The other "more sinister" ad, depicts a gamer giving a blood transfusion to...are you ready....a Nazi(GASP). The Nazi in question is supposed to be Erwin Rommel, a German field marshal whose humane treatment of captive soldiers and refusal to kill Jewish civilians made him a fairly respected military figure. Still, people will see a swastika and freak out.
The ads, I admit, are a little confusing. From what I can tell, it seems like they're trying to sell the "You're giving life to the game" type of tag line. I get it, and it's some badass artwork. But in an instant information age, companies must realize that just because an advertisement is safe to print in one country, that it won't be controversial in another country that it also does business.
Sony has a history of publishing questionable ads in areas outside the U.S. They were very successful, but in the the states they were considered distasteful, lewd, and borderline racist.
These campaigns may have worked 15 or 20 years ago, but in an internet age, when an ad is printed in a magazine or shown on TV, it's on Flickr or Youtube within a half hour. The world will see it and make their opinions, and sales will rise or suffer.
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