Date: 24th November 2000

No "Ho Ho Ho" From Sony For Ads


Sony Electronics has yanked a new set of six TV commercials for its SonyStyle Web site that sells Sony consumer electronics devices, CDs and home videos, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition today (Friday), citing an executive with knowledge of the situation.

The decision came after one unidentified cable network refused to carry the spots, in which a cruel gang of thugs kidnap Santa Claus, blindfold him and force him to participate in a series of games. Each ad is tagged "We have Santa. Shop at SonyStyle.com or there will be no Xmas."

The spots were created by the ad agency Young and Rubicam. Grace Arnold, a spokeswoman for Sony Electronics, told the WSJ that after assessing feedback for the spots, the company grew "concerned that consumers might misinterpret the edginess and irreverence of the campaign and may even be offended."

Source: Studio Briefing