Onestop Media Group has joined the Toronto mayoralty race. The digital out-of-home shop doesn’t have an election platform, but instead it has a video game.
Onestop today launched “Mayor Munch,” a Pac-Manesque online game intended to attract and engage young voters in the upcoming election. Users are asked to play as one of five selected mayoral candidate–George Smitherman, Rocco Rossi, Rob Ford, Sarah Thomson and Joe Pantalone–while the other four candidates act as Pac-Man ghosts, chasing players around the game maze. By choosing a candidate to play as, users participate in a online poll.
“This is really about having a bit of fun as the race is getting down to the wire and the news is full of candidates talking about their platforms and campaigns,” said Michael Girgis, Onestop Media president and CEO. “It’s also about keeping voting top of mind in a fun and engaging way, targeting a younger demographic. As they’re playing the game, hopefully they’ll think about the fact they should get out and vote.”
The game site is being promoted to over 2 million people using Onestop’s digital out of home networks in the subway system, Toronto District School Board and in its residential high-rise buildings across Toronto. As an added incentive, players that register to vote and play are eligible to win a 50-inch HD television.
Girgis said that the new game is also a way for the agency to demonstrate its new capabilities, since Onestop Media has expanded its offerings from digital OOH to online and soon mobile.
