'Win tickets to the Millennium Films with Sony Ericsson!' With these words have the mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson, and the Swedish RIX FM -Radio Channel been enticing young visitors to their site.
Thanks to a sharp-eyed visitor, it was discovered that the chance to win tickets is not all the site has to offer: Flashing almost too fast to notice, the screen repeated a political message between the frames: 'Down with Palestine!'
According to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, the Sony Ericsson head of PR, Gustav Brusewitz, said the message is a part of a Unix code (sic) that has been copied and pasted from the internet without cleaning it up.
'In this case it is extremely subtle and hard to discover. We just have to blame it on the human element.' I.e. Sony Ericsson shrug their shoulders and consider this not a big deal. Aftonbladet article makes no mention of an apology.
In Swedish rhetoric, blaming the human element is as saying 'to err is human.' Sony Ericsson is thus hiding from accountability behind an abstract cliche, as though their negligence and their lack of professionalism were an act of God.
Should a global corporation with with an audience of billions accept the responsibility for the message they broadcast? Or do you agree with Sony Ericsson, that just saying 'oops!' is a proper response?
Well, Mr Brusewitz, Take this: 'Down with Sony Ericsson!'
Oops! did I say that?
News of Sweden Links:
Aftonbladet: Det dolda budskapet i Sony Ericssons spel
