Title	ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS: THE REAL-WORLD TRAILER
Brand	MICROSOFT
Product/Service	XBOX / DEAD RISING 4
Category	C01. Live Brand Experience
Entrant	McCANN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Idea Creation	McCANN LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Media Placement	CARAT London, UNITED KINGDOM
PR	EDELMAN London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production	CRAFT WORLDWIDE London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production 2	MOMENTUM WORLDWIDE London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production 3	HELIX 3D London, UNITED KINGDOM
Production 4	FLUX BROADCAST London, UNITED KINGDOM

Name	Company	Position
Rob Doubal	McCann London	Chief Creative Officer
Laurence Thomson	McCann London	Chief Creative Officer
Sanjiv Mistry	McCann London	EMEA Creative Director
Jamie Mietz	McCann London	EMEA Creative Director
Jim Nilsson	McCann London	Copywriter
Jacob Björdal	McCann London	Art Director
Clare Mann	McCann London	Project Director
Paul Gillespie	McCann London	Senior Project Manager
Sergio Lopez	Craft Worldwide, London	Head of Integrated Production
Aaron Raybe	Momentum Worldwide, London	Senior Event Producer
Duncan Groves	Craft Worldwide, London	Senior Producer
Chris Cartwright	Craft Worldwide, London	Senior Producer
Ruth Oates	Craft Worldwide, London	Production Manager
Dan Howarth	McCann London	Head of Art
Sam White	Craft Worldwide, London	Video Director
Charlotte Walters	McCann London	Planner
Rob Smith	McCann London	Executive Vice President
Sailesh Jani	McCann London	Regional Business Director
Tom Oliver	McCann London	Account Director
Isobel Thomas	McCann London	Account Manager
Sophie Grierson	McCann London	Account Executive
Alice Parker	McCann London	Account Executive
Louise Ringrose	McCann London	Director of Communications
Paul Jenkinson	Craft Worldwide, London	Editor
Francis Harris	Craft Worldwide, London	Editor
Carl Warren	McCann London	Designer
Simon Thomas	McCann London	Designer
Dan Fields	McCann London	Designer
Michael Bow	McCann London	Designer

The Campaign

Rather than put their trailer on TV, Xbox reimagined what a trailer could be. ‘Zombie Christmas’ was a trailer made entirely of Christmas lights, a popular UK festive tradition. It was the first time a trailer (usually video) was instead built as a physical installation that could be walked through to see the story unfold. This content wasn’t on TV or YouTube. It only existed outdoors, in lights. Yet with VR and 360° video, the whole world could walk through it to experience the story.

Creative Execution

The real-world trailer consisted of a series of animated Christmas light panels suspended, over the course of 11 days, above a busy shopping plaza in central London. The on-switch was a robotic zombie hand, controlled by gamers via livestreams on Facebook Live, Twitch and Beam. Over 500000 gamers switched on the trailer, revealing a new story about zombies, powerful weapons and the return of the hero from game 1 in the franchise. TimeOut London listed it, and thousands visited in person. Yet the whole world could walk through this neighbourhood’s unusual Christmas lights thanks to VR and 360 degree video. Zombie Christmas was not an ad. It was a gory yet festive destination.

1900% above average Facebook response rate. Over 500000 gamers worked together to switch on the trailer. Over 4 million walked through it. (target: 1 million) Game sales exceeded target by 34%. Over 18000 social comments.

Christmas lights are a much-loved UK Christmas tradition. People travel from far away to watch the switching on of the lights. By creating a game trailer that only existed outdoors, in the form of a London neighbourhood’s Christmas lights, Xbox created something that went beyond advertising. It was a destination even listed in TimeOut. People didn’t skip this trailer. They walked through it, to see a new story and new details about the game be told through the medium of lights. While most brands interrupt the festive season, Xbox became part of it by building something worth visiting.

To cut through the Christmas clutter, Xbox’s strategy was to not interrupt the festive season, like all its competitors, but to add to it. To create something that wasn’t pushed into people’s homes, but rather something that people would want to come and see.