What do you get when you mix storm troopers, top NHL talent Steven Stamkos and Jeremy Roenick and the hottest yet-to-be released video games?
An unforgettable media showcase that only Xbox can deliver!
This year, Xbox Canada took its holiday preview event to a whole new level. With more titles than ever before, the annual event drew an impressive 200 media and influencers to the trendy Muzik Nightclub in downtown Toronto. Those in attendance included top outlets like CTV, Canadian Press, Canadian Living, Huffington Post, Maxim Canada, TSN, Toronto Star, Sun Media, MTV, MuchMusic, SPACE and Electric Playground — just to name a few!
Food and drinks were flowing as the most anticipated titles were on display for some serious gameplay action, including hot new racing title Forza Motorsport 4 and the latest instalment from Epic Games, Gears of War 3.
Though, it wasn’t all fun and games lounging on a couch. Attendees also had the chance to get up and show off their Kinect skills. Whether they were bustin’ a move with Dance Central 2, toning up on Your Shape 2 or channelling their inner athlete on Kinect Sports: Season Two, there was never a dull moment!
Want to see for yourself? Catch all the action with this video from Sway Magazine’s Paul Rubio!
“Don’t stop believin.’ Hold on to that feeeelinnnnng.”
Earlier this month, an intrepid group of High Roaders adopted Journey’s iconic 80s rock anthem as our personal mantra, attempting to hold on to the feeling generated for the American Express Gold Rewards Card at its much heralded launch in 2010.
Last September the American Express account team pulled an all-nighter in the Breakfast Television studio to construct a model of the Taj Mahal using canned goods. It took six High Roaders, eight architects, four engineers and 14,500 cans to build the 10 x 10 marvel.
That stunt, along with a press conference at Yonge and Eglinton and two blogger dinners, made a huge impact – so when American Express told us they’d like us to create an event to celebrate the card’s first-year anniversary, we welcomed the idea with open arms.
We thought to ourselves:
On a 20-year anniversary you give your loved one platinum
For a five-year anniversary, you give your loved one silver
So, for the one-year Gold Rewards Card anniversary we decided to give our loved ones…rock! The result was an exclusive, gold-themed dinner for Toronto Twitterati at the Molson Amphitheatre, with a concert featuring Foreigner and Journey, a meet-and-greet with the bands, and a hot VIP after-party.
The event was so successful it became a Twitter trending topic in Toronto and generated substantial buzz in the blogosphere.
With golden evenings like this, we’re already brainstorming how we can top this event’s great success.
It seems like World Wrestling Entertainment has found a new way to connect with their fans outside of their traditional television programs and PPV shows – they’re laying a smack down with social media, and it’s creating quite a buzz.
While the WWE’s popularity and profits have waned in recent years thanks in part to a fickle fan base and stiff competition from the UFC, they’ve come up with an interesting way to strengthen their brand and add a sense of realism to the scripted spectacle of professional wrestling. A little context is needed:
Former WWE champion C.M. Punk created a stir at a recent WWE event when he gave a scathing on-air review of the company and the way it operated. He won the title on the final night he was under contract with the WWE, forfeited it, and promptly left the company. Or did he?
Fast forward two weeks: The ousted champ showed up unannounced at a WWE panel at San Diego’s Comic Con. Armed with a video camera (and an excellent guerrilla marketing strategy), he stormed into the panel and challenged another high profile wrestler to a bout. But his videographer wasn’t the only one documenting the showdown. Upon his entrance, seemingly half the room whipped out their smartphones and started rolling. Within minutes, several different videos were posted on Youtube and Twitter, drawing the eyes of not only the wrestling world, but many old fans who had said “uncle” and quit the WWE a long time ago.
This particular digital strategy was a stroke of genius for the WWE, as it accomplished a few key things:
1) It added a much needed element of realism to their product, something that’s been called into question over and over again. They have deliberately taken to not mentioning the former champ’s name in their on-air programming moving forward, lending credibility to the fact that this isn’t all staged (which in fact it is). But is it interesting, blurring the lines and drawing eyes? Absolutely.
2) Using Youtube and Twitter adds another layer for the fan base to engage with the WWE brand. As a result of this stunt, many of these fans were able to post their videos of the showdown on Twitter and Youtube – the fans were allowed to break the news and add their voices to the narrative. What brand wouldn’t want such an engaged consumer?
3) It’s created a great ROI. No major network television channels involved. No expensive lights, cameras, and crews needed. A camera, a compelling character, and an internet connection did the trick.
4) It created a buzz, plain and simple. Where will he strike next? What will he do? You had better check Twitter as he’s probably already hinting at it now.
This is a great bit of engagement on behalf of the WWE, which highlights the fact that brands need to think outside the box and utilize all communication tools that are at their disposal. It could even end up saving them from going down for the proverbial ten count…
