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Expect more ads on Xbox Live

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Nuads

I don’t know how many of you local Xbox gamers use the UK, or US Xbox Live services over the local one; but if there’s just one thing that makes our own service better, it’s the relative lack of in-your-face advertising. On the international services, it’s plastered all over the dashboard; not only slowing it down, but also using your bandwidth. On a paid service! Ludicrous. Anyway, expect more of that.

Microsoft’s been so pleased with its new advertising platform – something they like to call NUads – that they’re planning on increasing investment in the service.

“When we launched NUads, we redefined the 30-second spot,” exclaimed sticky-sweet general manager of Xbox Live Entertainment and Advertising Ross Honey. “These results show that NUads is a real breakthrough in TV advertising, and you can expect more investment from us when it comes to this new ad format and video advertising in general.”

I don’t really speak marketing, but I think what that means in English is “We’re making a ton of money, and we don’t care that you already pay us $60 a year to use the service, we’re going to fill it up with annoying adverts anyway! Ha!”

It seems to be quite a hit with advertisers – such as Toyota and Subway, who’re filled with exuberant praise for the new-fangled video advertising.

“Consumers want a relevant and engaging experience when watching TV,” bellows Dionne Colvin, national media manager, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “NUads was a new format for our advertising, but we saw an opportunity to try something new, and the results exceeded our expectations.”

“We’re thrilled with the results of our first NUads experience,” said Kathleen Bell, Canada’s director of Marketing, Subway . “We’re always looking for new ways to engage with our fans and deliver a customized experience to them. Taking part in this exciting program has given us the ability to further target our audience and get real-time feedback from them through a new and interactive platform.”

If I’m being honest, I can’t say the ads bug me much, but I do find it a bit cheeky on Microsoft’s part, charging us to use an ad-supported platform. What do you think of the ads? Do you even notice them?

Last Updated: January 9, 2013

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