Kinect-Powered TV Ads: Hardly anything of real news value goes down at the Cannes ad fest. But Microsoft usually rolls out a few things. This year it’s introducing the concept of NUads, which “transform traditional, linear TV advertising into an interactive experience” by letting viewers use the gesture and voice controls of Microsoft’s Kinect gaming system. The way this works, according to Microsoft, is a viewer can shout at the TV “Xbox more” for further information, “Xbox near me” to get retailer information, and “Xbox calendar” to schedule an event. It’s a clever approach to the long-standing quest to marry the interactivity of the Web with the lean-back experience of TV. Whether this effort will pan out remains to be seen — Microsoft has been talking up addressable, interactive TV ads for many years now, with little to show for it. Microsoft blog
Cleaning Up the Metrics Mess: The Interactive Advertising Bureau is rolling up its sleeve to wade into the thorny issues surrounding Web advertising metrics. Despite its billing as the most measurable of media, the Net still befuddles marketers with its ever-changing metrics that often don’t match up with how marketers want to measure their efforts. The IAB is proposing some fairly broad principles for measurement. The principles are hardly controversial or concrete — Because all ad units are not created equal, the industry must create a better classification system — but a couple stand out. One is the shift to audience impressions. The other is the need to match up metrics with offline media. Hammering out a workable metrics solution is comparable to enacting Middle East peace. The IAB’s at least gotten the ball rolling. PaidContent
Facebook’s Display Reign: There’s a passing of the torch. Facebook is now selling more “display advertising” than Yahoo, at least according to eMarketer. That’s led to some triumphalist headlines for Facebook. AdAge called it a “kingpin.” Much nicer than two and a half years ago when Business Insider took Facebook to task for being “outsold” by MySpace. Hindsight’s 20/20. Facebook’s built a sizable ad business on the back of meteoric user growth, not much else. Advertisers are hardly in love with its offerings, which ad chief Caroline Everson herself says are only 1 percent completed. The question is whether Facebook will be content to play a mass-scale game or make a real play for brand dollars it isn’t yet getting. Emarketer
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