To change perceptions, we changed the business model. It became community-centric. With one click, gamers could now own their design. So the more people who buy your design, the more money you earn. It changed behaviour. With a vested interest, gamers started behaving like entrepreneurs, essentially selling our product for us. They spotted gaps in the market, claiming designs that would sell within their communities. Sports teams, flags, current events, even charitable causes … if it had a fanbase, someone owned a design around it. Gamers then made campaigns to market controllers to their social networks, while Xbox made bespoke ads to promote people’s designs in-store, OOH, online, on the Xbox dash, on TV and in print. It created a positive feedback loop, all leading to more site visits, more designs, more sales. By letting our audience claim ownership of their design, we grew the community and everybody profited.

On the website, people could customize their controller, then were asked to claim ownership of it. If others buy that design, you’d earn money. Every designer had artwork to make direct marketing campaigns for their controller on social networks. Xbox supported gamers using owned and paid media (including OOH, TV, in-store, dashboard, print and banners) to promote people’s controllers with bespoke ads. The new model empowered our audience to think strategically. They claimed controllers around things with fan bases, like Manchester United, Trump, and the Minions. The campaign initially began with Influencer social activity, starting from 1 April 2017, with the ‘claim your design’ feature released online on 1 May 2017, simultaneously with call-to-action online display ads and a feature on the Xbox dashboard. Retail support then kicked in on 30 May 2017, and print ads began appearing in the July and August 2017 editions of trade magazines.

- Design Lab controller sales increased by 350%

- 41% of site visitors claimed a design

- Average amount earned was $95.24

- The top earner made $1,131