| Title | XBOX GLITCH |
| Brand | MICROSOFT |
| Product/Service | XBOX ONE |
| Category |
A01. USE OF SCREENS IN A MEDIA CAMPAIGN |
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Advertising Agency
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CRISPIN PORTER + BOGUSKY London, UNITED KINGDOM
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Media Agency
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UM INTERNATIONAL London, UNITED KINGDOM
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Entrant Company
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UM INTERNATIONAL London, UNITED KINGDOM
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Production Company
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B-REEL London, UNITED KINGDOM
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Credits
| Scott Holmes |
UM International |
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| Laurian Osborne |
UM International |
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| Will Parrish |
UM International |
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| Ben Walker |
Crispin Porter/Bogusky |
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| Matt Gooden |
Crispin Porter/Bogusky |
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| Bertie Scrase |
Crispin Porter/Bogusky |
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| Christen Brestrup |
Crispin Porter/Bogusky |
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| Chris Chapman |
Crispin Porter/Bogusky |
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| Michael Flatt |
Microsoft |
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| Adrian Simons |
Microsoft |
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| Graeme Boyd |
Microsoft |
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Results and Effectiveness
1 minute post launch, gamers had uploaded Glitch online and were dissecting each frame.
Within 24 hours, mystery reported by gaming websites, with one article attracting an incredible 1,410 comments! In all, 383 sites / blogs carried reports. With minimal promotion, reveal film attracted 349,748 views, 445% vs. target.
In 37 hours, Glitch was cracked: 14,500 individuals attempted, claiming 196 rewards.
The initiative generated 17.8m impacts and delivered x5.6 earned ROI. Massively appreciated by gamers, recorded reaction was <0.5% negative in sentiment! So impressed, Xbox investigating global rollout of concept for future campaigns.
Creative Execution
We created the longest / shortest TV ad ever! On-air, blink and miss it. On PC, spend hours pulling apart.
Glitch contained multiple codes and cyphers. Cracked, gamers were directed to unbranded websites and further puzzles. There were 4 fiendishly complicated paths, requiring steganography skills, binary code, advanced encryption, image / sound manipulation, plus knowledge of key Xbox One titles. Each journey built around a different Xbox game, with relevant rewards for those who made it to the end.
While live, Xbox would not acknowledge Glitch in any way. Ensuring integrity, gamer engagement was entirely organic. Even our main winner, contacted and transported to a mystery location for one final challenge, was kept in the dark until they claimed their prize. Everything was captured and explained with a PR reveal film, released after the promo had closed. And utilising pre-planned inventory, Glitch incurred no additional media costs to implement.
Insights, Strategy and the Idea
TV is changing; PVRs and second screens enable viewers to pull apart broadcasts like never before. If intrigued, ‘gamers’ particularly keen to analyse / review TV content online. To launch Xbox One, we’d use this aspect of today’s TV landscape to engage Xbox’s core gaming audience…
IF YOU’RE A GAMER, THIS ONE’S FOR YOU
Gamers crave challenge and mystery excites them. So we set out to pique their curiosity and test their ingenuity. Maximising appreciation, we’d activate something seen by many, but only truly understood by gamers.
IDEA: GLITCH
We inserted a 1 second film within selected Xbox TV spots. To many, it’d look like a “glitch”. But innately curious gamers would soon know better. Utilising the 25 frames in a TV second, Glitch was packed with puzzles revealed only with a DVR pause. Glitch took gamers on an amazing, cryptic journey, built around key Xbox titles.