Case Study
How Xbox increased mentions by 300% with a global-first Twitter campaign
Key results
50K
Tweet engagements
300%
increase in mentions YOY
20%
of Twitter PAX conversation
The opportunity
The popular Australian gaming event PAX Australia (@PAX AUS) saw record crowds in 2019. More than 80,000 video game enthusiasts attended the three-day event in Melbourne, which included expert panels, game-culture inspired concerts, tournaments, and exhibitor booths from both independent and major game developers and publishers. Xbox Australia and New Zealand (@XboxANZ) wanted to maximise brand reach and engagement during a key event in the gaming calendar and provide an active brand experience for both the gamers attending and those following along at home.
With a highly engaged gaming base, Twitter was the perfect platform for Xbox to maximise its reach at PAX. Xbox’s vision was to drive real-time engagement during PAX and make Xbox the most talked-about console brand at the event.
The strategy
@XboxANZ launched the Xbox Twitter Hunt — a virtual treasure hunt and a first-of-its-kind globally, where fans could earn points for the chance to win a trip to the X019 event in London. To participate, Twitter users across Australia and New Zealand Tweeted their answers to a variety of challenges, such as filling in the blanks of cryptic hashtags, deciphering daily emoji combinations that depicted games, and unlocking points by finding QR codes hidden throughout the PAX event.
Xbox Twitter Hunt hints and tips were regularly shared via organic updates by @XboxANZ, with assistance from an auto-reply campaign that helped Xbox respond to submissions in real time, reducing the impact on Xbox resources, and encouraging fan participation and engagement.
To amplify the reach of the scavenger hunt, Xbox used Promoted Video to target gamers with videos about the Twitter Hunt mechanics and incentives. Xbox also expanded its audience with In-Stream Video Ads, spreading the word about its scavenger hunt through In-Stream Video and pre-roll ads on @PAXAus content during the event.
To bring the online and offline activity together, contestants with the most points had their Twitter handle and scores displayed on a real-time digital leader board at the event, which was regularly Tweeted by @XboxANZ.
01
Use video to reach the right fans.
Engaging video helped @XboxANZ reach a gaming audience at scale, amplifying video content on trusted gaming publisher pages.
02
Connect to fans in real time with an auto-reply campaign.
Xbox and Twitter co-created an auto-reply campaign where participants could receive customised replies in real time. For example, a user would receive an alert when they were first to correctly decipher an emoji combination. Fans could also opt-in for competition alerts and tips.
03
Use bespoke, gamified content to engage fans in new ways.
Twitter worked closely with Xbox to design and execute the emoji combination challenge, including the development of eye-catching, interactive emoji content.
The success
The @XboxANZ PAX Twitter campaign was a huge success, resulting in more than 50,000 Tweet engagements. In fact, @XboxANZ was the most Tweeted-about console brand, with mentions of @XboxANZ increasing 300% year-on-year during the event. The hashtag #XBOXPAXAUS also organically trended twice on Twitter.
The emoji challenge proved to be the most engaging and memorable component of the campaign across all metrics, driving higher recall and top-of-mind awareness of the brand over the course of the event.
The gaming community on Twitter continues to grow globally, and Australia is no exception. One of the biggest advantages to engaging with gamers on Twitter is the ability for fans to participate in real time, whether they were in Melbourne for PAX or sitting at home in Perth — we were able to offer active experiences to bring them closer to the world of Xbox.
Solutions used
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