5. "Racist" PSP Advert
This PSP advert in the Netherlands generated significant controversy, as it depicts a white woman holding a black woman by the jaw, as a means of promoting the new white PSP that was about to be released (compared to the original black PSP). Representatives for the NAACP state that the advert "conjures up bad memories of when stereotypical and offensive images of people of color were accepted means of selling a product" and decried their "archaic advertising tactics", soon after which Sony decided to apologise and discontinue the advert. Much online debate arose over whether the advert was, in fact, racist, or whether it was simply a case of people being over-sensitive. Of course, Sony must have known that such a daring campaign would invoke the ire of organisations like the NAACP, but if nothing else, it certainly raised brand awareness about the white PSP...