Posts tagged ‘rant’
Microsoft’s New Advertising Option – WTF?
Today at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Microsoft announced its new advertising option for Kinect users. The idea behind “NUads” (natural user-interface ads) is for users to spread ads they see on xbox like a virus through their Twitter or Facebook, making popular social networking sites even more unbearable in the hands of idiotic teens and soccer moms. But really, the way Microsoft advertising GM Mark Kroese described it is, “simply put, NUads break down the barriers between consumers and content on the TV screen. NUads make traditional linear contentโ like a 30 second TV spotโ irresistibly interactive.”
I’m sorry, since when did anyone give a crap about advertisements? Let alone the desire to interact with them? I know I’m not alone when I say that advertisements have and always will be a disruptive and intrusive part of my daily life in terms of when I’m watching television, on the Internet, and especially on my Xbox dashboard.
Some of the ways a user can utilize NUads after seeing an ad they have interest in -
1. When a user says “Xbox tweet,” he or she can immediately tweet something about the brand.
2. Saying “Xbox More” lets users request additional information or a coupon to be emailed to them.
3. Saying “Xbox Near Me” pulls up a Bing map that locates the nearest retailer, and sends the user a text message with the location.
4. Saying “Xbox Schedule” sends the user a calender reminder about an upcoming show.
5. When prompted to vote at the end of an ad, the user can wave his or her hand to give feedback
This video explains more -
Wow. I am excited to never use this. I’m glad I never got a Kinect.
I’m not understanding where a company like Microsoft is getting the idea that its customers would utilize the ability to interact with advertisements. Sorry Microsoft, you completely lost me on this one…