Filed under: Comment
This is going to be a short post, simply because I’m in so much shock, I don’t think I can pad it out with my usual bollocks.
As many of you know, I’ve worked on SONY in the past – and one of my big achievements was getting them to adopt our ‘FEEL’ positioning.
Well, all good things must come to an end and SONY have just announced their new corporate end line.
Are you ready for it?
Make.Believe
Yes, that’s right … MAKE BELIEVE … in other words, SONY make products that are one big fat lie/exaggeration/delusion.
Who said there was no truth in advertising anymore??
In all seriousness, WHAT THE FUCK WERE THEY THINKING?
I know someone has told them that having a fullstop between the words makes all the difference, but it doesn’t – and whoever came up with this blatant stupidity [and I have my suspicions] should go and kill themselves immediately, just like all the SONY shareholders who are in for a very long and cold winter before they receive some dividends from their investment.
To be fair, the idea behind the line is alright.
Of course it means SONY have to actually go back to their innovation roots and stop churning out averageness … but as an underlying idea, it works – even though it’s very similar to many other technology brands.
However putting that aside – and the fact I think it has more relevance to certain SONY divisions than the company as a whole – I’m still pretty devastated by it all.
Not because they have moved away from our thinking/work [to be honest, they never embraced it as much as they should/could/said] but because this is a brand I love/d and if they can think this stupid endline sends out a positive message to an ever increasing skeptical audience, then I doubt they’ll be able to identify good and innovative products in the future.
Let’s hope the next incarnation of what they do doesn’t end up being summed up as SONY.DEAD
PS: It’s still a pretty long post isn’t it!
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The full-stop between words is the pinnacle of wankerdom, built on the non-ee-cummings pinheads who think it’s really fricking artsy and novel to not use capital letters. I swear to God that the next thing that will come up is people using typed-over, Derrida-style writing. And I agree – “make believe” with or without punctuation is a crap tag-line for anything other than Disneyland.
Comment by Ella September 18, 2009 @ 6:22 amperhaps sony and the home affairs department of hong kong should get together and come up with some new technology for hearing and reading disabilities.
http://www.had.gov.hk/en/anti_drug.htm
“Anti-Youth drug abuse”
Download the excel document to be furthered appalled by the “Summer Youth Porgramme”
and i *love* how the time for the named activities is “not applicable” – so the home affairs acknowledges that “youth got dreams, youth got talents” (one of the summer “porgrammes”) but they can’t apply a time for it?
make.believe
Comment by sky tao September 18, 2009 @ 6:39 amhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
haha
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
make.stupid
twats.
Comment by andy@cynic September 18, 2009 @ 7:14 amnow now, settle petal. we cant go labeling these people as mental midgets – they ARE the home affairs department afterall.
*eyeroll maximus*
Comment by sky tao September 18, 2009 @ 7:21 amMake.Stupid
That’s the perfect encapsulation of the brands attitude … or should I say, behaviour. You’re becoming more ‘planner-like’ everyday Andy, ha!
Talking of ‘make.stupid’, you should see some of the wool/bullshit some of the speakers at the SPIKES are trying to pull over the delegates eyes. Maybe some of them genuinely believe what they’re saying – which in that case means they are doomed – however if, as I suspect, they’re just spouting the industries corporate line, then they should be charged with perjury because there’s no way they can’t see the real picture of what is going on.
Of course I have tried to play my part in injecting some healthy cynicism, but who the fuck listens to me – except the poor sods who made the mistake of being in the hall when I had the mic in my hand, hahaha.
Comment by Rob September 18, 2009 @ 7:31 amI think he was talking about SONY …
But as he is an equal-opportunity insulter, I am sure the HK Home Affairs people can take comfort in his abuse too.
Comment by Rob September 18, 2009 @ 7:33 amI think the problem is that Sony didn’t do any thinking. Total.rubbish
Comment by Pete September 18, 2009 @ 9:27 amI prefer commas.
Comment by jamiethepigeon September 18, 2009 @ 1:59 pmYou would have thought a company that big could afford to get their grammar checked no?
Comment by northern September 18, 2009 @ 2:52 pmSony has had a horrible time product wise for most of this decade. Bad initial MP3 players with stupid Atrac limitations, missing the LCD boat. The only bright spot has been Playstation, and they damaged that severely by gambling it in the HD format wars.
Sony have always been the innovators with brilliant products. Apple before apple (hence why FEEL was so good). Their products are picking up again, but unless they plan on living up to their heritage I don’t see the point in this change.
