NSFW: Austrian PS3 ad replaces penis with thumb
by Andrew Yoon 
{ May 13th 2008 at 3:45PM }
There's a saying that all advertising is good advertising. Perhaps this example will prove to be true. This Perhaps the image is so provocative that the tiny "PLAYSTATION 3" text at the bottom will be seared into our minds. We don't know exactly how this ad would be effective, but that's for the folks at TBWA\Wien to explain to SCEE.
[Via Gizmodo]
Update: Austrian, not Australian. Whoops.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Devin @ May 13th 2008 3:49PM
Are you f***ing kidding me? LOL! There's no way Sony allowed this ad to go through...no way....
ruibing @ May 13th 2008 4:00PM
Yeah and if they did, the guy who allowed this through needs to be fired and undergo the same surgery. Enough with the provocative/artistic advertisement, it really never hurts to be blunt.
NineT9 @ May 13th 2008 5:41PM
i love the ad! haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
GenBanks @ May 13th 2008 6:11PM
They do sort of have a history of really weird advertisements with the PS3... This probably tops it all off though!
Seriously though... I wish I had that guy's stomach :P
x)
Roto13 @ May 13th 2008 3:50PM
Sony need to realize that their "edgy" advertisements are awful.
Hashbrown Hunter @ May 13th 2008 4:36PM
That was surprisingly more obscene than I thought it would be. I'll never look at my thumb the same way again.
Joshua @ May 13th 2008 7:32PM
Damn, why did I look at that ad...
Anyway, Sony Europe has the worst fucking ads I've ever seen for anything in this industry ever. WTF does this ad even mean? Do they think someone's going to look at this and say, "Whoa, that guy has a thumb for a penis! Let's go get a PS3!" WTF kind of a thought process is that?
...And sorry for the language.
sicklesdawg @ May 13th 2008 10:42PM
Their T.V ads are awesome! the baby vs ps3 not so much
therealwillie @ May 13th 2008 4:01PM
i would'nt say awfull when this advertisement has been plastered around the web since it was first discovered a mere 3 or 4 hours ago
halebound00 @ May 13th 2008 4:05PM
uh...........................what?
mahunoy @ May 13th 2008 4:06PM
2 thumbs up! oh wait... 3!
Mogs @ May 14th 2008 2:05AM
So, in Austria the Playboy-reading-man thinks with his thumb instead of his penis! Or is it a lure to attract women (reading their partners secret magazine stash) to the PS3. At least it fits the content of the magazine, this ad is clearly ONLY for Playboy. It's not gonna show up in your local tabloid!
LegendarySWE @ May 13th 2008 4:22PM
Yeah true. I hope so.
lolwut @ May 13th 2008 7:32PM
Thank god for 1 guy not mistaking austria for australia.
I can't believe people all over the world are mistaking the land of Hitler, Josef Fritzl, Mozart and Schwarzenegger for that piece of shit british colony island......
I've never seen kangaroos here in austria...
Da @ May 13th 2008 8:11PM
Yeah, only Austria is that fucked up.
Mogs @ May 14th 2008 4:22PM
lolwut, why the sudden hate for Oz? What did it ever do to you...just remember, we Brits put our finest criminals there! One wouldn't want to make enemies of our finest criminals would one ;)
JaseH @ May 14th 2008 11:06AM
lolwut.
What is your problem?... why the sudden insults to Australia?... Hmm British colony, I have to admit, many countries in todays day have been colonized by another nation back in the day. Wasn't the US colonized by Britain as well?...
When you say "Piece of shit".. I have to disagree. The country, Island, Continent, whatever you want to call it, first started out as a place for convicts, later on in the years many people from overseas have settled in. And now, it's doing better than most countries are. How ironic is that?
The place is beautiful, they're located in a great part of the world, near the resort islands & attractions, great beaches... wonderful women, "fair go" motto, with one of the easiest lifestyles on the planet so far. Not to mention the affordability, food, health systems & education. The weather is great with practically no horrendeous natural distasters ever!
I'd have to say Australia is the total opposite of "piece of shit"... of course I wouldn't expect any Aussies to take your comment seirously, considering due to their laid back nature, they probably wouldn't give a shit. Haha.
Anyways, I really wouldn't want to take you seriously either, and you're most likely some jealous bigot troll... but I just couldn't leave this untouched, I had to say something.
I do agree however, people shouldn't mistake the land of paradise with the land of thumb sucking. Or... pedophiles...
Zing!
______________________________________
JaseH.
Nate @ May 13th 2008 4:06PM
My fiance's remark? "They coulda made it bigger"
Mike @ May 13th 2008 4:35PM
its a thumb how big do you expect it to be?
