Sony Reminds Us: OMG! Girls (Sorry, Girlz) Play Games Too

[John Funk]

Sony Reminds Us: OMG! Girls (Sorry, Girlz) Play Games Too

Sony's marketing department would like to remind everybody that Girlz Play Too. That is, they play gamez. On lilac, Hannah Montana-brand PSPz.

You know, sometimes I start to feel bad for the folks at Sony - like they get a bad rap. I think, "Hey, these guys brought us all the Team ICO games," or maybe, "Sony brought us LittleBigPlanet and Flower," and my heart softens.

And then Sony - or rather, Sony's marketing department - just goes and does something so mind-blowingly silly that I just have to laugh. Remember "All I Want For Christmas is a PSP" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?p=8612602EA7A83404]? Yeah, that sort of thing.

Sony's latest apparent misstep is a website created to advertise their Hannah Montana-brand, "OMG Lilac!" PSP [http://www.us.playstation.com/girlzplaytoo/]. Don't forget everyone, "girlz play too!" The site goes on to list a few games - sorry, gamez - that the aforementioned girlz might enjoy playing: Patapon 2, LocoRoco 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Pangya, Hannah Montana, and - perhaps most fittingly - Petz.

The site lets aspiring girl gamerz customize their PSPz with patternz and stickerz, but unfortunately it isn't like you can order actual physical copiez of your design. A shame, too - that might have been actually kind of interesting. There's also a quiz that tells you what sort of game character you're most like - apparently, I'm like the guyz from Patapon or something.

As pointed out via Wired [http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=370124], it's not even that awful of an ad campaign as it is... forced and horribly awkward. Like a parent trying to be hip to what his kids are into and just making them all very ashamed.

So no, it's not bad. Just... uncomfortable. Very, very uncomfortable.

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[Erana]

If they hadn't had this stupid marketing campaign, the lilac PSP could have been the Kirby-type manly man's macho.

 

[scnj]

Worst newz all day.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

...What?

That's such a horribly forced divide. Maybe later they'll bring out a Manly Mud-Brown PSP. Looks like someone has to be taken out back and shot.

And...is the OMG actually plastered on their site?

EDIT: It is. Oh dear.

 

[HardRockSamurai]

No words..........just..........

 

[Woem]

It looks to me like that had too much lilac wine [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilac_Wine] when they came up with this.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

Am I the only person here who wants one?

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

If they hadn't had this stupid marketing campaign, the lilac PSP could have been the Kirby-type manly man's macho.

Kirby is only macho in America
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AmericanKirbyIsHardcore

Could Sony really think of nothing better than trying to use a girly girl's marketing strategy to try to appeal to girls? Epic Fail.

 

[Get Jiggy]

In that advert all of the girls are talking and laughing with eachother, the one playing the PSP just seems antisocial.

Hanna Montana is more important than friends apparently.

 

[Irridium]

I think they are trying to market to the high school girls who are on facebook/twitter 24/7 and only talks in acronyms and with an upwards inflection making every sentence they speak sound like a question.

But thats just my unproffesional opinion

 

[curlycrouton]

How dare they call Loco Roco, a veritable masterpiece, for women only?!

Maybe Sony and Microsoft should see who can produce the worst ad campaign. A close match ladies and gents.

 

[Amnestic]

Am I the only person here who wants one?

Yes

I like how everyone in that picture is apparently laughing at the person with the "OMG LILAC!" PSP. It sends a clear message of "Buy our new PSP and your friends will make fun of you!"

Smooth marketing their Sony.

 

[historybuff]

*facepalm* So glad I grew up on RPGs and Silent Hill, rather than this garbage.

 

[Virgil]

Personally, I'm hoping for a FTW Green or ROFL Red one.

 

[NotAPie]

Am I the only person here who wants one?

I won't say anything until I find out if that was sarcasm.

 

[Anarien]

None of the girls in that photo looks young enough to have any interest in Hannah Montana.

And while it's nice that devices are released in colors like this, limiting females to these colors in ads is ridiculous. As is the scope of the recommended games. Just, several levels of wrong here.

Let's not get started on "girlZ".

 

[TheBluesader]

If they hadn't had this stupid marketing campaign, the lilac PSP could have been the Kirby-type manly man's macho.

Kirby is only macho in America
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AmericanKirbyIsHardcore

I understand that our box art is far more "Xtreme to the Maxx" than the Japanese box art, but let's be honest here: Kirby can suck almost any killer creature into his mouth, then spit them out to kill OTHER killer creatures. I don't care how pink he is, and how big his eyes are. Kirby is the definition of hardcore.

He can fly, too. Kick. Ass.

@topic: Sony has a stupid marketing campaign?? *Gasp!* What's next?? Activision doing something unethical and tasteless to sell a crappy sequel game??

I guess at this point, with PSP sales being what they are, "girlz" with their "Petz" are Sony's last hope at avoiding a semi caravan out to that E.T. landfill.

 

[Lono Shrugged]

Sony Boardroom:

"Hey remember Nintendo DS's marketing to the female demographic oh maybe 2 or 3 years ago?"

"Way ahead of you Steve, and just so no one thinks we're copying them it's purple!"

I would buy one only if I got a sachel, drug-rug and put loads of hipster band stickers on the back and perpetually smoked rollies while playing it.

It just has that look about it.