Victory for Nigeria: Sony Changes Advert

Kris Erickson • Sep 22, 2009 • Comments ()

It's not just paficists and vegetarians that are upset with the video game industry. The people of Nigeria found themselves opposed to Sony recently when the company ran an advert for its new PS3 'slim' model. In the advertisement, a spokesperson says that one 'can't trust everything they read on the Internet... if I did I would be a Nigerian millionaire by now," in reference to the famous 419 email scam. For its part, the Nigerian government reacted strongly against the console manufacturer:

"The government sees this as an attempt by Sony Corporation to undermine Nigeria's business interest around the world. This insinuation is in bad faith and unacceptable. The government and the good people of Nigeria reject this unwarranted attack on the reputation and image of the country." said Nigerian officials ina recent statement.

Sony has apologized for any offence caused by the advert, which it said was not intended for broadcast outside the United States (not that Nigerians living inside the United States were happy with the ad, either).

"It has come to our attention that a recent TV advertisement for PlayStation may have offended some members of the Nigerian community," said Sony in a statement. "We never intended to create a situation that would upset anyone, and we have taken action to immediately remove the advertisement from the air. We apologise to anyone this may have offended."

The controversial segment in the advert has been replaced, with the salesman now saying: "You can't believe everything you read on the internet - that's how World War I started."