.avif){kind=logo}
Connecting Xbox to sports fans
challenge
Xbox is one of the most well-known gaming brands on the planet, so when they came to us with a challenge to drive connection to sports fans, it was never going to be an issue about awareness.
The goal was to reach sports fans in a credible way, more than a sponsorship, more than a logo – but bringing sports fans closer to the brand in meaningful ways.
To solve this challenge, we developed the Future Starts Here Framework, to build Xbox brand affinity from the ground up with sports fans across the US. Each time, anchoring the campaign around IRL activations with talent resonating with Gen Z and riffing off of key cultural sporting moments in time.
Truly Sticky social content, brought to life through partners
A big part of the success was finding the right partner(s) to drive further eyeballs, amplifying the final content to ensure it was being delivered to the right audiences. These partners ranged from key Xbox retail partners like Target, where we aligned content to key offers around Xbox products, to fan-focused media platforms like NFL Tuesday Night Gaming and Overtime WBB.
San Jose, Women’s Soccer,
Naomi Girma – Post-Women’s World CupNaomi Girma launched herself onto the world stage that summer at her first-ever World Cup. As the dust-settled on the competition, we brought her back to her hometown of San Jose to create a truly special day with a community of young female soccer players, re-visiting her own footsteps as a junior player not that long ago.
Women’s soccer is unapologetically different, championing representation and diversity on all levels, so finding the right teams and coaches to partner Naomi with was incredibly important. Luckily we were able to work with Jodi Washington, a figurehead of development and access for girl’s youth soccer across the Bay Area, bringing together multiple teams including Naomi’s own family-run club to take part in the day.
Las Vegas, Women’s Flag Football, Aidan O’Connell – Superbowl When the Superbowl comes to town it’s a big deal. When the Superbowl comes to Vegas for the first time, it’s a very big deal. To land our second activation in 6 months, we drafted off this excitement to once more bring the sports and gaming audiences together. Aligning with the dropping of Madden into Xbox Game Pass, we partnered with The Las Vegas Raiders Rookie starting QB Aidan O’Connell to surprise a team of flag football players, collaborating as part of the EA-Sports-led ‘Field the Future’ activation.
20 Millionfinal views across all channels
.avif)
We teamed up once again with Target as a key partner to bring Aidan and Las Vegas Raiders senior leader Qiava Martinez to a local school during the Field the Future event, where alongside a custom-built e-sports room for the games team, the flag football players were treated to a session of drills with a starting NFL Quarterback.
Women’s basketball, Atlanta Dream
– March MadnessFew annual sporting moments can whip America into a frenzy quite like March Madness – Every year, the competition is riddled with underdog stories and headlines which keep both avid and brand new basketball fans locked in from start to finish.
For our third activation tying Xbox into the world of sports, we partnered with the entirely female-lead WNBA team The Atlanta Dream to co-create a first-of-its-kind ‘Block Party’ in downtown Atlanta. The event served to promote The Dream, hosting a 3 vs 3 tournament for talented local ballers, along which chances to meet Dream players and play in the Xbox & Microsoft Locker Room.
The activation tied in Microsoft STEM initiatives to support education through Tech in the Atlanta area, and delivered a custom gaming and event experiences to an estimated 1500 attendees throughout the day, with content captured and promoted across Overtime WBB, Overtime’s women’s-focussed content engine driving hyper-relevant basketball content into the heart of the basketball community
.svg)