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NUads video demonstrates how your Kinect will get you to watch TV ads
Microsoft posted a preview clip of its "NUads," which isn't quite as filthy as it sounds. Not in the way you're thinking, anyway. "NUads" are like television advertisements, presented through the Xbox 360 dashboard, that feature Kinect voice interactivity. Or, as Microsoft's sparklingly corporate text describes it, "NUads transform standard 30-second TV spots into engaging and actionable experiences using the power of voice and gesture controls of Kinect for Xbox 360."The example shown takes an existing Toyota ad, and overlays a cutesy poll. This is just a proof of concept, and we might see them grow more interactive and perhaps even useful after the program launches this fall, but right now it appears to be a simplistic overlay of busywork designed to "engage" people in the ad just enough to make sure they're watching it. This is a very exciting development for advertisers, and something that is, for now, mercifully optional for the rest of us – those of us who didn't buy Kinects for the sole purpose of making ourselves more effective targets for ads.
Microsoft will roll out Kinect-enabled NUads on Xbox 360 this fall (video)
Microsoft's Xbox Live Advertising team first showed off its highly interactive NUads platform at the Cannes festival last year, and today announced they will start rolling out to Xbox 360s this fall. The first advertisers up are Toyota, Unilever and Samsung Mobile USA with Kinect-enabled ads that let viewers respond to questions after a 30-second spot by voice or gesture. According to Microsoft this is great because viewers can easily see real time stats of how others are voting and advertisers get immediate feedback. While we've all wanted to shout down an ad at some point (just look out the window Zooey, seriously) there's probably going to be a contingent that thinks letting advertisers accumulate data from behind that Kinect camera lens is a little creepier than they'd like. Check out Microsoft's pitch for the tech in press release and video form after the break.
Microsoft's NUAds interactive advertising to harness powers of Kinect, 'change television as we know it'
The folks over at Microsoft Advertising are quite fond of their latest brainchild, so much so that they're calling the Kinect-enabled advertising platform "irresistibly interactive." NUAds -- which snaked the NU in NUI -- feeds off our need for interactivity, allowing advertisers to lure us in by enabling points of gesture and voice control. Think the latest Snuggie spot is super cool? Just say "Xbox, Tweet," and all your friends will know it. Want to know more about Mariah Carey's latest fragrance? Say "Xbox, More," and the info is all yours. Wondering where you can pick up a box of Nad's edible hair remover? Say "Xbox, Near Me," and you'll get a text with the location of the closest Nad's retailer. Want to vote on the hottest new Bratz doll? Give your girl a thumbs up. So Microsoft may have engaged a host of more respectable partners, namely Adidas, NBC, and Coca Cola, for its demo of the voice and gesture-enabled advertising platform yesterday, and NUAds does indeed serve up promotions in an entirely new way, but will it really change how we view the boob tube for good? Check out the video demo after the break, and weigh in the comments below.
Kinect voice and gesture ads present a terrifying future
Microsoft has officially revealed Nuads, a new advertising platform for the 360 dashboard which allows advertisers to add Kinect functionality to their ads. Here's how Microsoft's Mark Kroese presented it, related in horrifying detail by Edge: His demonstration contained five suggestions for how advertisers can make use of the technology: social advocacy, in which an advert can be shared by the user simply saying "Xbox tweet"; request for information, where saying "Xbox more" will result in further details or discount codes being emailed to the user; near me, which will send a text message with directions to a nearest retailer when prompted with "Xbox near"; calendar reminders in response to "Xbox schedule"; and gesture-controlled voting. Kroese notes, however, that "the possibilities for advertisers are almost endless." Alright! Cool tech, guys! But hey, we just want to be super clear about this: The first time the 360 listens to us order dinner and surreptitiously decides we want to tweet about the new "fresher, bolder flavor of Papa John's classic pizza sauce," we're going to smash the Kinect into little pieces and feed it to a goat. Just a heads up, you know, between friends.
