Ultimate in Experiential Marketing: XBOX Kinect World Introduction

Ilme3cirque01
On Sunday, June 13, 2010, the eve of the world premier of XBOX's revolutionary gaming product Kinect, Microsoft not only took the introduction of any gaming product to a new level, but took experiential marketing to a level never before seen in the industry. 

Kinect is a new technology that was originally introduced a year ago by Steven Speilberg as Project Natal as a technology that would essentially make the hand held gaming controller obsolete by making the human body the only controller for the XBOX 360. This is a huge breakthrough and one ups Nintendo Wii by opening the doors for body expression in the industry.  
 
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KINECT_Experience_ImaginedByCirqueDuSoleil (1).wmv (23.96 MB)
 
For the Kinect World Premier in Los Angeles, a premier that would shame any red carpet event with the amount of A-list celebrities in attendance, Microsoft partnered up with the leaders of body expression, world re-known, Cirque du Soleil to exemplify what it would be like when the boundaries become blurred and the one thing that limits the gamer, the controller, is taken out of  the picture. It is a wonderful theatrical demonstration that uses experiential marketing to bridge the gap between the user and the brand. 

"Along with a 76-person strong cast of dancers, musicians, acrobats, and clowns, show goers were treated to a dazzling setup featuring 25-foot-high projection screens totaling more than a football field in length, a gigantic 9-foot-tall elephant puppet housing projection screens and two artists, and a 40-foot-diameter steel structure that rotates on its axis and weighs as much as 25 VW Beetles."

A few things to keep in mind when watching the XBOX world premier:
  • A "holding area is used as attendees come into the entrance area. This makes the attendee "enter" the event as they would at a red carpet event. Many celebrities were invited as seen here in this XBOX Red Carpet Interview such as Jack Osborne, Billy Crystal, and Rita Wilson.
  • The event's production actually begins outside with a teaser performance which is symbolic of what gaming once was. It invites the attendee into a new world, a pivotal point in the industry and overall gaming experience. 
  • Once through the holding area, the attendee then is sent to prepping area where they must get dressed with the white cloak making them an integral part of the event instead of just an attendee. One attendee did a great job of capturing the XBOX event from the ground level. This bridges the gap and becomes symbolic of Kinect's ability to engulf the gamer in a completely new world, a world where the gamer is the controller. 
  • There is a fake child and fake family that is integrated with all the other attendees. These Cirque players come out of the ranks of the attendees, and become part of the show which makes all the other attendees feel as if though anyone, any of the attendees or users at home could be summoned to break the barrier of the conventional gaming controller.