Technology Lab / Information Technology

Clarifying what the Zune ads pilot program is all about

Ads are coming to the Zune this summer, in the form of a pilot program. Here …

Microsoft recently announced that it was planning to launch a Zune Social advertising pilot program this summer. The program will try to expand Zune Social profiles to include pages for artists, events, and advertising. When this news started to trickle down into the blogosphere a few days ago, many Zune and non-Zune users voiced their disapproval. Some of the reactions would make you think that advertising on a digital media player was in fact mass murder in disguise. For those willing to listen, it's time to clarify what exactly Microsoft hopes to achieve.

First off, the ads aren't specifically targeted for the Zune. The pilot program is part of a broader move by Microsoft to offer advertising opportunities on its whole Entertainment and Devices line: Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Windows Mobile and eventually Microsoft Surface may all get ads under this program. Secondly, the software giant is hoping to make the experience for users interactive and enjoyable; it's not intended to be about seeing a banner or watching a commercial. Finally, and most importantly, if users don't want to see ads, they don't have to.

The advertising will be completely optional. A user will have to go out and specifically choose to get some type of sponsored content (a game, a wallpaper, a soundtrack, a trailer, and so on) that will come with advertising. If a user decides the content is not worth it because of the included advertising, they can ditch both. The goal is to give users more than just ads, so that users may actually seek out advertising because of the content associated with it. The idea seems like a solid one, at least compared to what is currently done with advertising, but it will all come down to the execution.

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