Anthony Mackie starred as Avengers hero Sam Wilson (AKA Falcon) in co-branded content that promoted the all-new Xbox Series X/S and Xbox Game Pass. We leveraged the fandom around this character and brand affinity of three powerhouse brands (Xbox, Marvel Studios and Disney+) together to create a powerful cultural moment tied to the launch of our The Falcon and The Winter Soldier streaming series. As a buzzworthy reveal for fans, we also tapped comedian DC Pierson to reprise his small but memorable role as Aaron from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, driving repeated views and organic conversation.

Xbox launched their Next Gen console during a competitive 2020 Holiday period where consumer choice was coming down to preference, cultural relevance, and access to the titles gamers love. To overcome this challenge, Xbox set out to create a global, buzzworthy, pop-culture moment cementing Xbox Series X/S as the must-have console to enter the next generation of gaming and showcase Xbox Game Pass, a subscription service that gives players access to more than 100 game titles. Simultaneously, Marvel Studios sought big-name partners to further support the marketing push for the new Disney+ series The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. With our missions aligned, we jumped into action to leverage the star power of our talent and to create a shareable story set inside the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In the "Avengers" movies, dozens of Marvel heroes were snapped out of existence by the evil Thanos and the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. Our heroes returned five years later... but what did they miss? For one thing, a ton of new video games. Using that hook as a launching point, we follow Anthony Mackie’s Falcon as he heads to a game store to catch up on five years of gaming changes. There, he encounters a store clerk who fills him in on the latest and greatest in gaming, while trying to keep his excitement over the Avenger's appearance in check. Fans were eager to see what Falcon’s been up to since being handed the shield in Avengers: Endgame – this content provided a first look.

To appeal to Marvel fans, authenticity to the Cinematic Universe is key, which is why we worked with show writers and producers on the creative. Catching fans up with Sam, we decided to set the content after the events of Avengers: Endgame and include Marvel-style Easter eggs for our fans. Our shop clerk Aaron returns from a brief appearance in a past "Captain America" movie. Plus, he reveals his Xbox gamertag to be "NoobMaster69" in reference to a fan-favorite scene from Avengers: Endgame featuring Thor playing a trash-talking player in Fortnite with the same screen name. Xbox recognized and leveraged the deep fandom and cultural equity of Marvel to reach Xbox and Marvel fans alike and to show off the newest console and some of the most popular games available on Xbox Game Pass, including Halo: Master Chief Collection, Forza Horizon 4, and Destiny 2: Beyond Light.

Both spots launched across three global markets – US, UK and AU – beginning March 9th with the :45s “What Did I Miss” closely followed by the :60s “Super Hero Stuff” on March 15th with a mix of targeted high impact digital and social placements driving conversation and sharing across Twitter, YouTube, Facebook/Instagram. All media linked to a custom Xbox.com landing page allowing consumers and fans to explore the partnership and Xbox products at a deeper level. Strategic high-impact placements and social takeovers ensured visibility to kick-start social sharing, fan engagement/reactions, and theories in order to drive additional conversation. Xbox powered up the campaign with a custom Xbox Live Experience, accessible through Xbox console, promoting the release of the series on Disney+ and included an exclusive Xbox Live gameplay session featuring Anthony Mackie, bringing the partnership full circle and illustrating Anthony’s authentic alignment to gaming.

Our two spots launched one week after the other in the lead-up to the highly-anticipated The Falcon and The Winter Soldier series. Featuring Anthony Mackie as Falcon and setting the spots “in-world” delighted fans, who playfully teased that Xbox Series X/S and Xbox and Game Pass are “canon” with the Marvel Universe. Further, Marvel fans loved references to Captain America: The Winter Solider and Avengers: Endgame and praised Xbox and Marvel for the brilliant marketing move. Fans even updated Aaron’s MCU Fandom Wiki page upon the reveal. In the 22-days of the campaign, the content received over 124 million views, more than the Super Bowl and the Oscars combined. Overall exposure was nearly 3x that with 365MM impressions. Global coverage including Reddit, Buzzfeed and Adweek, combined with persistent social conversation, led to over 784K authentic fan engagements and cemented the campaign as one of Disney+’s most successful co-promotions ever.