Xbox 360 TV spot wins Addy

Ubiquitous "Jump In" spot gets Best of Show and multicultural honor at SF ad-exec ceremony.

Microsoft has long been known for its high-concept marketing campaigns, which have employed such innovative techniques as the alternate reality game Ilovebees.com and ourcolony.net. Recently, the company was further recognized for its prowess at pushing its own products at the American Advertising Federation's "Addy" Awards in San Francisco.

More accurately, the ad agencies Microsoft hired, SF-based McCann-Erickson and El Segundo, California-based Sunny, shared the Best of Show National Mosaic Award for multicultural advertising award for the "Jump Rope" TV spot promoting the Xbox 360. The ad, which shows a festive group of different races and ages engaging in a complex jump-rope session, was presumed by many to have been shot with digital trickery. However, the TV spot, which can be seen here, was "shot completely in-camera in one take," said 2006 Addy Award chairman Mark Tutssel.

55 Comments

  • Crymerge

    Posted Jun 16, 2006 1:07 pm PT

    who cares

  • Blazer88

    Posted Jun 16, 2006 12:53 pm PT

    That was a cool commercial.

  • dantess_

    Posted Jun 16, 2006 9:53 am PT

    i liked the commercial where they were all shooting each other. too bad it got banned because people suck

  • acesion

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 11:37 pm PT

    Wow great job and cordination i wonder how many tries it took the best part was the guy on the bike and th gy who does all the flips now only if i was cool enough to do that.

  • maulberto3

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 7:53 pm PT

    THAT WAS A REALLY HYPING UP COMM!!!

  • halopower67

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 11:29 am PT

    i lovr thr xbox 360 commercials specially the one of the world cup

  • VladimirCrow

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 11:04 am PT

    Why so many haters? I mean they even get pissed off about some pretty decent commercial.

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 10:42 am PT

    Lot of Sony fans here
    Anyway MS commercials are better than Sony's "Disgusting Jesus wannabe sick *****"

  • jdbthexboxgamr

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 10:10 am PT

    good,congrats MS!

  • paullywog

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 9:26 am PT

    That was pretty cool, i thought. IF they could make games as thoughtful as their commercials...

  • GhettoGamer256

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 9:06 am PT

    This was a waste of my time.

  • terrabreak13

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 8:46 am PT

    sonyman, it's called symbolism. They don't have to show the system or games to advertise the system. It's like the Ebay ad "what is IT?". I ran to the web to find out what they were advertising right away because it was cool. The Jump Rope symbolized people gathering together and having fun. Thats what Xbox Live is about. And in all the 360 ads there is a group of people participating in some kind of event. If you can't see how this relates to Xbox Live you are hopeless.

  • Ghost_Warrior

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 8:12 am PT

    Congratulations.

  • Spiffyness

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 8:03 am PT

    That was a cool commercial, but not as cool as the finger gun fight. But I have to hand it to Microsoft, they DO have some pretty great marketing campaigns. ilovebees was just about that most awesome thing ever (didn't that win some awards? If not, it should've)

  • KillerFPS

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 7:24 am PT


    Meh the finger gun fight one was MUCH better. Its too bad it never aired.

  • skitzocyko

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 6:51 am PT

    wow

  • REVOLUTIONfreak

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 6:31 am PT

    wow, "Jump in" won the award? No offense, but thats not all that creative....oh well, probably better than half the competition

  • LosDaddie

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 5:31 am PT

    Great job, Microsoft!!

    Go Xbox360!!

  • theonlyJZ

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 4:13 am PT

    I hate ads in general, but the worst are the ones that make no sense, therefore I despised this advert. However, I believe Microsoft topped that with the inane "water balloon" commercial. I don't know if anyone remembers that one. All it was as I stated, peope throwing water balloons at other people, I just looked at it wondering "WHAT is this about!?". You may have seen it or your mind just erased it.

  • Britesparc

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 2:56 am PT

    I totally disagree with WPack911 - that's easily one of the best Xbox ads ever, in fact one of the best videogames related ads I've ever seen (admittedly 99% of videogame ads are crap). Subtle, low-key, entertaining... really reinforces MS's "everyone can play" attitude to 360. Good on 'em...

