• Gizmodo
  • bestmodo
  • lifehacker
  • kotaku
  • Profile logout login

#badvertising

Gizmodo

Share Cancel
   
Upload an image | Add an image URL
×

logging in
  • FAQ. Include # before tag:
  • #tips,
  • #dealzmodo,
  • #rumors,
  • #broken,
  • #iphoneapps,
  • #apple,
  • etc.

New York, 9:38 PM
Wed Nov 25
65 posts in the last 24 hours

FR | IT | DE | SP | JP | AU | BR

Gizmodo Team

Tip your editors:
tips@gizmodo.com

Editorial Director:
Brian Lam | Email | Twitter

Editor:
Jason Chen
Email | AIM | Twitter

Features Editor:
Wilson Rothman
Email | Twitter

Senior Contributing Editors:
Jesus Diaz
Email | AIM | Twitter
Mark Wilson, Reviews
Email | AIM | Twitter

Contributing Editors:
Matt Buchanan
Email | AIM | Twitter
Adam Frucci
Email | Twitter
Sean Fallon
Email | Twitter
Jack Loftus
Email | Twitter
John Herrman
Email | Twitter
Dan Nosowitz
Email
Chris Mascari
Email
Danny Allen
Email | Twitter
Rosa Golijan
Email | Twitter
Chris Jacob
Email

Columnist:
Brendan I. Koerner

Interns:
Don Nguyen
Email
Kyle VanHemert
Email

Comment Intern:
Nick Ellenoff | Email

Heroes and Friends

Comment Account Questions:
Comments@gizmodo.com

SUBSCRIBE TO Gizmodo RSS

New: Breaking news and daily top stories via email
9515 Subscribers
Gizmodo
  • posts about #badvertising more →

    Best Buy's Holiday Carolers Make Me Want to Murder

    New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life

    Sony's Cybershot Exmor Ad Is Laughably Unfair

    Sony Promotional Image Shows Some Dangerous Behavior

    Lenovo 'Ad' Does Great Disservice to the W700ds, Humanity

    Joe the Plumber Moves to a Higher Tax Bracket Doing Ads for DTV Converters

    Note to Woz: You Are Rich, Stop Making an Ass of Yourself in Commercials

    US Cellular Ad Tries Really Hard to Make Yapping On Your Phone in Public a Beautiful Thing

    Music Vest Ad from the '80s is Probably the Pinnacle of Gadget Advertising

    The Most Horrifying Playstation 3 Ad Ever Makes Me Loyal to the Xbox 360 for Life (NSFW)
  • Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.
    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Cogito Ergo Bibo Cogito Ergo Bibo
    11/24/09

    In reply to Best Buy's Holiday Carolers Make Me Want to Murder
    Gah. Flashbacks to concert choir and being told to "enunciate more; crisply, now!"

    Yup. Hate the commercial. But beyond that, it's a poor use of a ad space. You're spending the whole commercial on only one paltry product and don't even SHOW it?!
     Reply
    Cogito Ergo Bibo was starred Cogito Ergo Bibo was unstarred
    Image of fleebailey33 fleebailey33
    11/23/09

    In reply to Best Buy's Holiday Carolers Make Me Want to Murder
    my favorite might not count, but it was a staples one for back to school time, still reminds me of xmas, and you will see why

    [www.youtube.com]
     Reply
    fleebailey33 was starred fleebailey33 was unstarred
    Image of Kaiser-Machead Kaiser-Machead
    11/23/09

    In reply to Best Buy's Holiday Carolers Make Me Want to Murder
    They should have Luke Wilson waltz into a Best Buy and buy a TV. C'mon Wilson, you whore.
     Reply
    Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred
    Image of jayhawk11 is a trap star, sort of. jayhawk11 is a trap star, sort of.
    11/23/09

    In reply to Best Buy's Holiday Carolers Make Me Want to Murder
    At least the stadium ads were relevant to their point. This caroling bullshit needs to end the day before yesterday.
     Reply
    jayhawk11 is a trap star, sort of. was starred jayhawk11 is a trap star, sort of. was unstarred
    Image of Nick Nick
    11/23/09

    In reply to Best Buy's Holiday Carolers Make Me Want to Murder
    my favorite caroling/christmas/gadget commercial is the one(s) for Garmin. google, if you put 'em out of business you better give me a darn good commercial in return.
     Reply
    Nick was starred Nick was unstarred
    Image of Calzo Calzo
    11/23/09

    In reply to Best Buy's Holiday Carolers Make Me Want to Murder
    I wish I was a professional asshole.
     Reply
    Calzo was starred Calzo was unstarred
    Image of jayhawk11 is a trap star, sort of. jayhawk11 is a trap star, sort of.
    11/23/09

    @Calzo: So you could design commercials as shitty as this one?
     Reply
    jayhawk11 is a trap star, sort of. was starred jayhawk11 is a trap star, sort of. was unstarred
    Image of Pessimippopotamus Pessimippopotamus
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    If Sony really dominated the gaming world, it wouldn't need WTF ads like an ADHD kid going around throwing cups at the walls.

