I’ll admit it: I like playing video games. Hard for me to turn down an invite to play some multiplayer Madden NFL. I always pick the Miami Dolphins, of course.
So that’s why I became really excited when I heard about the latest Xbox360 video game news – and how Microsoft is using technology to help kids.
What is the Xbox360
The Xbox 360 is the latest video game system from Microsoft, replacing the older Xbox 1. The 360 was released in 2005, and has been home to many top video game titles, such as Halo 3 and the infamous Viva Piñata. The 360 also has a well-known online gaming service known as Xbox Live, which allows players to play with each other at the same time using Xbox 360 game titles – this includes such features like voice and video communication with players around the world while playing your video games together. Xbox Live has now become the world’s largest social network connected to a television.
Where’s the Microsoft-Hospital connection
Microsoft, along with the Companions in Courage Foundation, is sending hundreds of Xbox 360 kiosks to playrooms at children’s hospitals – allowing the kids in these hospitals to have an outlet to play and have fun.
Each of these Xbox 360 kiosks will have video games, television shows, movies, and a connection to a special version of Xbox Live. This specialized private network will allow hospitalized kids to play video games and communicate with each other over this safety-enhanced service – thereby connecting hospitalized children across the country. Robbie Bach, who’s the president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, will be attending some of these functions to commemorate the launch of this service.
“Microsoft is committed to keeping kids entertained in a variety of ways within a safer gaming environment, so partnering with Companions in Courage to offer children in hospitals a way to connect through something as universal as games is a natural fit for the work we do,” said Bach. “The goal for this program is to give these kids a chance to have some fun and just be kids.”
What exactly is going to be on these Xbox hospital kiosks?
These hospital-friendly customized Xbox 360 kiosks are going to come pre-loaded with Y-rated television shows, G-rated movies, video games which have been rated E and E10+. They’re going to come with Xbox 360 headsets and Xbox Live Vision Cameras, so the kids can really have fun talking to each other while playing the games. They are also going to have restrictions on content that might not be kid-friendly and only available during certain times, so that kids can have their rest.
“Entertainment, creativity and personal connections can be important factors in alleviating some of the isolation and discomfort these children experience each day” said Companions in Courage founder and National Hockey League Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine. “Xbox 360 offers young patients a fun escape through games, TV shows, movies and positive interactions with others over the Xbox LIVE network. These gaming stations are a perfect complement to the interactive playrooms.”
What’s in it for Microsoft?
This is a great thing that Microsoft is doing for these hospital kids. Let’s not forget though, Microsoft is a business. And as a business, decisions must make some sort of financial sense. So let’s go through this deal and see why Microsoft has taken this seemingly altruistic approach.
If you look a little beneath the surface, you see that Microsoft is directly targeting their target market: young children. Video games can be played by children of all ages (Me included) but generally and historically, children tend to be the largest audience. So what’s happening here is that Microsoft is generating brand loyalty and brand recognition among these kids, who might end up purchasing an Xbox 360 video game unit once they’re discharged from the hospital. The association people have of the Microsoft and Xbox brands are also getting a huge boost. Psychologically speaking, there is now an emotional association between the Microsoft Xbox and the healing powers of the hospital. As the kids feel better and happier when playing their games – and the parents are happy seeing their children happy – they learn to associate the Microsoft Xbox with fun, happiness, and wellness.
“It’s extremely gratifying to witness the joy and excitement of these children and teens when they have a chance to break away from the normal hospital routine, and make new friends while playing video games,” said Cynthia Sparer, executive director of Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian. “We are grateful that our partnership with Companions in Courage helps us meet the needs of our patients and allows kids to be kids even when they’re sick.”
Think of the marketing aspect of this move by Microsoft. Word-of-mouth referrals from the kids who played these video games in their hospital stay to their friends of the same age who are also likely to be video game players. They are tapping into a market that has been undeservedly ignored by most companies out there. While most companies tend to avoid markets like hospitals for fear of a negative association of illness to their product, Microsoft has taken the completely opposite approach! Their product line is now getting a boost from the good-will they have given. With Microsoft’s often shaky reputation due to questionable security and digital rights management practices, this is a definitely a boost to their public relations persona.
How you can use this to help your marketing
- Find an untapped social market
- Create a customized product for this market (could be a physical product or intellectual property such as a website, book, ebook or audiobook)
- Partner with others already involved in that area (like Microsoft did by partnering with Companions in Courage)