Soon, you might be able to show your red (or blue) colors on your digital lawn. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that social media consulting firm Campaign Solutions is working to bring political campaigns into Facebook games, namely Zynga's FarmVille. Michael Hendrix, a consultant for the firm working on Rep. Michele Bachmann's, R-Minn., presidential ad campaign, is at the helm.
"We'll throw out four or five different messages targeting different demographics," Hendrix told the San Francisco Chronicle. "You're trying to figure out which message will drive a higher response." After working with advertising tools created by Facebook to directly target Bachmann's (a Tea Party supporter) demographic, his next message is said to hit FarmVille later this year.
The consultant has "written software" that will allow players to campaign for their candidate of choice by visiting their friends' farms spreading the message. FarmVille players will also be able to place yard signs on their farms, showing support for their favorite candidate. "The majority of social gamers are stay-at-home moms over 38," said Hendrix to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The consultant hopes to use FarmVille "to target soccer moms again." According to the report, Hendrix is looking squarely at Republican supporters in his campaign. However, nothing is said of whether Campaign Solutions's efforts will include support for Democratic candidates.
We'd imagine that, if this campaign were to actually happen in FarmVille, it would have to appeal to both sides of the political spectrum. Otherwise, players might get the impression that Zynga itself is expressing its support one way or the other. Zynga has yet to mention any collaboration with this firm, so we've contacted the company for comment.
