What's a person to do if they desire a PSP and the shopping frenzy that is Christmas is rapidly approaching? Write a letter to Santa? Casually leave store flyers and magazines opened to just the right spot on the kitchen table?

Or, perhaps, start a fake viral campaign?

According to a scathing report on VideoGamesBlogger.com, a PR firm called Zipatoni was hired by Sony to create a blog-like advertising website at alliwantforxmasisapsp.com. The site is supposedly run by "charlie & jeremy", who are trying to get Jeremy's folks to buy him a PSP for Christmas:

we started clowning with sum not-so-subtle hints to j’s parents that a psp would be teh perfect gift. we created this site to spread the luv to those like j who want a psp!

Zipatoni even used their own company name to register alliwantforxmasisapsp.com. Complete with DIY PSP cutouts with no screen (presumably so you can pretend to play it on the bus?), iron-on T-shirt designs, PSP-themed greeting cards, a poster that says "this is not an ad, it's a reminder", and a rap video about wanting a PSP.

VideoGamesBlogger even alleges that Zipatoni employees posted links to the rap video on Kotaku.com and GamesRadar, in an attempt to generate traffic to the site:

Good call on DJ max. Regarding music: if changes were to be made for westerners, this guy should be considered: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJxIWUKM0hQ - LOLZ

This isn't the first time Sony has employed a P.R. firm to fake a grassroots movement of PSP fans. In 2005 Sony paid store owners to allow PSP-themed graffiti on their buildings as part a viral marketing campaign. The stunt insulted gamers and outraged municipal officials.

On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that the FTC would be warning companies about so-called "word-of-mouth" ad campaigns. The government watchdog agency said that such practices could be deceptive if the consumer was led to believe the product recommendation came from an independent 3rd party. The warning wasn't in direct response to the PSP campaign, but follows a rise in popularity of the marketing gimmick amongst advertisers.

- Wanting nothing for Xmas but a stop to all the annoying ad campaigns, GP Correspondent Colin "Jabrwock" McInnes