Mad Men: The Video Game?!

image from Nerve.com

According to a source that reported this to Joystiq, Lionsgate has registered the trademark for a Mad Men video game.

My knee jerk reaction strictly as a gamer is, "This is going to suck." Licensed games still have a bad rap of being poor quality, and as of now, I haven't seen any proof that this will be any good. Am I unfairly treating this as, "Guilty until proven innocent,"? Maybe. But if you've followed the history of crappy licensed games, you probably would too. Heck, I'm still reeling from having paid $2.00 for a copy of E.T. for the Atari 2600, the game that set the standard for crappy licensed video games.

I got a 90% discount on this game, and I'm still pissed

But let's look at it from an advertising perspective. Games based on jobs is a hot trend right now, with popular games based on surgeons, cooks, lawyers and more. I think if someone really wanted to do an advertising game that appealed to a mass audience while respecting the business, it wouldn't be out of the question.

I think if we were to use a game as a template, something along the lines of Phoenix Wright in terms of interface and feel I think could capture the drama of the ad business while making it accessible enough for anyone to play. That particular style of game would definitely lend itself to an account services focused game. I could even see a media planner/buyer simulator working in the vein of the Tycoon series of games where you plan out an ad campaign and purchase the media vehicles you need and see if it works.

However, capturing the creativity of making your own ads within a video game I think would prove difficult. How would you make a game where you could create your own ads without it just being "Creative Suite: The Video Game"? And how would a computer judge the effectiveness of one of your ads? The level of subjectivity I think would be too much for a computer to handle.

I'll keep you updated on any developments on this story. As a gamer and an adlander, I'm hoping for the best, but I'm not holding my breath. Do you have any ideas on how to make an advertising video game?

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Wendy's Bid For Value Makes Me Want A Baconator

Today on Joystiq, they posted an article about Wendy's "0.99 Cent Bid For Value" promotion and micro site. While it's ultimate goal is to promote the value options on the Wendy's menu (I must admit though that Baconator is worth every penny), it's also running a great reverse auction promotion to drive people to the site and register.

What users do is, they answer trivia questions to knock down the bid until its $0.99. The first person to answer enough questions to get the bid down to $0.99 then gets to purchase the prize for ...$0.99.

They've picked out some great prizes, from autographed sports memorabilia, to spy camera glasses, to an ultimate game room that includes an XBOX 360, a big screen plasma TV and an Ultimate Game Chair. I've always scoffed at owning such a ridiculous piece of furniture, but I can't help but say, "I'd buy that for a dollar!"

Nothing to knock about this campaign. I love how it fully integrates its target market insights, product insights, campaign concept and application of online tools into one tight package. They even allow users to get updates on the next auction through Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, as well as the ability to share the page with their friends.

Anybody else hungry for a Baconator?

image from Robonator

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