Xbox Live execs in talks with election campaigns for targeted marketing

Advertising executives for Xbox Live are currently in talks with unspecified political campaigns to get targeted election ads on the platform.

Advertising executives for Xbox Live are currently in talks with unspecified political campaigns to get targeted election ads on the platform.

Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox Live Entertainment and Advertising, stressed that the console's online platform possesses the ability to custom-tailor its dashboard ad experience based on a number of factors — most importantly, location.

"Addressibility is the big opportunity bringing digital to the television," Honey said in an interview with Beet TV. "What we provide advertisers is the opportunity to target very specific demographics and behavioral targeting.

"So if you're an advertiser who wants to target women who live in New York, and say, are very into music, we can do that."

That ability makes it the perfect fit for campaigns in the upcoming election; an idea that has already crossed the mind of the Xbox Live Entertainment and Advertising division.

"It's not a [marketing] campaign we're in right now, but you think about the political season that's coming up, the election season, that's all about specific, geographic targeting to battleground states," Honey said. "So, we're talking with the campaigns about bringing their advertising message to Xbox, and using that targeting, that location targeting, to deliver those messages right at the TV, on a geo-specific basis."