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Case Study

This is an Xbox | Microsoft/Xbox

The gaming industry is changing, and Xbox has been leading the charge – evolving from a console-only brand to an ecosystem that lets you play anywhere. By showing all the devices that can become Xboxes, “This is an Xbox” put a stake in the ground, saying: Yes, we are the console, but we are also so much more. We are champions of gaming wherever and however a player wants to play.

“This is an Xbox” turned a complex, often misunderstood ecosystem into something simple, shareable, and sticky. Those four words, combined with a bold new design direction, lived across several marketing platforms, generating over 17B earned impressions.

The numbers proved that this wasn’t just a campaign, it was a business transformation. Xbox saw breakthrough reach to new players and double digit perception shifts.

The cultural impact continues beyond the life of the campaign, having become both a meme and shorthand for the future of Xbox with executives, the media, and players.

“Brick to forehead” was our mantra for execution. When we set the tone for the campaign, we used the words “meta, self aware, contextual, and transparent.” This informed every piece of copy, and an extensive design refresh.

We launched with an OOH teaser, labeling billboards from Chicago to Germany as “not an Xbox.” Then showed up everywhere gamers are – digital, social, video, merch, influencer, and brand partnerships – telling them everything that can be an Xbox, and many things that aren’t. Adding levity and personality actually put further focus on the devices, and drove conversation, inviting people to laugh, share, and meme. Once the campaign took off, other brands piled on. The simplicity of the message made it easy to put anywhere, but we were careful to keep each new iteration in the original tone.

This campaign won over Xbox fans and industry media, reached new gamers, and saw players diversifying their way of play. And it over delivered across every key metric: 

17B earned impressions – a stunning 14x amplification of our paid media

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DOUBLE DIGIT perception shifts in Brand Love and Brand Momentum