In 2019, Playstation signed an exclusive marketing deal with EA Games for the FIFA game franchise. Since then, Xbox has been battling to protect their revenue and player numbers. But having only 1% of Sony’s marketing budget and no discernible difference in game play or cost, they’ve had to get creative to gain and retain players.

Challenge: How can we target football fans in the UK and turn them into Xbox fans?

Objectives

• Target UK football fans and encourage them to play EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) on Xbox rather than Playstation

• Encourage loyalty to Xbox through gaming rewards and money-can’t-buy experiences.

Football is full of emotion – that’s why fans love it. But at matches, brands market in the least emotional way possible - billboards on the pitch side-lines.

Fans are focussed on the matchday experience - talking tactics around the stadium, buying the latest merch or chomping down on matchday food.

So we decided to meet real football fans where they were, by hiding gaming reward codes in the places that matter to them on match day, where eagle-eyed fans would notice them.

If it was part of the matchday experience, we turned it into media for hiding gaming reward codes:

Fancy a Hot Dog? Reward code on bun

Enjoying a Burger? Reward code on packaging

Buying merchandise? Reward codes on scarves

Walking past Security Staff? Reward codes on their High Vis jackets

We even places reward codes on laundry hanging in the legendary away fans entrance of Luton FC!

Target audience:

Real football fans who also have an interest in Xbox and gaming.

Our strategy focused on reaching the target football audience both in real life at football stadiums – e.g. Kenilworth Road in Luton, Old Trafford in Manchester, etc. - as well as on dedicated football platforms on social media.

Code placements were selected to meet fans where they were: at fast food stations and around the stadium.

Content had to be unique and unmuddied by marketing language, and so the presentation of codes was made intentionally subtle so fans could uncover the giveaways for themselves and reap the rewards.

Once discovered, codes could be shared by fans on social and would be picked up with gaming media too.

We timed the activations to occur before, during, and after the EA Sports FC 24 launch on 29th September, ensuring that we excited expectant fans in the run up to the title’s release.

We placed the gaming reward codes in three real life locations on match days.

23rd September, Luton Town FC vs Wolves game at Kenilworth Road (Luton)

6th October, FC Kaiserslautern v Hannover at Fritz-Walter Stadion (Kaiserslautern)

7th October, Manchester United vs Brent at Old Trafford (Manchester)

Amplified by No Context Footy, Footy Scran, and Xbox owned and operated channels in the UK, via a mixture of static photography and video assets.

100% of the 216 hidden codes were claimed by fans

26.4K social engagements (likes, reposts, shares, etc.)

4.3M Social post views

Score More with Xbox FY2024 launch achieved:

25M+ Reach

9.2M+ Views

32% sales increase YOY

350K+ Engagements