In the entertainment category, buzz is the lifeblood of success. For movies, shows, video games, the excitement of others is contagious and intriguing, if people are talking about an entertainment release, even more people will check it out.

To launch Kinect Star Wars on Xbox 360, we set out to create and sustain a market long after the traditional communications have gone quiet. To do this, we needed to inspire real conversation not simply harvest 'likes' or buy impressions.We found that the layouts and features in social media are something that people really care about. New formats inspire mass conversation. We also knew that giving people the opportunity to bring the Star Wars universe into their own lives will get a response “more powerful than you could possibly imagine”.Kinect Star Wars immerses players in the Star Wars world and we did the same with people’s lives on Facebook/Twitter.

So we launched the first branded social media reader app for iOS (iPhone & iPad), Android and Windows Phone. Using APIs we created an alternative portal where user’s social feeds appeared ‘in a galaxy far away’ as the iconic Star Wars opening crawl, replete with legendary music.Users log in with their Facebook and / or Twitter accounts and their social networking is combined in one place. To start a personal Star Wars ‘crawl’, simply turn your device to landscape and the phone’s accelerometer triggers the magic. More so, our app replicates standard Facebook / Twitter functions.

In execution, our idea is more than a fun talking point delivering a fleeting presence on social networks. For those who use it, our idea is their social network – a permanent presence!”After the media blitz around the game launch, the app went live. It was supported by a targeted PR push followed by an intriguing and amusing online video.At the time of writing, the app’s been available only 8 days on Android and Windows Phone, a mere 36 hours on iOS… and it’s already achieved lifetime campaign targets:So far, the app’s inspired 209 articles, Kinect Star Wars campaign discussion leapt 500%, with over 1,200 app comments per day on social networks.

In total, our idea has created and generated 31 million additional impressions for Kinect Star Wars, and in terms of earned media in social media, the app has already repaid development costs.