Today is International Day of Peace. While Leo Burnett London is blowing up hate over Cambridge, Ogilvy Chicago and OgilvyEntertainment are asking Xbox Live viewers to relinquish their weapons. Using imagery that evokes the start of a first-person shooter game, Ogilvy has replaced the requisite machine gun with a white flag and request for peace. “In honor of International Peace Day, we’re asking you to put your weapons down.”
Likely a lot of players will go ahead with their Halo quest (“I just finished my work and got settled with my cheetos!”) and if you’re in the gaming-is-cathartic camp, you’d wonder how else these players are going to release their aggression. Maybe some kids will go for a jog in the park, but a few families will definitely get a tantrum at the dinner table. Ogilvy wins points for world peace, but not so much for suburban tranquility. At least they’re helping to spread the word. The video will be aired online and via social media channels and in England, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain, reaching nearly two million gamers.