Da @ May 13th 2008 6:29PM
Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing.
"Get a PS3, everyone will think you've got a small dick!"
Arnon @ May 14th 2008 2:20AM
ROFL Da XD hahaha.
Galley @ May 13th 2008 4:11PM
Another popular gadget blog included the full image in their RSS feed. That's something that can't be unseen.
Dehshizknight @ May 13th 2008 4:13PM
I think the old NeoGeo ads should be used. You know, the one with the two steel balls? Well, it was a magazine ad, but in today's world, it wouldn't garner as much controversy as it had back then.
Man, what is our world coming to...
adolson @ May 13th 2008 4:18PM
...cuz people want to buy products advertised by naked men to begin with.
Devin @ May 13th 2008 4:30PM
That is seriously disgusting.....
Groundskeeper Willie @ May 13th 2008 4:30PM
Austria != Australia
Lordtombot @ May 13th 2008 4:31PM
I don't understand why would anyone think this is a good idea. Sure it attracts a lot of attention, but why would anyone be persuaded to do anything by this poster except to find a way to forcibly remove the mental image.
Ngh, my brain!
*scrunch pop*
Lordtombot @ May 13th 2008 6:09PM
Hold on a tic, I've just read that this is just a concept whipped up by the TBWA.
But even if it wasn't it wouldn't be the first tacky and/or disturbing PS3 ad published.
whistlepig @ May 13th 2008 4:34PM
Ohhhhhhhh JEZZZZZZZZZZZUS CHRIST !
Puntachu @ May 13th 2008 4:36PM
Im just wondering... do we really need a tag for the word "penis" on this site? It's PS3fanboy, for crying out loud. How many articles can that tag possibly reach to?
pavs @ May 13th 2008 4:39PM
its nasty, its stupid, but it has the whole world wide web talking about it, so in a wierd way its working.
Sometimes ads are not about making you want to buy a system. They could just try to get the name of the product into your head. Plus think about how may people will be telling their friends about this "PS3 ad" and if it comes to other media besides playboy, it could spark a large controversy on news channels, which is a great way to get the name of the product out to large non-gamer audience.
Still, I wish I never saw that.
KidQwik @ May 14th 2008 9:15AM
Hahahah, funnnnny! I bet all the people with posts jumping up and down here are just envious of that's guy's finger is bigger than their own penis.
FURIOUS144 @ May 13th 2008 10:11PM
it probally means u could JACK OFF while playing ur PS3 u never know
Hyams @ May 13th 2008 4:46PM
I think it's not actually a bad idea. At a glance, it doesn't look like a thumb, so the natural reaction is to do a double-take. It'll stand out and certainly get people's attention.
Of course, whether or not it'll actually sell any PS3's is a different matter entirely...
Volomon @ May 13th 2008 5:07PM
I would agree with everyone except this ad was in playboy so...target audience?
Jay @ May 13th 2008 5:10PM
wow we have some prudes reading this site.Every man has a penis,why is frontal male nudity seen as nasty. If they replaced a woman's nipples with PSP nubs I would love to see if the comments would be so disgusted.
glenn @ May 13th 2008 5:14PM
does anyone else think that face looks like cristiano ronaldo!?
i guess they are trying to portray playing video games is up there with sex? seeing as you use your thumbs for playing games?
god knows lol.
JerJerBinks @ May 13th 2008 5:18PM
Gives new meaning to the phrase "Thumbs up!"
Phileoca @ May 13th 2008 5:20PM
that's a different type of Playstation
Mikezula @ May 13th 2008 5:21PM
Next up: a woman with analog control sticks for boobas.
Andy @ May 13th 2008 5:25PM
I'm sorry, but I still don't see a thumb in that picture
Wayne @ May 13th 2008 5:28PM
Australian? I'm ashamed...
doc j @ May 13th 2008 6:12PM
No worries, it's Austrian but there's a misprint on the site.
Wayne @ May 13th 2008 6:14PM
In light of recent events in Austria it makes sense.
Tom @ May 13th 2008 5:32PM
This can't be real? Surely? Please?!
Pavel @ May 13th 2008 5:40PM
No kangaroos in Austria...
Jonathan Coole @ May 13th 2008 6:13PM
I GET IT NOW!!! It means think with your thumb as most people think with their dick! stupid as hell but still
eugene @ May 13th 2008 5:47PM
Is that what a real man is supposed to look like?
yomama07024 @ May 13th 2008 5:51PM
Austria, not Australia.
Brodie-san @ May 13th 2008 6:01PM
+1 for Eugene for the Fight Club reference.
Touché!