Last week, we talked with Chevrolet about the integration of the Volt into Kinect Joy Ride and the larger partnership with Microsoft. This week, we got Microsoft’s take on the campaign, talking with Sean Alexander, Director, Product Management, Advertising Business Group for Microsoft.
[a]list: Tell me a little about how this campaign first came about between Chevrolet and Microsoft.
Sean Alexander: Sure, and let me talk about our division at Microsoft first. We are a team that works directly with the Xbox leadership as it relates to ad experience, making sure we put the consumers’ experience first. If you see free downloadable packs on Xbox Live, we have a hand in that. So you can think of us as Microsoft Advertising, but we work with Xbox leadership extensively.
Anyway, it started at Cannes about a year ago; we were showing how you can engage with the consumer across multiple screens and we wanted to show how you could go from a trailer to multiple devices. We wanted a partner who wanted to engage with consumers on Xbox. We had Kinect Joy Ride, and we used that as a jumping off point. They were doing some great stuff with the Volt and they said, ‘Hey, why don’t we connect with this family friendly title ‘ So that became the anchor point, and from there, we made it a multi-screen campaign. The Volt will be ramping up production over the next year, so they’ll be doing a series of events and we’ll work with them to build an end-to-end experience that consumers will see and explore the technology. They’ll be able to unlock the Volt in the game and take place in these metropolitan events where you can see it face to face.
[a]list: Why do you feel the Volt is the perfect car to lead many of these initiatives?
Sean Alexander: If you think about the amount of innovation involved in the Volt… as a consumer, I look at the Volt and see the revolution behind the power-train that powers the battery, creating a fresh look at an electric car. If you think about the vehicles in Kinect Joy Ride, none of the other vehicles are licensed named vehicles. They might be wondering about what the Volt can do for them, and we would like to make it a conversation about the innovation in the Volt. Even if they’re not experienced with the Volt and they can connecting with the car in the game.
[a]list: It seems like Kinect is the leading edge of a technology with a lot of possibilities around the house.
Sean Alexander: We’re keeping the focus for Kinect on entertainment and games right now. It will broaden the appeal of Xbox 360. Where it goes from there is not something we’re discussing right now.
The Volt in Kinect Joy Ride.
[a]list: Certainly, it seems to be a significant movement for Microsoft and the Xbox 360.
Sean Alexander: The first wave was the HD console with games like Halo 3, and now we’ve been working on the New Xbox Experience, with things like Netflix integration. This is the begining of the third generation, with Kinect and games like Dance Central and Zumba Fitness. We think it represents a new age.
[a]list: Talk to me about integration of the Volt into Kinect Joy Ride.
Sean Alexander: We split it up into two phases. The Volt will ship on each of the discs, and 3 GM vehicles will be available to download later.
[a]list: Describe the Pivot technology and why you think that will be key for digital showrooms.
Sean Alexander: Imagine taking a massive amount of information – all makes and models for all vehicles, and if you took all the information for those vehicles and presented it in an way easy to consume. In a few clicks you can narrow it down to what matters to you. It starts on MSN Autos. You can start with the type, like a pickup or hybrid. And then you select things that are important to you, like cost or carbon imprint. There have been images of cars that collapse into a bar chart representing the different cars. Between the experience that Chevy wants to show, Pivot is a great way to display the Volt officially.
Also, and this is just me idly theorizing, if you think about it for sports, it could simplify the massive amount of statistics into something simple; it’d be very useful to sports fans. It’s freely available on the Microsoft website! We’re also working on a new ad unit for Microsoft Pivot. It’s part of a traditional display ad, but now you’re using a combination of technologies.
[a]list: Tell me about the potential for Kinect Joy Ride at Chevy promotional events as not only a way to show off the Volt, but also the Kinect camera itself.
Sean Alexander: One of the things we’re working on is demo pods with Kinects at pop up events. We’d like to have a number of demo pods, so they can test [the Volt] out in Kinect Joy Ride. One of the neater features is the ability to snap a photo of you. If you’ve been to an amusement park and they snap your photo on a roller coaster, we want a similar experience. We want to give something to people that they can bring home.
[a]list: How extensive is the ad campaign on MSN and Xbox Live for the Volt?
Sean Alexander: It’s an act in development, but in its essence, what we were planning to do is a multiscreen campaign, showing off in the Joy Ride title with the in-game integration. You will see the Volt in advertisements on the Xbox Live network, that people will be able to interact with. Windows Phone 7 will also be integrated with the Volt as part of the pre-sale experience.
[a]list: It seems like a large part of your pitch is saying you reach a broad number of screens.
Sean Alexander: It’s a key differentiator, to reach the audience on the screen that means the most to them. The value exchange on Xbox is hard to match. Multiscreen advertising is a unique thing that Microsoft can do, it broadens the potential, fitting hand and glove with what Chevrolet wants to do with the Volt.
