Xbox has released an Xbox Live campaign called ‘For When It Really Matters’ that features two young footballing stars from the English Premier League – Willian (Chelsea) and Marcus Rashford (Man Utd) – to promote the launch of its Flagship FIFA 1 game.
The campaign, developed in harness with creative agency McCann London, launched on 5 May and is led by a hero TV commercial.
The full length version of the spot, which runs at 1-minute 25-seconds, sees the young attacking talents meticulously prepare themselves with elaborate pre-match routines as the narrative subverts viewer expectations when they final settle down take on one another on the online network Xbox Live.
The light-hearted tone sees the two attackers preparing for an intense (FIFA) game with some unlikely preparation: such as gently putting out the cat, washing their hands and even slipping into a pair of cosy slippers.
The TV spot, which also comes in cut-down versions, was also amplified across all the usual brand digital and social platforms – such as Twitter.
Watch how every detail counts for @marcusrashford and @willianborges88, when a game really matters… https://t.co/NoVz81V0AN pic.twitter.com/gaP4qAmuhL
— Xbox UK (@xboxuk) May 5, 2017
The work, written by Matt Searle, art directed by Olly Wood and directed by Andreas Roth through Riff Raff., was based around the agency insight that online FIFA gamers tend to take playing Xbox seriously and hardcore gamers eeven have their own quirky, yet serious pre-match nerves and superstitions.
FIFA 17 is EA Sports’ flagship title and is available on most major platforms: including prime Xbox One rival, the PS4.
But the Xbox Live campaign also aims underline the fact/claim that the Microsoft service is ‘UK’s fastest most reliable gaming network’.
“Our strategy was to create a film that our audience, of die-hard FIFA 17 gamers and football fans alike, would enjoy and could relate to. They have seen many ads that portray these types of Premier League superstars as overly-serious and perhaps unapproachable,” explains Laurence Thomson, the co-president and chief creative officer at McCann London.
“The result is an original and light-hearted take on all the mannerisms, superstitions and rituals that FIFA 17 players go through. Making the point that Xbox Live is crucial if you’re really going to take the game seriously.”
“Our Xbox Live Network has always been a cornerstone offering to our fans. It’s great to be able to celebrate and communicate our best in class service in such a fun and creative way to our community,” trumpets Xbox’s global integrated marketing gaming lead Michael Flatt.
Activative Comment:
We like the way the serious, stylish shoot ebs into a tongue in cheek, light-hearted ad.
Both players have impressed on the pitch this season, while the early engagement results of the ad show that on the UK ‘XBox On’ YouTube channel the spot has notched up 180,042 views.
In its first 24 hours after the creative went live across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat the ad generated a solid 500,000 total views.
Links:
Xbox
https://www.youtube.com/user/xboxuk
https://www.facebook.com/xboxuk
https://www.instagram.com/xboxuk/
McCann London
