In an exclusive deal with Microsoft, MediaCom Canada clients are getting first dibs on new pre-roll and interstitial video advertising opportunities on XBox Live.
XBox Live, Microsoft’s online service for its game console users, provides access to a variety of video content produced both internally and by partners such as Netflix and YouTube. Currently reaching more than 4 million Canadian households, the service has traditionally only offered display advertising on its various user interfaces.
For now, XBox Live viewers will see the same types of video and pre-roll ads available elsewhere on XBox Live, but Jeff Thibodeau, vice-president and director of digital for MediaCom, said there is potential for much more. “Eventually we’ll see different executions that meet the platform’s ‘engageability.'” (Microsoft recently added interactive and e-commerce elements to some of its videos.)
“This was a natural extension of our screen-agnostic approach to video content distribution,” Thibodeau said. “As users are consuming video across a plethora of new devices, it’s important we shift our planning and buying strategies to match consumer behavior.”
Mars, Wrigley, Expedia and Volkswagen are some of the brands involved in the three-month deal that started April 1.
“Clients are really excited because we’ve been having conversations around screen agnostic planning… this opportunity didn’t exist until now,” said Thibodeau. “The lightest and hardest to reach TV consumer is usually doing something with other media… This is about expanding our message to more consumers.”
While he declined to reveal what the deal was valued at or how much ads would cost, it’s worth noting MediaCom and its GroupM corporate parent are Microsoft’s largest single media buyer.
The platform will open up to other advertisers when MediaCom’s exclusivity deal expires at the end of this June.
