Advertising... going... to far??

Have Advertisers Gone to Far?


Commercial messages are set to appear on gravestones across the UK as the first advertising campaign to take place on memorial plaques is today announced by video games company Acclaim Entertainment. Tombstone advertising will form a key element of the marketing campaign for its ShadowMan: 2econd Coming game being released this week on PlayStation 2.

The company is inviting relatives of the recently deceased to contact them if they are interested in subsidising the costs associated with death in return for a small advertisement promoting the cult ShadowMan game. The video games company then plans to erect small billboards and sponsor the headstones of the subsidised dead as a permanent advertisement.

The ShadowMan 2 game allows players to journey to the Deadside as they adopt a character, Mike Le Roi, who seeks to do battle against evil. The imagery on the tombstone ads will feature Le Roi and the game\'s logo.

Shaun White, Communications Manager at Acclaim, said: "The concept of what we\'re calling \'Deadvertising\' is entirely consistent with the theme of the ShadowMan 2econd Coming game and provides us with a permanent presence for our advertising. Content and context are two important principles of marketing ShadowMan."

The company is expecting a rush of enquiries for ShadowMan "deadverts" on gravestones. The company anticipates that it will prove popular with families who could not have otherwise afforded a fitting send off for loved ones.

It seems like that\'s a little over the line, by my personal morals.  Taking advantage of those who can\'t afford a sendoff, and adding a PERMANENT add on something that, even if small and cheap, should be an eternal testiment to the ENTOMBED person - not a videogame.  My opinion, of course.

I agree with you fully, why in the hell would someone even think of this, I could see putting up fake gravestones and ****, in malls and game stores, but  this is a little too far for my standards.

Yeah, right....  this HAS to be fake.  No video game company would want to do this.  Permanent advertisement is not very usefull to the Video Game industry because the quality of games increases each MONTH!!!    Can you imagine seeing a poster for Duck Hunt up forever???  Plus, it\'s not the best target marketing for gamers... How many of you guys actually go to cemetaries and read other peoples\' gravestones on a regular basis???


I think this is either an April fools joke or a publicity stunt for free advertising of the Shadowman game so that people will say "Man, that has to be one Fµcked up game... I gotta get it."