Portable: White is Coming”.

I am African-American and I will admit that I have friends who would take umbrage to Sony stating in an advertisement that “White is Coming”. Singularly, I do not necessarily believe that this tagline elicits a conspiratorial or racist tone. The veritable icing on the cake is the photography that accompanies those words. The artwork featured two women. One woman, a tall Caucasian woman with flowing blond hair, is obviously in the position of authority. The other woman, a much darker skinned woman of African descent, played the part of the submissive character. The Caucasian woman has a visible, scolding, scowl on her face aggressively holding the African woman by the jaw. This ad was only available on billboards in the Netherlands and was subsequently pulled due to international complaints on the basis of its racist overtones.

Judge for yourself, here is the billboard: http://www.1up.com/media/02/9/4/1/sm/778.jpg

The questions are simple:
• Is this advertisement racist or not?
• If this is advertisement considered racist or not, should Sony touch the “third rail of human relation and discourse of race relations, when developing its marketing campaigns?”
• Is this type of controversy worthwhile for a company as rich and powerful as Sony?
• Who draws the line of that defines what is out of bounds? How does a marketing professional be edgy without crossing the line of common sense?

What do you think? Racism in Advertising: When Is Edgy Over the Top?

Graphic Credit:
Sabrina Segal