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Britain loves its banning. Right next to teabags and unjustifiable xenophobia, there's nothing the great British public loves more than getting the most benign and mundane things banned. Take, for example, the latest ridiculous farce when it comes to jackasses with too much time on their hands -- after receiving an insurmountable number of complaints (23 in total!), the lovable Advertising Standards Authority has banned an online ad banner for the PlayStation 3 for 'condoning' violence on a Yahoo page. Yes, somewhat like the Burnout incident I reported on a few months ago, but even more ludicrous. Hit the jump for more. [Thanks to Action Bastard. The above video, in case of confusion, is an example of the campaign, not the banned ad in question.] While the ASA actually provided some valid reasons for the Burnout poster ban, I fail to see any just cause for this newest overreaction. The advertisment in question was a part of Sony's This Is Living campaign, a surreal series of commercials set in a hotel and featuring a cast of twisted characters. The ad showed war veteran Kovac (in video) with a knife and a gun, displaying the lines, "You on my side? listen up I've killed for less. The music plays Puccini in my head." You may have actually seen it on gaming Websites, I definitely remember it when it was relevant -- months and months ago. Not ages later, where it's suddenly become offensive. I could just about accept the Burnout incident after a while, but this? Not only is it an old advert, it's ridiculously tame, was scheduled to appear at times when children were not supposed to be online and Yahoo only showed it to users registered over the age of 18. Yet a whole 23 petty, pitiful people felt the need to bitch about it, because it was apparently so damn offensive and corrupting. It's been noted that no such bitching was upheld against other ads in the series, notably a woman in her underwear sitting on the toilet. Please someone help me get out of England. Please.
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id bann that commercial just for being boring... not violent.
That commercial kicked ass.
But it was pretty violent.
I'm kidding. It was the least violent thing I'v ever seen.
ASA is dumb. England is turning into Orwell's 1984.
Bipolar: I actually like the video ad. But then, I do like a good monologue. That's the old theater queen in me talking.
ah yeah perhaps it was my expectations of seeing some blood bath which would make the commercial ban material but than seeing nothing which made it boring to me.
The video, as explained in the post, is not the banned commercial. The banned ad is a banner. Just to let ya know.
'We considered that there was an underlying tone of violence in the ad and we were concerned that the images of Kovac holding the knife and the gun, in conjunction with the text, 'You on my side? Listen up I've killed for less..." could be seen to glamorise violence or anti-social behaviour.
That's just ridiculous. You can have a trailer for Bad Boys 2 but not this? One of the complaints came from the Queen or some old Lord or something? I'm sure chavs will now collectively change their behavior..
Regardless of whether or not the video was the ad, that video was extremely interesting. On a side note, Sony is always getting screwed as far as advertising goes. Black and White PSP adverts anyone?
@Alighero: it may seem that way, but that is mostly because much of Sony's videogame advertising is based on exposure. How many funny/insightful/informational ps2/ps3 ads can you remember out of the top of your head, compared to crazy/silly/wtf-was-that-about ads?
Also, MS has some banned commercials too. While searching I also found truth!
Remember the banned 360 ad with everyone "shooting" each other? Reminds me of that, in that both were banned for the most retarded reasons. Just more hate against the video game industry and the success it is getting.
Baning makes me feel so cosmopolitan-say Eastern Bloc cosmopolitan. Get out while while you are able Jim. You may be viewed as a sympathizer.
That is Living?
Moar banned ads
Probably one of my favourite banned ads.
Sony is great at advertising. I found the This Is Living series quite interesting.
I havent seen the ad in question, not as far as I remember anyway, but the depiction of a knife may be the reason behind the banning because of the supposed knife culture thats in this country now.
Still, its a bit of a joke, but then the ASA has always been a bit of a joke (the Cool Boarders white powder posters spring to mind)
poor Jim... poor, poor... Jim...
Come now, we all know it's banned because that guy looks like Ken Livingstone:
This is Livingstone!
Its bloody ridiculous that things can get banned on a very small amount of complaints. 23 isn't much at all. Same thing happens in Aus. 20 people say "That was bad" "ok we'll get rid of the thousands of dollars we spent on it just for you 20 people"
This is another case of games getting the double standard treatment because the dumb ass masses still have the 'games are for kids mindset'.
