Advertisements in video games are nothing new – its a booming industry for marketers and companies around the world are taking advantage of it. It doesn’t surprise us at Sony Insider that politicians are now using in-game advertising to reach gamers. Gamers sometimes represent an oversensitive and media-centric demographic that is difficult for politicians to influence as the majority of such are apathetic towards such matters. Not all gamers are like this, though. Some care, some watch the debates, read all the political articles and have chosen their preferred news source (like CNN or Fox News). If anything, the games they play are a safe haven from politics.
According to GamePolitics, Barack Obama is using Burnout Paradise on the PS3 and XBox360 as a way to reach the gamer demographic by using advertising space on the billboards in the game. This indirect method of advertising has generated mild interest amongst the press, but really represents a new era of political marketing that could have long lasting effects for future political campaigns. The advertisement notes that “Early Voting Has Begun,” features a rather prolific picture of Obama, and his website address www.voteforchange.com.
So, next time you barreling through a city street and destroy a heap of cars, trucks, and other objects keep an eye out for the Obama billboard.
