With all of the buzz around social media, companies are searching for best and most effective ways to dive in and connect with consumers. For most the question is how to utilize social media in a way that will engage users and elicit/maintain a meaningful dialog, and for others it is providing those doors for users to consume and digest content in one location or central hub. In the later, companies approach this with developmental integrations. Microsoft has opened yet another door to the largest gaming network and the 20+ million active users on the Xbox LIVE! Marketplace. For those who are not familiar, the Xbox LIVE marketplace, available through the Xbox 360 gaming console is an online gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft. Xbox LIVE is an evolving entertainment hub with seamless integration between gaming and media needs. Through LIVE users have access to online gaming, streaming HD movies through Netflix, video chat with friends, photo sharing, and early access to content and exclusive discounts.

Microsoft has now integrated Facebook, Twitter, Zune, and last.fm. Users with an Xbox LIVE subscription will now be able to connect with friends, tweet, listen to music, and stream more HD media.

Facebook
Share status updates and photos with friends in real-time, as well as gaming moments right from the Xbox dashboard to Facebook. This provides gamers another avenue to share their achievements and favorite gaming moments on Facebook, and keep up with friends right from their console and TV.

Twitter
Read, reply, and post Tweets to Twitter through Xbox LIVE. See what friends and family are up to, connect to celebrities, learn about news as it happens, and follow online trends.

Last.fm on Xbox 360
With Last.fm, members can select music preferences to explore personalized radio stations with a library of more than 3.5 million tracks. Skip, “ban,” or ‘love” tracks to tailor the radio station to your tastes. Share music with friends, manage customized radio stations, and create personal soundtracks. A social component allows users to discover new music based on what other friends are listening to.

HD Entertainment with Zune
Zune on Xbox LIVE gives users access to full HD video entertainment, with the ability to rent and buy the latest movies and TV shows. HD content is in 1080p and 5.1 surround sound. A Party mode allows users to watch movies and share the experience with up to 7 friends in an online ‘movie theatre’ setting. Any download will provide the option to download again and watch on your PC or Zune HD player as well.

What does this mean for users? To the 20 + million subscribers, this is all the more reason to remain in one outlet digesting various levels of gaming, entertainment, and social. Instead of streaming music from your computer or switching off your console to watch a movie in high definition, everything can be done right from your Xbox console. You can keep all of your friends updated on what you are listening to, watching or playing.

What does this mean for agencies and their clients? As LIVE grows the plethora of services offered, so does the amount of time users stay connected, and the number of reasons they stay on LIVE. This provides us even more opportunity to reach these elusive demographics by volume in a highly targeted environment. Among the various search and display opportunities being utilized through Microsoft, with LIVE provides the ability to tailor campaigns using standard ad placements, multimedia such as video, audio and animation, as well as custom sponsorships/contests. Developing branded theme packs for users to skin their dashboards is also an option to engage the audience, essentially creating a downloadable homepage takeover for their dashboard experience.

Xbox 360 Dashboard Preview