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Client: Xbox 360
Creative Agency: AKQA

The Perfect Dark Zero campaign is the first major push by Xbox in a full lineup of holiday games titles for the new Xbox 360 system. Unlike most viral efforts, this campaign uses the website, email and your mobile phone to provide an immersive experience. Reveal to Joanna Dark, the sultry vixen and star of Perfect Dark Zero, that you know a friend who works for the shadowy dataDyne Corporation. She will “take care” of your friend. When the job is done you'll receive a cell phone call from Joanna herself, requesting that you check your email where proof awaits you. The campaign succeeds at delivering a fresh and savvy interactive experience to Xbox’s core audience while intriguing the masses. The idea is to involve users in the plot and reveal to gamers the look and interactivity of the futuristic game before it is released.
-- Rikki Khanna, account director, AKQA

Cool intro to Joanna Dark, a double gun toting babe sitting in a dark room. It was easy to use after the usual selections for location and age verification. You fill out a form on a crumpled piece of paper which is a nice touch. You then proceed into a darkened room and click around on various things that highlight when you roll over them. A red target opens and you explore the various clues. It's very “gamer” like and you have to explore. I clicked on a closet that opened with weapons. I couldn’t figure out how to get them out and shoot stuff. I literally had to stumble through the dark room. This game will surely be a cool XBOX360 launch title. It's a first person shooter, rated Mature (M ). The site takes you though the murky room, gives cryptic messages through a cell phone you pick up off a table. Underneath are Polaroid pics of characters, weapons and stuff. 

 

I could go on and and on. In fact you have to accomplish tasks to get messages emailed to you and calls to your cell to let you know that your mission is accomplished. This is a well done, exploratory site that has no instructions. It's perfect for a gamer who wants to engage in the fantasy that will be "Perfect Dark Zero," but it's really annoying for a busy exec with just a few minutes to have some diversion. If you don’t have the time to explore, this site isn’t for you!
-- Mark Friedler, CEO, GameDAILY

 

For AKQA's work on "Perfect Dark Zero," I'd like to split my comments into two sections: the strategy and the creative.

The strategy rocks. It's not the first time automated phone calls have been woven into an online ad, but as long as advertisers keep finding relevant uses, I say keep it coming. I'll spare you the media chaos theory rant and cut to the chase: the more touch-points you can leverage the better.

In terms of creative, this piece succeeds in building anticipation. After wandering around in the dark, you can find a number of tokens, screen grabs from the game and files that build interest in the video game. The darkness is certainly on message. However, it created something of a challenge. My issue with that is the payoff. In the future, I'd like to see advertisers follow up on challenges with greater rewards. For example, in addition to the screen grabs, I would love to stumble on a video preview of the game or a free download.
-- Mario Sgambelluri, managing editor, iMedia Communications, Inc.