Obama campaign ads in Burnout Paradise

[Carl Herrera]

http://gigaom.com/2008/10/13/confirm...g-on-xbox-360/

Last week we noted unconfirmed sightings of an “Obama for President” billboard in the Xbox 360 racing game Burnout Paradise. Today we’re able to report that it is, in fact, an official advertisement placed by the senator’s campaign team. “I can confirm that the Obama campaign has paid for in-game advertising in Burnout,” Holly Rockwood, director of corporate communications at Electronic Arts, the game’s publisher, told me via email, noting that EA regularly allows ad placements in their online games. “Like most television, radio and print outlets, we accept advertising from credible political candidates,” she continued. “Like political spots on the television networks, these ads do not reflect the political policies of EA or the opinions of its development teams.” To my knowledge, this Burnout ad is far and away the most prominent use of a major online game to promote a presidential candidate’s campaign. There have been near-misses, of course: In 2006, for example, when he was seriously considering a run for the Democratic nomination, ex-Virginia Gov. Mark Warner made an avatar-based appearance at a press conference in Second Life. Of course, detractors could accuse Sen. Obama of sending out mixed messages; earlier this year he was telling audiences that parents need to “turn off the television set, and put the video games away.” Then again, since the Burnout billboard specifically advises gamers to vote early, maybe it’s his subtle way of trying to get them off the couch.

Matter of days before That One shows up in Azeroth?

[LongTimeFan]

They have some in Madden too.

[Carl Herrera]

Originally Posted by LongTimeFan They have some in Madden too.

I guess this is what happens when you opt out of public funding and the spending limits and have to think of more ways to spend all that cash.

I mean, it's not like he has to spend $121K paying off a mistress like that Congressional Democratic candidate in Florida.

[ghettocheeze]

Sweet now if they could only get a character skin of Obama in GTA then I am sold on his campaign.

[Nice Rollin]

Originally Posted by ghettocheeze Sweet now if they could only get a character skin of Obama in GTA then I am sold on his campaign.

i bet the mccain campaign counters with that, so those racists in his crowds can virtually "kill him"

[Carl Herrera]

All Your Gamers Are Belong to Us:

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM10...reenshots.html

Slightly creepy, actually.

[BigBenito]

Wowzer, that's a lot of product placement. Any movies?

(And I love that they stress early voting... he knows gamers are lazy bastards.)

[pppbigppp]

I think it's neat. :D



no photoshop

[pppbigppp]

[JeffB]

Originally Posted by Carl Herrera I guess this is what happens when you opt out of public funding and the spending limits and have to think of more ways to spend all that cash.

That was a smart move by Obama, given his campaign's ability to raise funds and once it was clear that McCain and the RNC wasn't going to call off the 527s -- one of the primary channels through which they usually outspend Democrats. The rules of the public financing system are such that Democrats can't compete with the ability of the RNC to game the public financing system. To take the limits imposed by pubic financing was to nix one of his biggest strengths and fall into the trap of by not having the ability to counter the RNC and 527 attacks as he has done thus far.

Republicans are using every wrinkle and loophole in — ironically — the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law to try to keep pace and stretch their spending power. The RNC is feverishly raising cash to augment McCain’s $85 million allotment from the taxpayer-backed presidential campaign financing account. The party headquarters is expected to spend $19 million in coordinated campaign activities with McCain and another $45 million in hybrid ads that promote McCain and other Republican candidates. The tactic, which was introduced by the Bush-Cheney reelection committee in 2004, allows a 50-50 split on ad costs for the RNC and McCain. But the results can be messy since the candidate isn’t in full control of his own message. McCain’s much-anticipated first ad attacking Obama’s ties to former domestic terrorist Bill Ayers was widely panned because it also included an attack on congressional Democrats over federal spending, a muddling of messages deemed necessary to justify the RNC’s portion of the costs. Even if the messaging went smoothly, though, the financial maneuvering would still only boost McCain’s spending to about $150 million for the general election. The remaining spending gaps will have to be filled by the RNC with independent expenditures and transfers of cash to state party operations for swing-state voter turnout operations. According to Federal Election Commission disclosure forms, about $11 million has already been doled out by the RNC to seven states, most of which are in presidential battlegrounds. But Obama’s recent purchase of two 30-minute blocks of time on two national networks — which could cost about $1 million apiece and negotiations are continuing with two other networks — has many Republicans worrying that they are up against an even bigger machine than they’d imagined. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14572.html

That said... seeing ads in video games as always annoyed me and seeing political ads, even for the candidate I support, is just surreal.

[pouhe]

Ugh, no thanks. If there are one or two places people deserve a break from politics, it's in their video games and professional wrestling. Can you imagine a Clayton Williams ad in Ninja Gaiden II?

[Uprising]

Originally Posted by JeffB That said... seeing ads in video games as always annoyed me

Me too, but seeing political ads is just surreal.

[Landlord Landry]

Originally Posted by pppbigppp

is that a Utah Jazz crowd?