Insight
Since 2000, China had banned the production and selling of video game consoles, as well as, any electronic gaming accessories. After 14 years they finally lifted the ban making it a crucial race for companies to make an impactful impression in the China market. Microsoft wanted to seize this opportunity and be the first to provide a revolutionising gaming experience for gamers in China. The Xbox One would be sold across more than 4,000 retail stores in 37 cities.
Since the ban, influential groups of hardcore gamers had already become accustomed to purchasing their gaming consoles by means of the grey market and had made up their minds that PlayStation was their console of choice. PlayStation 4 had been outselling Xbox 3 to 1 in other countries therefore it was imperative that this launch made a bold statement and showed that Xbox One was the only gaming console that gamers needed. Carat needed to create a presence within key influential gaming groups and shift the perception of this niche segment.
Although outnumbered, there was still a key group of Xbox fans that were eager for the launch. The opportunity to succeed was to celebrate these fans and leverage their voice and influence to maximise anticipation for the launch.
Strategy
Based on learnings from across the world, the success of the launch would depend on a key gaming community in China to whom already had a high affinity for grey market consoles and possessed a “wait and see” opinion of the product launching in China. So the goal was to shift gamers’ perception to create conversations and anticipation from the above the line communications. The communication strategy was to define Xbox One as the premium gaming console. Carat took that strategy and turned it into an iconic moment in gaming history celebrating Xbox fans.
Through the agency’s propriety tool, CCS, it found that these gamers live in a digital world. From the moment they wake up to when they sleep, from socialising with their friends to consuming their favourite TV show, everything is on a digital device. It took over their digital ecosystem and turned it into an Xbox world.
The dominant Xbox presence provided excitement and positive energy for the loyal fans of Xbox and encouraged them to speak positively of the launch within their digital community.
Execution
By taking media placement to another level Carat utilised every platform and innovative tool to strategically create a presence for Xbox One and continually building upon the most successful launch in Xbox history. It took over homepages of all major web platforms, gaming sites, mobile portals, and OTV platforms. The agency also took over gamers’ favourite downloading APP, Thunder, and made Xbox the default skin for the launch.
In addition, it used the most innovative forms of programmatic buying to specifically target gamers who were still on the fence. Xbox One also became amongst the first to push and place clickable inn-app banners through WeChat Tencent News account – reaching hundreds of million users in China. Chinese gamers were unable to go anywhere online or offline without seeing and thinking about Xbox One which, in turn, sparked curiosity and anticipation that lead to their consumer journeys and need for purchase in pre-sales and launch date.
For the grand launch Carat wanted to capture this iconic moment by taking over Shanghai’s most iconic buildings seen from the Bund and covered the entire skyline green. This iconic landscape takeover was an important moment for gaming in China; the image became a highly discussed topic on social media.
Results
On the first day over a 100,000 consoles were sold – a successful launch compared to the other Asian markets, setting a high bar for competitors coming into China. All major gaming forums had covered the success of the launch, as well as, major news and media platforms. Within the first week there were over 3.5 billion impressions, 187 million unique views and 62 million WeChat impressions.
“Whenever we launch Xbox around the world, we always ensure we disrupt the market, there is a strong impact and our campaign connects well with gamers. For China, it is extremely crucial that we get the launch right for this is the first time that gaming consoles are officially allowed in the market. Not only did EMT manage to overtake the Shanghai skyline in a highly regulated OOH market, they were also able to cut through relevant media for gamers with their extensive research tools, deep understanding of Chinese gaming industry, and great negotiating power. And all these within a limited planning timeline of only 1.5 months. Truly amazing! Xbox China launch is one of our most successful launches in Asia.” – Andrew Agbay, IMC Senior Marketing Communications Manager, Microsoft.