Xbox 360 Gears Up for Launch of Global Holiday Campaign

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Xbox 360 Gears Up for Launch of Global Holiday Campaign

Posted by:

Luke

Date added:

10.20.06

Categories:

[ General Xbox 360 ]

News:

With 10 million consoles expected to be sold by holiday, Xbox 360 has defined the
next generation of gaming and now Microsoft is unveiling a new global Xbox 360
marketing campaign to continue the console's incredible momentum. Microsoft and its
creative partners AKQA and McCann-Erickson have developed a new advertising lineup
extending to cinema, interactive, print, street and television media. Revolving
around entertainment for everyone and playing with friends in fun, new ways, the
first television spots began airing this week in the United States and viral
campaigns are underway.

"We continue to raise the bar of what is considered 'next generation' with our game
titles and console experiences, and we are pushing creative boundaries with how we
communicate to consumers," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global
marketing, Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. "These campaigns will
cement Xbox 360 as one of the most recognizable, worldwide, youth-focused, consumer
brands - one that brings the next generation of console gaming to everyone."

The award-winning marketing team, fresh off of a Silver Lion win at Cannes, multiple
One Show awards for interactive excellence and a National Gold ADDY for "Best of
Show," from the Xbox 360 launch campaign applies new elements to Xbox 360 packaging,
advertising, web and retail. The advertising elements are comprised of an expansive
range of work, from live action video and interactive online efforts to innovative
storytelling done using scripts acted out within a game engine with the Microsoft
Game Studios' title, "Gears of War®" from Epic Games.

Specific executions include:

* Cops and Robbers - Another creative example of the "Jump In" Xbox 360 brand
campaign, the premise reflects a grown up version of a childhood game. Shot by
Australian director Garth Davis, the ad was filmed in Bucharest, Romania. A three
minute short film version of Cops and Robbers will debut exclusively on Xbox Live
Marketplace within the coming weeks and will be available online through several
sites including Xbox.com.

*
Next Generation Now - Whether it's Xbox Live, where friends can connect and play
anytime, wireless accessories offering more freedom than ever before, or the
variety of high definition games and video content - the Xbox 360 experience truly
defines the next generation of gaming and entertainment. The Next Generation Now
executions include online, print, and television spots individually showcasing the
breadth of next generation features that Xbox 360 is offering today, such as: Xbox
Live, HD DVD, wireless accessories, Xbox Live Vision Camera and games for everyone
at every price including the Platinum Hits program.

* Gears of War® - The award winning title from Microsoft Game Studios and Epic Games
is expected to be the blockbuster game of 2006. Microsoft's creative partners used
innovative techniques to tell stories about the lead character of the game, Marcus
Fenix. Using a script acted out in the Unreal Engine 3, developed by Epic, these
spots were not created from footage pulled by a game operator. This intensive method
is similar in process to the way today's animated features are created. Directed by
Joseph Kosinski, with consultation provided by David Fincher, the commercial for
cinema and television was produced by Digital Domain in Los Angeles. The recently
launched "Gears of War" site, www.gearsofwar.com, immerses
gamers through a series of disturbing flashback videos that foretell various aspects
of the game's storyline and highlight the uniquely destroyed beauty of the games
environment.

* Viva Piñata - "Viva Piñata", the mass-appeal game at the cornerstone of the
effort to broaden the appeal of Xbox 360 to younger and more casual gamers, is the
first time Microsoft has integrated the development of a game with an animated TV
series. The campaign includes a commercial for television designed to capture the
imagination of kids while making a connection to the brand's mischievous characters,
by showing what would happen if a piñata suddenly found itself in the real world.
Using complex 3D character animation, www.vivapinata.com offers a
variety of ways to explore the exciting and expansive world of "Viva Piñata" online.
Visitors can partner with characters from the game to paint their own desktop
wallpaper, learn to dance and create their own music video they can then share with
the rest of the world.

"Our goal is to appeal to consumers emotionally with brand ads like Cops and Robbers
that inspire them to jump in to our community while also appealing to their rational
side by showcasing all of the individual ways we are offering the next generation of
gaming and entertainment right now," said Bell.

Xbox 360 has defined the next generation of console gaming with high definition
content and wireless experiences. It continues to build its lead online with more
than six million Xbox Live subscribers expected by next June. This holiday, Xbox 360
is communicating a clear message to consumers that the next generation is about your
games, your friends, your choices and your experiences -- right now.

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