    On a sidenote, this is by far my favorite Sony ad.
     Reply
    Pessimippopotamus was starred Pessimippopotamus was unstarred
    Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies!
    09/29/09

    @Pessimippopotamus: I guess you didn't see the original version of the current PS3 Slim TV ad.
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred
    Image of Pessimippopotamus Pessimippopotamus
    09/29/09

    @OMG! Ponies!: Not offensive enough.
     Reply
    Pessimippopotamus was starred Pessimippopotamus was unstarred
    Image of blash blash
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    Wow, does no one get the ads?

    In the ads, the guy on the bed on the right is you - the gamer, dressed in jeans or other attire typical of modern times, rather than the medieval era or Third-Reich period they've been placed in.

    As a gamer, in the ad you "give life" to the person on the bed. You either put your heart or some of your blood in these historical figures, thus becoming them in this altered history that could only exist in a game.

    Personally, I'd rather see an allied soldier on the bed instead of a Nazi, but you gotta admit the Nazi makes it pretty obvious that it's WWII versus a bland brown uniform that was used in a number of wars.

    The ad isn't an endorsement of Nazism, but rather a statement that you can play as a Nazi on the Playstation 3 (can you? I can't recall any titles where you played on the Nazi side...) Even so, still in pretty bad taste for Western readers.
     Reply
    MostlyHarmless promoted this comment blash was starred blash was unstarred
    Image of Bertone77 Bertone77
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    OK, OK, we need to sit back and have a beer here. These are designed to be shocking and grab your attention.

    Are they in good taste? No
    But do they get your attention? Yes
    Are they successful in conveying the PS3? No

    So as much as I would like to hate these AD's, they work in a kind of Car-wreck-in-slo-mo way. Don't want to look at them but can't look away.

    Before you guys get too bent about the Natzi you need to do some reading about who he is (Erwin Rommel) and what he did (conspiracy to remove Hitler) [en.wikipedia.org]

    I don't like the guy but he is not "the worst" Natzi ever either.

    Also have to keep in mind that these were cooked up by AD companies not based here in the states; And trust me, there are some much worse ones: (LINK NSFW) [translate.googleusercontent.com]

    Something tells me that these may not even be "official" Sony Ad's, but I don't know for sure.
     Reply
    Edited by Bertone77 at 09/29/09 1:44 PM Bertone77 was starred Bertone77 was unstarred
    Image of Ruthless, If you let me Ruthless, If you let me
    09/29/09

    @Bertone77: Very cool link to the Russian review of print ads. Very strange stuff in there.
     Reply
    Ruthless, If you let me was starred Ruthless, If you let me was unstarred
    Image of Bertone77 Bertone77
    09/29/09

    @Ruthless, If you let me: There are also actual TV commercials that are just as strange: (Again some NSFW): [translate.googleusercontent.com]
     Reply
    Bertone77 was starred Bertone77 was unstarred
    Image of secret_curse secret_curse
    09/29/09

    @Bertone77: Seriously, how in the hell do you not know how to spell Nazi? The Nazis are only referenced in every single thread on the entire fucking internet.
     Reply
    Bertone77 promoted this comment secret_curse was starred secret_curse was unstarred
    Image of Bertone77 Bertone77
    09/29/09

    @secret_curse: Because unlike you I actually had links to place and something interesting to say. By the time I noticed it I could not edit it anymore.
     Reply
    Bertone77 was starred Bertone77 was unstarred
    Image of OMFG! Horny Manatees! OMFG! Horny Manatees!
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    Does anyone know how they create that artistic effect on photos?? I'm noticing more and more advertisements and photos have that look and I'd like to learn how they pull it off. They almost make it look like the image is a painting. Anyone got any ideas?
     Reply
    OMFG! Horny Manatees! was starred OMFG! Horny Manatees! was unstarred
    Image of mpar mpar
    09/29/09

    @OMFG! Horny Manatees!: Yes there is filter that they call -Hard work-.
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment mpar was starred mpar was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    09/29/09

    @mpar: Haha! I like that.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of OMFG! Horny Manatees! OMFG! Horny Manatees!
    09/29/09

    I can almost guarantee that the only work put into those photos was setting up the scene.
     Reply
    OMFG! Horny Manatees! was starred OMFG! Horny Manatees! was unstarred
    Image of AdamPraetextatus AdamPraetextatus
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    It's a metaphor for transferring their power to the player.

