Swipe Me, Touch Me, Command Me: Microsoft Shows Kinect-Powered ITV Ads on Xbox by Steve Smith

Well, now I am going to have to dig that long-unused Xbox Kinect full-body controller out of its box somewhere and reconnect the gadget that took last holiday shopping season by storm. Frankly, after jumping my way through a few test games, me and my family pretty much forgot about that black bar and mess of extra wires sitting beneath our HDTV. And when we moved our home a month ago and didn't' unpack the Kinect, no one seemed to notice. But this week in Cannes, Microsoft gave me a reason to reconnect my Kinect, at least for another test ...Read the whole story

  • Microsoft Socializes Voice In Xbox Ads, Users Share Spots by Laurie Sullivan

    Microsoft has been working to bring voice and gesture controls to ads on the Xbox through the Kinect game controller. The platform will allow users to share ads through social media, get more information about products, and communicate with others through voice commands. ...Read the whole story

  • automotive Chevy Dangles Bowl In Route 66 Film Contest by Karl Greenberg

    "This is really a global effort, and we are excited how this will be interpreted by filmmakers in places like China and Russia. The fact is, the more we look at this brand globally, we see a lot of the same foundations; our customers have a lot more in common than you might think." ...Read the whole story

Moving Beyond GRPs: The New Metrics For Digital Video by TS Kelly

GRPs are a funny thing. Despite near-universal agreement on their lack of precision (both online & offline), they remain the de facto standard currency in television and, presently, for digital video. Yet despite the current advantages of GRPs, marketers should tread carefully when using basic GRP calculations for evaluating digital video campaigns. Though in theory it seems straightforward to simply port :15- or :30-second spots from broadcast TV into digital environments, marketers risk losing significant detail and precision if relying solely on GRPs for calculating potential audience reach. ...More

  • The Cross-Platform Report: TV's Doing All Right -- For Now by Gary Holmes

    Having seen what digital media did to the music and newspaper businesses, the television industry has understandably viewed the Internet with a certain amount of dread. The fear has long been that viewers will start watching television shows online and bypassing the traditional cable, satellite and over-the-air broadcast platforms. This, in turn, would undermine the industry's ad-supported business model. With the release of Nielsen's new Cross-Platform Report, television executives can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for another quarter. Despite a few warning signs, the report indicates that for now at least, traditional television remains king. ...More

  • The Killing: Did Twitter Change The History Of The Universe (You'll Have To Wait Until Fall)? by Karen Herman

    It's official. Here's my favorite headline of the 2010-2011 TV season: "The Killing: Worst Season Finale in the History of the Universe?" That gem was the header of Portland Mercury's editor in-chief Wm. Steven Humphrey's recent blog post. ...More

  • Mobile Video Ad Market Actually 5x Bigger Than Analysts Think by Dan Mosher

    The mobile video market has grown so rapidly over the last six months that it has caught a lot of folks off guard. As a result, research firms such as eMarketer are underestimating current and projected mobile video advertising revenue by a significant factor. Most of these firms expect revenue from mobile video advertising to hit $50 million for the 2011 calendar year, but I believe this number could be closer to $250 million. That's five times current industry expectations. ...More