Microsoft’s Kinect sensor has surely changed the realm of tech world in more than one ways. Kinect is one of the best motion-sensor devices that are currently available and while Microsoft initially launched it for its game console, Xbox, the company is now finding newer and better applications for the technology. One of such applications is the NUads.
Imagine you are a content producer who creates an ad for the TV. You want to know how the audience reacts to the ad. Somehow, you are able to know how many of the viewers were attracted to the ad, how many lost interest at what point and which group of audience likes which specifics ads. While that sounds extra-ordinary and almost impossible, it is now quite possible with Microsoft’s NUads and its Kinect sensor.
According to Lyn Watts, a Microsoft manager, “During the Super Bowl, you’re watching TV, some great ads pop up. You say something like, ‘Xbox share,’ it’ll share automatically, on Facebook or Twitter, whatever you like. Advertisers are really impressed by this.”
These NUads, which will essentially make use of the Kinect technology, will become available by the late Spring, according to Microsoft. These ads can truly change the world of advertising, specifically in the context of TV.
Advertisers have been wanting to make TV and TV ads more interactive for the users. They want to know how users react to their ads. Not only will it help them gain valuable feedback, it will also enables to improve their ads and create far more effective ones. But one major problem with this is that it may infringe on user’s privacy.
Like Watts says, “How many people are in the living room? Are they taking any action based on the advertising they just saw? Can we watch the customers’ reaction, and if we can, do we have the capability of showing a different ad, or the same ad, depending on what the reaction was?” And if all this can be recorded by NUads, users may grow concerned about their privacy.
And that is precisely why, according to Watts, Microsoft is trying to tell Kinect developers to fully disclose to the users what they are signing up for. Microsoft has a fairly good record when it comes to guarding user’s privacy and that is well nuanced in a statement issued by Microsoft on the issue.
According to the company, “With respect to privacy, Xbox 360 and Xbox Live do not use any information captured by Kinect for advertising targeting purposes and NUads is no exception. Microsoft has a strong track record of implementing some of the best privacy protection measures in the industry. We place great importance on the privacy of our customers’ information and the safety of their experiences.”
Source: CNET
Courtesy: The Verge
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