Xbox invests £1m in AKQA campaign to promote Forza Motorsport

by Emma Rigby, Revolution UK 13-May-05

LONDON - Xbox has spent over £1m online to promote its new game 'Forza Motorsport' through a full-screen internet TV channel.

Gamers visiting the site, which is launching across 11 European countries, can spend half an hour watching real-life video footage of the modified car-racing scene.

The site will feature clips of real racers who modify Porsches and other high-performance cars linked by an MTV-style video jockey. It aims to whet their appetites for the game, which embroils gamers in advanced simulation of driving modified performance cars and goes on sale on the May 16.

The website, developed by agency AKQA, launches today May 13 and will be live for two months, with refreshed content running from June.

Extensive online marketing by AKQA and an above-the-line push with press, TV and cinema advertising through McCann Erickson will challenge players to tune into the internet TV station.

Rich-media ads will translate creative from the above-the-line campaign and will be placed across motor sport sites to target the gaming community. This will include popular forum and fan sites including coverage on Xbox.com.

James Hilton, executive creative director at AKQA, said: "This is a media first. We've created something that means people will stay online for half-an-hour watching sexy footage. We wanted to convey the passion of the modified racing scene. Afterwards, they'll be so pumped-up all they will want to do is buy the game."

The site is supported by technology company Akamai's EdgePlatform service.

If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the Forum.