Big video games, like big movies, launch with a huge outdoor presence. It’s become the battleground for new game launches. Yet most outdoor ads are glanced at for just 8 seconds. So how could Xbox get gamers to engage with the launch of the gritty new Tomb Raider reboot during the busiest game launch period in history?

Challenge:

Big games, like big movies, launch with billboards. Yet most are glanced at for just 8 seconds. How could Xbox get gamers to engage with the launch of the gritty new Tomb Raider?

Solution:

Turn an advertising channel into an entertainment channel. Survival Billboard was a billboard on which eight gamers stood in a test of Lara Croft-like inner strength, to win a trip inspired by the game. They faced blizzards, downpours, wind and heat – all controlled by the public via a livestream. The public gave up on sleep to watch the billboard, supporting and speculating about the people on it. In one day, the oldest advertising medium was reinvented as a gripping reality show.

Results:

8 minutes average dwell time (vs. 8 seconds for a regular billboard)

£3.8 million in earned media

Survival Billboard was a single billboard that reached the world, as the drama taking place on it was live streamed on Twitch, the Xbox dashboard, banner ads, digital OOH and a dedicated microsite. The public gave up on sleep to watch the billboard, to control the weather that the participants were enduring, as well as to support, discuss and speculate about alliances and romances. The winner lasted 22 grueling hours, yet In that one day, the oldest advertising medium was reinvented as a gripping, interactive reality show.