Obama Puts Ads In EA Sports Video Games; McCain Refuses, Chooses To Put Ads On Side Of Mancala Boards

When Barack Obama refused to take public funds for his Presidential campaign, thus giving him carte blanche to raise and keep all the money he can bring in, we doubt he was thinking about putting ads in video games. Let’s face it, stoners at three in the afternoon playing Madden aren’t your most reliable voting bloc. But here we are, less than a month away from the election that he’s trying to close out, and his campaign has started to leave no digital stone unturned. He’s made an ad deal with EA Sports to run virtual ads within games using Xbox Live to play, like NBA Live 08, Need For Speed: Carbon, NFL Tour, and Skate.

Rockwood said that Obama’s ads are the first presidential advertising to run in Electronic Arts games, which has an audience made largely of young males between 18 and 34. She said that the company accepts ads from “credible advertisers” and that the messages do not reflect the views or policies of the company. She added that one advertising agency that works with Electronic Arts had contacted the McCain campaign about advertising, but that the Republican’s camp passed.

But just because they said no doesn’t mean the McCain camp is forfeiting the video game market. In fact, when you play Billy Graham’s Bible Blaster ‘09 and press C+up+left+down+right (sign of the cross, of course), you get to unlock the Airwolf chopper that let you now down those heathen Democrats like the dirty wolves they are. Either that or you unlock a Curious George cartoon. We never know what those kooky Repubs are up to!
Obama Runs Ads in ‘Madden’ [The Hill]
Image [gamepolitics.com]