The ad itself featured a character named Kovac who was brandishing a weapon and beside him, the words "Kovac mercenary or misunderstood?". Additionally, the PS3 had a tagline that read "This is living". The ASA felt that this direct relation to the violent images displayed and Sony's tagline for the PS3 envoked a sense that brandishing a gun and being misunderstood is a celebrated way of life. The ASA received several complaints and began and investigation that led to the decision that Sony had broken advertising rules by relating responsibility and violence.
The ASA directed sony that all future adverts must feature an amendment to avoid similar incidents from happening. No word yet on what this amendment should contain. When asked, a Sony representative responded with, "We acknowledge the recent ASA ruling in relation to the PlayStation 3 brand advertisement and the recommendation contained within."
EDIT: The offending advert can be found here
Source:
IGN
Written by: Dave Horvath @ 8 Aug 2007 8:04
