Xbox believes gaming is for all. Yet games marketing focuses on action. To target a new audience, McCann London created a new reason to buy games. Not to play. To visit. The centrepiece was The Rough Guide to Xbox – the first travel guide for virtual worlds. Xbox transformed into a travel brand, with a stand at the UK’s biggest travel expo, tourist board-style ads, in-game guided tours, and even game bundles re-framed as package holidays. That was all before Covid. But when the pandemic hit, it cemented this new way to travel.

The Birth of Gaming Tourism

Boards of Change brought America’s disenfranchised voices from the streets to the polls. Plywood boards that barricaded storefronts during the Black Lives Matter protests, filled with messages of unity and justice, were turned into voting booths. They inspired residents in dozens of Chicago’s low-turnout neighborhoods to create systemic change through the power of their vote and enabled them to register. Amplified by outdoor, social media, and national PR, Boards of Change empowered Black Americans to know their vote counts and helped Chicago attain a record number of registrations and voters.

Boards of Change

Reporters Without Borders wanted to reach young people suffering under strict online censorship. How? With Minecraft. Because even where all media is blocked, Minecraft is accessible. The game became a loophole to bypass censorship, with censored articles by acclaimed journalists republished as uncensored Minecraft books in the game. The Uncensored Library reached over 20m gamers, made more than 790 news articles, became an educational tool in schools and universities and increased donations for RSF by 62%. The library will stay open, giving the right to access information back to young people.

The Uncensored Library

Staying true to the Burberry spirit, the film follows an (impeccably dressed) quartet as they dance through the streets; each step taken choreographed by renowned collective (LA) HORDE. The campaign celebrates the brand’s history, as the dancers brave an ice storm dressed in weatherproof clothing inspired by Thomas Burberry’s iconic collections.

Colourist

Burberry - Festive

Students at Taiwan’s Banqiao High School organised an event inviting their male peers and teachers to wear skirts, breaking gender stereotypes and promoting freedom of choice. Vogue joined forces with acclaimed fashion designer Angus Chiang to transform the concept from a one-off event into a genuine campus fashion. It sparked a global discussion: “Do school uniforms have to be gender-specific?” But this is just the beginning. In the future, Ogilvy Taiwan hopes all students will wear UNI-FORMs, and feel at ease showing their true selves.

Curation by Hugo Mario Garcia Moya

Hugo Mario Garcia Moya

Integrated judge D&AD

My favorite winning projects