Xbox launches gesture controlled ads

Lynx, Toyota and Samsung are the first brands to take advantage of Microsoft’s “game-changing” NUads platform for Xbox that uses Kinect gesture control to make ads interactive.

Lynx

Xbox says the NUads platform “transforms standard TV ads into engaging experiences” by allowing users to use the voice and gesture controls on Xbox 360 to control the ads.

Unilever will adapt its Lynx brand’s cops and robbers themed ad for Lynx Attract – its first fragrance for women – to ask users whether the Lynx Effect should be given to girls. Viewers can then answer yes or no using Kinect’s gesture controls.

Toyota will use its “Reinvented” ad that ran during the 2012 Superbowl to ask viewers what they would like to reinvent. The car marque then plans to use the feedback from users to inform the direction of future campaigns.

The ads will appear on Xbox Live this autumn.

Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox Live Entertainment and Advertising, says: “NUads marks the beginning of a new era for TV advertising. It delivers the one thing traditional TV advertising is missing – engagement.

“We developed NUads to breathe new life into the standard 30-second spot. With NUads, brands can get real-time feedback from audiences, making TV advertising actionable for the first time.”

Babs Rangaiah, vice president of global media innovation at Lynx owner Unilever, adds that the platform will help establish a dialogue with consumers.

He says: “NUads and the gesture and voice-based Kinect technology have great potential for creativity. What we’re seeing now is at the very early stages of what we could do. And as always, we’re keen to continue to explore more ways of inviting our consumers to get involved with our brands.”

Recommended