- The new Xbox One video game console promises to be a revolution in home entertainment when it launches, but I predict a bigger revolution following the launch. One that will take advantage of the key features of Xbox One – the cable integration, the Kinect, the multitasking, and the voice commands – and one that will transform the living room into a realtime “ad shopping” experience.
- Okay, let’s push this platform a little, and let’s say an ad for a new John Grisham novel comes on the TV. No reason why Microsoft couldn’t allow you to shout, “More info,” at any point during the ad which would automatically drop the ad into a smaller screen on the left while a custom-made fulfillment web site pops up next to it. The ad pauses when it ends (also pausing the show you’re watching) and allows you to navigate the pop-up site for more information on the new Grisham novel. With your profile pre-loaded with your credit card information, you can shout, “Purchase,” and the book is automatically downloaded to your Kindle. And on with the show.
- But it gets better when you think of the branded entertainment possibilities. What if you’re watching a Mad Men episode and you say, “Xbox, pause. What is Don Draper drinking?” And up comes the fulfillment site for an Old Fashioned, with the ingredients and preferred brand of bourbon. At which point you can ask the Xbox to see if any of your local package stores carries that brand.
- Or you’re watching a basketball game and you want to know what brand of sneakers Lebron is wearing. Or where Chris Wallace from Fox News gets his ties. Now virtually any product in any scene in any movie can be stopped and shopped.
Read the full (and possibly prophetic) piece by Will Burns for Forbes here.
