Microsoft's best Cannes Lions-winning ads and campaigns

This year, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is honoring Microsoft as Creative Marketer of the Year. The brand has collected dozens of accolades at the festival over more than two decades, starting with its first win in the Cyber category in 1998, and most recently, Grand Prix and Titanium honors in 2019 for its “Changing the Game” Xbox Adaptive Controller push that included product, an e-sports tournament and Super Bowl advertising. (And industry leaders predict it will take more this year.) Reflecting on how Microsoft has consistently delivered breakthrough ideas in its marketing, Chief Brand Officer Kathleen Hall told Ad Age, “We are constantly looking for uncovered stories and gems that represent our values and truths. It’s not always the biggest business product that best represents your stories and values. It’s sometimes these outlying, seemingly small, activities and initiatives.” That’s evident in the range of the brand’s celebrated ads and marketing ideas over the years, which has spanned Xbox video game titles, health-driven technologies, out-of-the-box design moves and more. Here, we take a look back at some of the brand’s biggest winners. Xbox “Ear Tennis” BBH London This faux-doc spot for Xbox from BBH London followed the trials of a pro “Ear Tennis” player, a ping-pong like sport in which the athletes used their own, deliberately stretched out ears as paddles. Directed by Lionel Goldstein via Czar/Blink, the ad earned Microsoft its first Gold Lion in 2003, in the Film category. Microsoft Hardware and Software “Gotcha!” Wunderman ME Dubai This campaign sought to convert unlicensed software users into licensed ones with a spoof mailer sent out to 3,000 recipients. The brown envelope appeared to be personal correspondence and contained a CD labeled with a Post-it note. Once users inserted it into their computers, it appeared as if they crashed, followed by a warning saying that’s the risk of using pirated software. It then recommended Windows Genuine Software. The effort earned Gold in the Direct category in 2006. Xbox “Blue Dragon-Big Shadow” GT Inc. Tokyo This innovative interactive outdoor experience promoted the Xbox game “Blue Dragon,” which featured a function in which the player’s shadow becomes a dragon when they engage in battle. The campaign used technology to “transform” what appeared to be pedestrians’ shadows into dragon-like beasts, mimicking the effect of the game in the real world. A web component extended the fun, allowing users to add extra projections to the experience in real time. The effort earned double Gold Lions in 2007, in Outdoor and Cyber. Xbox “Halo—Believe” T.A.G. S.F., McCann Worldgroup San Francisco In 2008, Microsoft earned its first Grand Prix—actually, two of them, in Integrated and Film—for the platform-spanning “Believe” campaign. The challenge was to entice gamers who had never before played the sci-fi battle franchise “Halo” to buy into its third installment. It did so by immersing players in the legend of the game’s hero Master Chief, recounting his critical role in a historic battle in the form of an intricate diorama. The massive creation appeared in a cinematic ad and in an interactive experience that allowed visitors to explore key moments of the showdown. The lore continued in a faux documentary film featuring Halo “veterans” discussing the use of vintage weapons (the Film Grand Prix honoree, directed by then-Go Film helmer Simon McQuoid, director of “Mortal Kombat”) and in a documentary about the diorama’s creation. Additional components such as an orchestral performance, a war photography “exhibit” and street murals also paid homage to the soldiers who took part in the pivotal battle. McCann Worldgroup San Francisco and its Microsoft-dedicated unit T.A.G.—which later went on to become 215 McCann—were behind the effort. Xbox “Halo 3: ODST—The Life” T.A.G./McCann Erickson San Francisco In 2010,T.A.G. and McCann Erickson San Francisco introduced the new first-person shooter “Halo 3: ODST” to the “Halo” franchise with this mini blockbuster film directed by MJZ’s Rupert Sanders (“Ghost in the Shell,” “Snow White and the Huntsman”). The film followed the story of a young soldier through enlistment, training and finally, battle. It earned Gold in Film Craft for its cinematography, captured by Greig Fraser (“Dune,” “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”). Xbox “Nike+ Kinect Training” AKQA London Nike’s first-ever video game, “Nike+ Kinect Training with Xbox 360,” earned a 2013 Gold Cyber Lion in User Experience. Created with AKQA London, the game replicated Nike’s training regimen for its athletes in video game form and went on to become the No. 1-selling Kinect title the year of its debut. Xbox 360 “FIFA 14 Now With the Colombian Soccer League” Y&R Colombia; Wunderman Colombia For the Colombian market, Microsoft wanted to announce that its national soccer team was now a part of the “FIFA14” video game, so Y&R and Wunderman Colombia conceived of this idea to fold scenes of the game into its most popular football face-off of the year. The effort won Gold in Direct in 2014. Onenote “Microsoft Collective Project” Possible Seattle This campaign from Possible Seattle promoted Microsoft note-taking software through hundreds of pieces of social content illustrating how it could improve the lives of its users. One of the most-viewed films in the program was an unscripted video of Robert Downey Jr. bringing his role of Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, into the real world in order to give a special gift to a young boy, Alex—a 3D-printed bionic Iron Man arm of his own. The effort earned Pharma Gold and Bronze in Film in 2015. Xbox: “Tomb Raider—Survival Billboard” McCann London Microsoft turned a London billboard into a 24-hour reality show when it challenged eight individuals to endure the elements to promote the latest Xbox “Tomb Raider” game. The brave contestants were perched along the sign while online watchers voted on which weather conditions the competitors should be subjected to. The idea earned multiple 2016 Gold Lions in Direct, Outdoor, Promo and Activation and Entertainment. Kinect “Delqa” Listen New York Microsoft impressed the 2016 Design jury with “Delqa,” an interactive music push created with musician Matthew Dear. The installation invited visitors to experience Dear’s music in a labyrinthine, tactile space powered by a system of Kinect sensors, lights and speakers. Created with Listen New York, it earned a Gold and two Silver Design Lions. XBox Design Lab “Xbox Design Labs Original The Fanchise Model” McCann London This innovative retail idea from McCann London aimed to incentivize consumers to buy customized Xbox controllers by putting the product design—and a chance to profit from it—in their hands. Gamers came up with their own colorways for the controllers, featuring themes ranging from Pride to the Minions to Donald Trump. The consumer-created designs went on to feature in ads. The campaign earned the Grand Prix in Creative E-Commerce, Gold in Direct, Media, Brand Experience and Activation in 2018 and then went on to win Creative Effectiveness Gold in 2019. Xbox “Changing the Game” McCann Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller was at the heart of this winning campaign, which included a Super Bowl spot directed by Hungry Man’s Bryan Buckley, YouTube instructional videos and an inclusive e-sports tournament. Among its honors were the 2019 Grand Prix in Brand Experience and Activation. Jury President Jaime Mandelbaum, chief creative officer of VMLY&R Europe, noted during the category press conference that the “end-to-end” experience “not only changes the relationship the brand has with its consumers ... it has a disproportionate impact on people’s lives.” That year, the campaign also earned Titanium as well as Gold in Design and Product Innovation.

Microsoft's best Cannes Lions-winning ads and campaigns

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