Challenge:

‘FIFA 18’ was going to be a crucial videogame for Xbox. But our competitor, PlayStation, had bought all the FIFA marketing rights. We couldn’t even show our own game packshot. So how could we market a game we were forbidden from marketing?

Solution:

We leveraged something bigger than videogame football – real football. In partnership with Real Madrid and a top gamer, we translated every pass, every shot, every possible combination on the pitch into the corresponding Xbox controller buttons for ‘FIFA 18’. Across everything from audio commentary to pitchside perimeter boards to newspaper match reports, this approach linked FIFA with Xbox in the minds of gamers, without ever mentioning the game or contravening the marketing deal. Every touchpoint didn’t just speak about FIFA – it made our target audience better at it on Xbox.

Results:

- Over 100 million impressions

- Reached 650 million spectators per match (x 12 matches)

- FIFA unique player base grew 10% year-on-year from launch through to Q

Microsoft - Football Decoded

CREDITS

Gold partners