Ads We Like: Xbox Game Pass ad utilizes numerous ad clichés to promote on-demand gaming
Xbox goes to every clichéd extreme in a new social ad to promote its on-demand Game Pass service.
Xbox Game Pass campaign
The hero spot starts with what looks like a depression medication ad, with a girl looking forlornly out the window. The female voice over asks if you often “find yourself stressed or tired? Does your life seem like a series of mediocre stock videos?” The action turns to a man skipping stones and a woman gazing into the camera, like so many stock videos.
The voice over offers an answer as the music turns more upbeat and a doctor holds a neon Xbox Game Pass sign as if it were medication. The voice over suggests that the service will inject some variety into your life. Then things take a sharp left turn to get in-your-face loud, with a man’s voice over yelling that the service will inject tons of games “right into your soul” as images of a lederhosen-clad yoga man appears and is surrounded by explosions and images of games. The male VO then urges you to fight a bear (on one of the game platforms), and to avoid dying and harvest corn.
Then a kid in a Santa hat and martial arts robe karate chops words in the air, like “bored,” “stressed” and “expensive monthly prices.” Of course, a “but wait, there’s more” comes in with other assorted crazed images and stock photos.
The Xbox Game Pass campaign will be seen on social channels with an intent to engage a young and growing Game Pass audience. A release stated that this is the first time Xbox has launched new social channels since its inception, in an effort to bridge the gap between gaming, internet culture and casual online fun.
The spot was produced by the Xbox Game Pass agency of record, the Ayzenberg Group.
