Microsoft, Chevrolet Reveal Brand Partnership For Kinect, Volt Cars

Marketing will play a key role in how new motion control launches shape up later this year, and that means branding partnerships -- such as the one Microsoft's just announced with Chevrolet that uses Kinect to promote the launch of Volt electric cars. Both companies have teamed up for an ad campaign that simultaneously shows off both products, by letting users virtually interact with the Volt car using the Xbox 360's upcoming controller-free gesture interface. The fruit of the partnership is being demonstrated at the 2010 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival this week, in what Microsoft's calling "the first multiscreen advertising campaign that incorporates Kinect for Xbox 360" as a way to engage consumers with the car brand. Such a demonstration is likely intended to have the added effect of enticing advertisers to support Kinect with content in the future. When Kinect launches, users will be able to virtually drive a special version of the Volt in Xbox Live Arcade title Kinect Joy Ride, an option they can unlock by simply viewing an ad for the car either via Xbox Live or on the Web. Chevrolet U.S. marketing VP Jim Campbell said his company wanted an advertising venue that reflected the advancements the company feels it's making with a new electric car: "Kinect allows us to bring the excitement of the showroom to the living rooms of our customers," he said. "It’s a way for us to replicate the experience of physically engaging with a product that is essential to the customer’s purchasing decision."