I'd lay money on the complaints coming from mostly people over thirty, who don't get or try to understand games as a multi age group medium, like film or books etc. Quite soon we may have to see certificate branded ad banners, just like trailers, which in a way would be ridiculous but perhaps a way to go.
I don't think it being an advetisment for a games machine comes into it Cowboy TTop as Sony's ads never actually have anything seemingly to do with any of the games on their systems.
i'm with jim, while the ads weren't very 'typical' i liked the this is living series.
Sounds like Jim is a terrorist. You don't like freedom Jim? You want to leave your country? Go have a biscuit and enjoy your viewscreen. Big Brother is watching
Jim Sterling doesn't care about bland people.
Jim Sterling doesn't care about bland people.
this was one of the best adds ever and they typically banned it.
maybe we should complain about the number of car insurance and loan expert ads on tv, they annoy me more then this ad.
@ shadowlike:
I agree. If I have to see another fucking Geico Caveman commercial, I'm going to build a time machine and stop life from ever evolving on this planet. Just you watch.
Kif - That ad was fucking brilliant. And everyone asks why my wife and I don't have kids. lol Reason A-number one right there.
Oh, and as to the "this is living" stuff... I don't agree with the banning, but the commercials were on-par with the crappy Wii ads we've seen of people acting like morons. These ads really have nothing to do with PS3. You could show someone sitting in a chair, eating an apple and then overlay the phrase, "This is Living" and that is the equivalent for me.
America gets egg-crows and crying baby dolls, Europe gets women smearing lipstick on their faces and laughing maniacally. Japan gets... Oh. Yeah, their ads are NORMAL by comparison. Think about that. I just said JAPAN and NORMAL in the same sentence. BAD END.
I think you forgot one great British past time: we like tea, banning things, mindless xenophobia (is there any other kind?) and colonization. Just wait until we get a half decent space program together, we'll bring Earl grey, queuing and censorship to the stars.
http://www.benoliverisalive.blogspot.com
These ads are dumb and have nothing to do with Playstation. Get rid of them all, I say.
Just like how thost FUCKTARDED skittles ads have nothing to do with skittles other than they're there?
What about the countless other ads that try something new and dont try to shove the product down you're throat? Want to get rid of those too? You obviously know nothing about marketing. I think this particular ad campaign is brilliant.
@Yashoki
Surely an ad campaign is about shoving the program down your throat?
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I hate these commercials. Fuck 'em.
ha! fantastic.
i like the guy dancing on the desk at the this is living homepage.
I'm torn. I don't like censorship of any kind but it makes it a bit easier to swallow when it's advertising that's suffering. Marketing of any kind tends to be forced upon you whereas you have a choice with movies, tv shows and video games to switch them off if you don't like them.
That said, the ad was only shown post-watershed so I'm not sure what the fuss is about. While I'm not upset that the government has taken away one way for companies to sell me shit, I do think it's indicative of how we Brits seem to be blindly walking into a fascist police/nanny state.
america's gone batshit insane with censorship too. try an find an apartment in antacrtica.
THAT was violent?
The british must have the smallest cocks in the world, because they never seem to realize when they're being screwed. Some democracy over there, huh.
Read what it says below the article, in brackets.
"[Thanks to Action Bastard. The above video, in case of confusion, is an example of the campaign, not the banned ad in question.]"
Therefore it is NOT the commercial in question.
In other news, I thought it was a cool commercial, it's really too bad the one referred to isn't posted up >.<
It's funny that the Europians are so much more open minded but then when they ban stuff it's the most prudish references...
Wow.....Personally I loved this commercial but I don't know what it had to do with the PS3.
It is too "violent" psychologically for American media. Again wtf though? What's this have to do with the PS3
Wow.....Personally I loved this commercial but I don't know what it had to do with the PS3.
It is too "violent" psychologically for American media. Again wtf though? What's this have to do with the PS3
I'm not a fan of Sony, but I have to say... this ad really kicks ass.