UK Gov't Intelligence Agency To Advertise On Xbox Live

MI5 and MI6-linked UK government intelligence organization GCHQ hopes to attract new recruits by reaching out to them with an Xbox Live advertising campaign. According to a report in the UK Guardian, the organization's six-week ad campaign aims at the 18 to 34 demographic. It draws parallels between skills and experience required in gameplay -- like "quick thinking, problem solving and team work" -- and those required to work with GCHQ. Ads will run on Xbox Live's Dashboard and in-game, through streamed video banners, according to the report, and it can be inferred that UK government job ads will run in the UK only. GCHQ describes its work as "helping government departments, such as the Ministry of Defense, to protect their information and communication systems," but concedes that many individuals who would make good candidates are unfamiliar with the details of the organization. "Using video on Xbox Live helps carry our message to the right people in a creative and innovative manner," a GCHQ spokesperson explains. The report also notes that the organization has run an ad campaign once before with Microsoft in 2007 that was limited to PC online games.