Comment by Rob Mortimer September 18, 2009 @ 4:17 pmThat tag line needs editing.
May I humbly suggest that it could be reduced to:
.
Comment by Chris September 18, 2009 @ 4:38 pmThat’s good chris. I like that.
Sony .
Comment by jamiethepigeon September 18, 2009 @ 4:50 pmnot too verbose? I hope they’re ready for their invoice.
Comment by Chris September 18, 2009 @ 4:55 pmno, no, no Chris. A full stop is perfect and worth every pennny.
Comment by jamiethepigeon September 18, 2009 @ 5:12 pmThe choice of font is still a worry.
Comment by Chris September 18, 2009 @ 5:20 pmWhat about So.ny
It represents the heritage of the brand (SO) and mixes it with their new centre of power which isn’t Tokyo, but CEO Howard Stringer’s home. (NY)
If Apple doesn’t work out I think I’ve just written my job application for landor.
PS- I love that northern is talking about grammar
Comment by Bazza September 18, 2009 @ 5:31 pmDon’t be silly Bazza.
Comment by jamiethepigeon September 18, 2009 @ 5:51 pmBaz.za
Comment by jamiethepigeon September 18, 2009 @ 5:51 pmOK, Jamiethepig.eon
Comment by Bazza September 18, 2009 @ 5:53 pmHow.about.we.just.replace.all.spaces.with.full.stops?.It.certainly.looks.the.part.
Comment by Rob Mortimer September 18, 2009 @ 5:54 pmvery true – what are they thinking? i am having problems to think what make.believe could stand for, except some shortened corporate mantra. also, to believe is a bit much to ask if you are trying to sell electronic stuff and not god or something
Comment by peggy September 18, 2009 @ 9:39 pmoh.my.god.
sony are going to have fun with this one over the next few years, aren’t they? i can kinda see where they’re going with it, but it’s still about vernacular. and vernacular is only determined by the people.
surely it’s better to aim for longevity. actually, surely it’s better for no tagline at all, right? everyone should know by now what the fuck sony is about and if they don’t, well, that’s the problem. not the bloody tagline.
oh, and i think i might just be one of ella’s “non-ee-cummings pinheads who think it’s really fricking artsy and novel to not use capital letters.” seeing as i never capitalise anything and think capitalising is ugly and old-fashioned. but i’m ok with that. 🙂
Comment by lauren September 18, 2009 @ 10:49 pmBETTER.THAN.SHOUTING.ALL.THE.TIME.LAUREN. 🙂
Comment by Rob Mortimer September 18, 2009 @ 11:28 pmactually, i d have liked derrida to deconstruct make.believe and the sony text. maybe that would ve brought some more clarity haha… though, writing that might just be a make-believe to show again that i don t use capital letters, unless i absolutely do have to. no offense, ella. and then i ve always liked to confuse people who are into punctuation and kerning. have a good we yall 🙂
Comment by peggy September 19, 2009 @ 12:15 amYeah”Ihate;punctuation!nazi?s
Comment by Rob Mortimer September 19, 2009 @ 12:24 amhttp://tinyurl.com/qzpn7c
Comment by peggy September 19, 2009 @ 12:41 ampeople who use capitals are fucking conformists and who the fuck wants to be that unless theyre 4 fucking legged and have wool all over their arse. the sony thing is a bunch of arse, even a fucking blind twat can tell that but have you seen campbell in all his ranting glory?
http://blog.media.asia/spikesasia/sometimes-adland-really-pisses-me-off-by-robert-angry-campbell/
why the fuck isnt he like that on here? who fucking cares, hes goading the whole one dimensional fucking industry and i love him again
Comment by andy@cynic September 19, 2009 @ 1:38 amjust found out that i m going to check out a “typo forum party” tomorrow night. wtf?! 🙂
i haven t participated in the workshop, though i think people have missed an opportunity when they decided not to go and see sir ken, but some ad thing. as you said rob, he is inspiring. and i ve only seen videos yet. i have to admit i m a little envious : )
Comment by peggy September 19, 2009 @ 4:53 amfor the next 48 hours, because of that media mag post, campbell is in my fucking good books. itll last just until his bollocks hits this blog on monday.
where are you campbell, you need to enjoy this rare moment of praise.
Comment by andy@cynic September 19, 2009 @ 10:56 amI too, have had some thoughts on SONY.
http://jamiethepigeon.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/some-thoughts-on-sony-as-a-brand/
Comment by jamiethepigeon September 19, 2009 @ 4:32 pmI’m eating a pie.
Comment by Angus September 21, 2009 @ 10:33 am