Nigerian government complains about Sony advert
Portrayed as fraudsters
22 September 2009 9:43 GMT / By Duncan Geere
Sony has had its knuckles rapped by the Nigerian government, which complained after a recent PS3 ad featured the phrase "You can't believe everything you read on the internet, otherwise I'd be a Nigerian millionaire by now".
The comment is in reference to so-called 419 scams where web users receive emails from people claiming to be Nigerian royalty or businessmen that need to transfer some money and are willing to pay a sizeable cash incentive in exchange for the user's bank details.
The government reacted angrily to the portrayal, saying "Nigeria demands an unconditional apology from Sony Corporation for this deliberate negative campaign against the country's image and reputation".
"The government sees this as an attempt by Sony Corporation to undermine Nigeria's business interest around the world. This insinuation is in bad faith and unacceptable. The government and the good people of Nigeria reject this unwarranted attack on the reputation and image of the country".
Sony has apologised for any offence caused, saying: "It has come to our attention that a recent TV advertisement for PlayStation may have offended some members of the Nigerian community. We never intended to create a situation that would upset anyone, and we have taken action to immediately remove the advertisement from the air. We apologise to anyone this may have offended".
The advert has been replaced with another version where the salesman now says "You can't believe everything you read on the internet - that's how World War I started". Overreaction from the Nigerian government or a genuine complaint? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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