On January 16, Italian artist Graziano Cecchini pulled off the Sony Bravia colored ball thing on the Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy. He claimed that it was done to bring attention to the situation of the Karen people in Burma, and as a protest against the conditions of artists in Italy.

Like the SONY Bravia ad, he let loose hundreds of thousands of colored balls to create a very dramatic effect. Unlike the ad, he didn't let anyone know about it beforehand. Local authorities weren't amused.