    They're not giving blood or a heart. The ads are suggesting that you as the player will be receiving the blood and heart of a warrior. Whether that's a WWII general or Joan of Arc.
     Reply
    reddingofish promoted this comment AdamPraetextatus was starred AdamPraetextatus was unstarred
    Image of reddingofish reddingofish
    09/29/09

    @AdamPraetextatus: They still creep me out.
     Reply
    reddingofish was starred reddingofish was unstarred
    Image of OMFG! Horny Manatees! OMFG! Horny Manatees!
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    All it looks like they're trying to convey is that the gamers are becoming one with the characters in the games they play. They reinforce it by putting the gamer and the character in the game environment.
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment OMFG! Horny Manatees! was starred OMFG! Horny Manatees! was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    09/29/09

    @OMFG! Horny Manatees!: See, that's the problem with Sony. They're trying to force the same opinion for all the games on the PS3. The reality is that some games are good, some are crap. You can't force a gamer that every game they play on a PS3 will have the same experience. Let every game be judged individually. If they produce enough good games and show that off instead, then maybe more people will buy the PS3.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of SharvariAlbinus SharvariAlbinus
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    The world really needs to get over itself.
    The whole whining about Nazi's thing is getting old.
    Why is it OK to shoot Nazis in a video game, but not portray them in an ad.
    It's a part of history, it happened, covering your eyes won't make it go away, and I don't remember anyone saying that you have the right to not be offended...just f***ing get over it already.
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! approved this comment SharvariAlbinus was starred SharvariAlbinus was unstarred
    Image of OMG! Ponies! OMG! Ponies!
    09/29/09

    @SharvariAlbinus: Fuck you and your "Jews need to just get over the Holocaust thing already attitude".
     Reply
    OMG! Ponies! was starred OMG! Ponies! was unstarred
    Image of Sqube Sqube
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    Is there something wrong with advertising games for this console? For fuck's sake.
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment Sqube was starred Sqube was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    09/29/09

    @Sqube: What games?
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of mpar mpar
    09/29/09

    @ripfire: Here in 2009 we are happy to receive visitants from 2007, we hope that you feel comfortable with the reality and enjoy.
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment mpar was starred mpar was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    09/29/09

    @mpar: I'm sorry. I'm just wondering what games these ads represent. Guitar Hero?
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of G.O.B.: Come on! G.O.B.: Come on!
    09/29/09

    @ripfire: I LOL'd.
     Reply
    G.O.B.: Come on! was starred G.O.B.: Come on! was unstarred
    Image of MannyIzt MannyIzt
    09/29/09

    In reply to New Sony Ad: Play PlayStation 3, Save a Nazi's Life
    maybe you should actually hit the link to know the story behind it. the nazi is supposed to be Erwin Rommel, one of the most decorated german officers of WWI and WWII. so the ads as simply saying that these figures are resurrected by the PS3....
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment MannyIzt was starred MannyIzt was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    09/29/09

    @MannyIzt: Yeah maybe so, but it's still a bad ad. Rommel didn't like the Nazis as much as everyone else thinks.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Image of Wilson Wilson
    09/29/09

    @ripfire: Maybe. But he didn't exactly quit his job and go work for the competition, did he?
     Reply
    ripfire promoted this comment Wilson was starred Wilson was unstarred
    Image of ripfire ripfire
    09/29/09

    @wilson_c: Maybe you should read up on Erwin Rommel's history and get a little bit of perspective before you put your foot into your mouth.
     Reply
    ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred
    Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

Login

Enter your username and password.

Please enter a username.
Please enter your password.
logging in
Login via Facebook | Sign Up | Forgot Password?

Reset Password

Please enter your email address to have your password reset.

Please enter your email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
requesting password reset

Register

Registering will give you a user profile and the ability to add other users as friends. To become a commenter, however, you need to audition.

Want to know more? Consult the Comment FAQ and legal terms.

Please enter a username.
Please enter a password.
Please confirm your password.
Passwords are not identical.
Please enter a valid email address.
registration sent, waiting for reply

Submit Your Comment

You don't need to login to comment. Just enter your email address below.

See how your address will be displayed in the Comment FAQ.

Please enter a valid email address.
Please enter a valid email address.
logging in

Login with your Facebook or Gizmodo account.

Sign up here.



  • Archives
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Legal
  • Help
  • Report a Bug
  • FAQ
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.