PSP graffiti spotted in US
Is Sony responsible for it?
Some rather interesting graffiti has started appearing in cities across America, depicting funky looking characters mucking about with PSPs.
The graffiti has been spotted in LA, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago - you can take a look at some photos of it over on Flickr.
The question is, how did the graffiti get there? Is there really a PSP-loving graffiti artist running all over the country, or has Sony commissioned someone to do it as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign?
Some disgruntled city residents reckon the latter scenario is most likely - and they're not happy about it.
In an email to tech website Popgadget, one angry lady going by the name of Michelle wrote: "Is anyone else concerned that Sony Playstation paid someone to vandalise our neighborhood to sell its latest toy, the PSP?
"I called the city today to have the stencils on the back of Juan's Market painted over. For some strange reason, I'd rather see my friendly local gang lay claim to that wall then have it given over to some crappy corporation and its urban marketing campaign."
Michelle's not buying Sony's claims it had nothing to do with it, either. "It's quite obviously an advertisement, but when I called Playstation Consumer Services this morning, [the representative] claimed to know nothing about the campaign. I guess there's just some clever youngster out here that just really LOVES the PSP and wants the whole world to know about it..."
A picture has also appeared on US site Wooster Collective which appears to back up the theory that Sony is responsible. According to the caption the photograph, which was taken in Philadelphia, "shows a dude hired by Sony (or their ad agency). Using a set of prints that the company has sent him, he's copying the images from the campaign onto the wall.
"It seems that a group of "artists" all over the country have been sent these prints... And a cheque."
So far no PSP graffiti has been spotted in Europe - but keep your eyes peeled...