This ad for the promotional partnership between Battlefield 4 and Axe is so bad it makes me want to punch a dog.
I’ve never played Battlefield, and I’ve never worn Axe. There’s no connection between the two, it’s entirely coincidental, but this cross-branding advertisement has me feeling pretty good about the choices I’ve made regarding these particular products.
The promo itself is fairly straightforward: Buy Battlefield-labeled Axe products at Walmart and get “exclusive” in-game content for Battlefield 4. There are also randomly drawn prizes including copies of the game, licensed merchandise, tablets and a trip to Germany to check out Gamescom. And all you have to do is buy some Axe.
To be completely fair, I don’t have anything against people who wear Axe, at least not specifically for their choice to wear Axe, but I do find this promotion, and the ad for it, a little off. Well, really off, I suppose. Wildly so. Like, when Napoleon invaded Russia and told Josephine, “Look, don’t sweat it, I’ll be home by next Tuesday?” That kind of off.
Is anyone surprised that this comes from EA? I suppose we should be happy that at least Axe is less likely to kill people than, say, a Magpul assault rifle – remember that schmozzle? – but it’s still disappointing to realize that this is the kind of thing EA thinks will appeal to a broad swath of mainstream gamers.
Somebody bring me a dog.
