Microsoft Taps 'Super Bowl King' Bryan Buckley For First Xbox One Ads

Here come the Xbox One ads. In preparation for its Nov. 22 launch, the Xbox One is set to air "Invitation," a big-budget TV spot directed by Super Bowl veteran Bryan Buckley during NBC's Sunday Night Football. Microsoft debuts a 90-second version of the spot on YouTube channel this morning. "Our target audience spends a great deal of time online. This is how modern day marketing needs to adapt," said Robert Matthews, Xbox general manager, global consumer marketing. Xbox One commissioned Crispin Porter & Bogusky and Mr. Buckley, once dubbed the "King of the Super Bowl" by the New York Times, for its first piece of creative. Mr. Buckley has directed more than 40 Super Bowl ads, including a host of celebrity-driven commercials starring stars such as Ellen Degeneres, Martin Scorsese and John Malkovich This will be Microsoft's first console launch since the Xbox 360 in 2005. "In terms of scope and scale, this is one of the most important and largest console launches in Xbox history," said Mr. Matthews. Microsoft's strategy is to make the living room the center of entertainment and broaden its reach past the gamer, which remains competitor Sony PS4's focus. "We want to connect with our fans on a global level. They love games, sports, entertainment, movies and we want to give them that" said Mr. Matthews. In this spot, Mr. Buckley bridges the gap between star and fan. It features famous faces and characters including Liverpool and England national soccer team captain Stephen Gerrard, Star Trek character Spock played by actor Zachary Quinto as well as the McLaren P1 hybrid sportscar. The 60-second version will be running during Sunday Night Football, which continues to top Nielsen ratings charts with 27 million viewers last week. Commercial slots are currently priced at $593,694 for 30 seconds, meaning close to $1.2 million for the full spot. A 'Making Of' video below was designed for cinema and will be playing in Regal and AMC theaters in the United States.

Microsoft Taps 'Super Bowl King' Bryan Buckley For First Xbox One Ads

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