XBOX / THE KINECT EFFECT

When the Xbox Kinect peripheral launched a year ago it rapidly shot into the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest-selling consumer electronics device, shifting over 10 million Kinect sensors.

But while gamers enjoyed the controller-free motion-capture fun, a whole host of hackers saw potential for the device beyond the front room. Soon we were seeing Kinect hack videos popping up on YouTube created by people repurposing Xbox's device to create augmented-reality changing room mirrors in clothing stores, 3D video capture entertainment series, and even a medical 'magic mirror' which showed the inner workings of the bodies of people who stood in front of it.

While some brands may have shied away from this repurposing of their product, Xbox has celebrated the work of the hacking community in its latest global TV ad (see video) which not only puts the ideas of Kinect users front and centre, but shows the brand keen to see the innovative ways in which people next use the device.

Created by twofifteenmccann, San Francisco, the video shows Kinect in day-to-day usage by musicians, students, doctors and even bomb disposal experts.

Keeping the spotlight on the Kinect community, the Kinect Effect page of the Xbox website features videos showing how the Lakeside Centre for Autism and stroke patients at the Royal Berkshire Hospital are benefiting from the device's skeletal tracking capabilities, along with other examples of people repurposing the tech - such as creating a grocery cart which loyally follows disabled shoppers around stores.

Hoping to keep the hacking community active, the site encourages people to submit stories of how they're using Kinect, as well as a link to develop the Beta SDK (software developer's kit) for anyone keen to get involved.

Contagious Insight /

Xbox is a great example of a brand being open to the creativity and input of the public and is now reaping the reward of effectively turning the whole world into an R&D department. The unexpected uses of Kinect have clearly increased the range of potential buyers and that's down to the innovation of a great many people outside of Microsoft, so it's fitting for Xbox to recognise that achievement in this ad campaign.

Equally, it positions Kinect as being something more than just a game controller, elevating it above rival devices from Nintendo and PlayStation - hopefully a factor which will impact positively on Xbox sales in the all-important Christmas sales period.

www.xbox.com/en-GB/Kinect/Kinect-Effect