  • WPack911

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 2:51 am PT

    That was the 360's worst TV ad of them all, what the hell are they thinking? Every other 360 ad was better than that one!

  • plaZmagamer

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 2:36 am PT

    ...underwhelming and nonsensical commercial. That had nothing to do with videogames, and felt like a 90's attempt at the annoying "look at us we're hip" phenomena that permeated much of advertising, movies, and other parts of culture at that point in time.

    Boooooo.

  • EvanO_O

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 1:00 am PT

    Loved seeing the guy on the bike do that turn and land it.

    Jump In my Wii Wii.

  • sonyman

    Posted Jun 15, 2006 12:06 am PT

    thats the dumbest commercial i'v every seen what does that have to do with gaming, and they won an award for that CRAP!?

  • Tomatoman18

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 11:58 pm PT

    The three 360 commercials were good I saw were ok. The best was the "banned" one that they stole from the Olde English comedy group (see here: http://www.oldeenglish.org/gymclass.html. I saw this about 2 and a half years before 360 was even announced). Still a good commercial.

    Must be a slow news day in the gaming world or something...

  • dr_taffin

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 11:26 pm PT

    It was kind of cool. The better ad was the one where people are having a shootout with their hands posed as guns and throwing invisible grenades in a crowded train station. Of course, it was banned.

  • TrevSkyline

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 11:05 pm PT

    Havent seen it.......

  • fantasyzone

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 10:37 pm PT

    sweet!

  • Poost

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 8:44 pm PT

    the "Jump In" campaign and the ARG internet campaigns were all well done. I'm glad that some people still know how to make good commercials.

  • revelations

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 8:28 pm PT

    Ilovebees was pretty crazy....

  • xXEnvyOurLoveXx

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 8:11 pm PT

    I love that music in the background of the commercial. =]

  • solsub

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 7:39 pm PT

    Um... ok? Who actually cares?

  • redxwarriorxxx

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 7:36 pm PT

    I definitely didn't think it was one take but you have to give it up to the performers. Fantastic work!

  • Chubbums

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 7:00 pm PT

    Was that a 360 commercial, the one where Bill Gates takes a pie to the face because that one was the best!!!!

  • Ericvon71

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 6:59 pm PT

    You know you can't put anything serious on here the kids can't handle it!!!

  • Adam_B

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 6:53 pm PT

    That was a pretty decent commercial. I dug it.

  • mastershake911

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 6:19 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • NinjaWallace

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 6:14 pm PT

    The commercial that all of you are saying was banned just wasn't aired on TV. It was shown specially. Never banned.

  • Maui00

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 5:55 pm PT

    that comercial was good but there are better like the banned one and the one with the huge mosnter

  • Igwababa

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 5:46 pm PT

    Man important life skills those people have, man I wish I had those skills, imagine what I could do.

    Cant think of anything but ill get back to you

  • Devilwillcry

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 5:22 pm PT

    uh.... who cares

  • Shtinky

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 5:12 pm PT

    "Go microsoft"?? Wow, never thought I'd hear someone say that... what has become of the world?

  • Donkeljohn Site moderator

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 5:02 pm PT

    The banned one or the water balloon one beat the jump-rope-a-thon

  • keiblerfan69

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:56 pm PT

    You know its a slow news day when gamespot posts something that was posted yesterday on the gamerscoreblog.

  • Optimusv2

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:56 pm PT

    The jump rope one I saw on tv alot it was so nicely done and to think.. its all actually done I thought it was a bunch of camera tricks with some of the harder stuff i saw.

  • xxPantherxx

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:55 pm PT

    the only decent 360 commercial was the banned one(CH-CH, BOOM!)

  • SpiderFreak

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:55 pm PT

    You gotta admit, the guy on the bike jumping through was cool.

    SF

  • Optimusv2

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:55 pm PT

    Absolutely amazing commercial lol.

  • killographic

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:53 pm PT

    I figured they meant the water baloon fight commercial... Man that thing was stupid. But the jump rope one, I don't seem to recall.

  • CJL13

    Posted Jun 14, 2006 4:52 pm PT

    You gotta be kidding me, THAT COMMERCIAL STUNK!

advertisement

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!