I may be something of a Sony loyalist, but I’ve got to admit CP+B’s new spot “Invitation” makes the Xbox One shine. Even some of Sony’s biggest fanboys might concede it looks a lot better than the recent PS4 spot.
Directed by Hungry Man’s Bryan Buckley, the commercial vet who recently helmed the R&B-inflected DirecTV spot starring the Manning bros (and who earned an Emmy nod for Grey Poupon’s “The Chase,” also from CP+B), “Invitation” features users invited into the world of several different games, and one movie. The spot opens with a giant robot warrior crashing a business meeting and making a “come here” gesture to a man giving a presentation. Then we see soccer player Steven Gerrard inviting a fan down from the stands. Spock invites a girl along for some sci-fi adventures. A sports car parks itself in front of some dude’s car and opens its door for him. (This is the automotive equivalent of “come here” apparently.) A zombie attempts to cajole a student in a library to join him, loses an arm, and then tells him to come along with the other arm.
Emphasizing the immersive nature of the next-gen platform, the spot announces, “This is an invitation to a new generation: where your games and entertainment are no longer separated, but together, in one.” Showing Xbox One users utilizing the system’s voice activation to launch games like Titanfall, Dead Rising 3, and the movie Star Trek: Enter Darkness gives fans an idea of what they can expect on launch day. The spot also shows users making use of the motion sensitive Kinect. You know, the camera that might be spying on you.
Mixing live action with just the right amount of actual gameplay, “Invitation” is slickly produced and should have Xbox fanboys chomping at the bit for the console’s Nov. 22 release date. My biggest problem with the spot is that the one woman featured uses the Xbox One not for gaming, but to watch a movie. Aside from this perpetuation of the gaming industry’s prevailing sexism (which most people won’t even notice), it’s a really solid ad. The whole “invitation” approach works to emphasize both the immersive nature of the system and the all-in-one entertainment value it offers. The $499 starting price, however, is less inviting. Credits after the jump. Credits
FORMAL CLIENT NAME: Microsoft
EXECUTION TITLE: Invitation
AGENCY: CP+B
WORLDWIDE CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Rob Reilly
VP/ EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Adam Chasnow
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Alex Lea, Avital Pinchevsky, Michael Raso, Matt Elhardt
SR. ART DIRECTOR: Robbin Ingvarsson
SR. COPYWRITER: Waldemar Wegelin
VP/ DIRECTOR OF VIDEO PRODUCTION: Chad Hopenwasser
EXECUTIVE INTEGRATED PRODUCER: Aaron Kovan
JR. INTEGRATED PRODUCER: Jamie Slade
PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: Hungry Man, LA
DIRECTOR: Bryan Buckley
VFX DIRECTOR: Phil Crowe
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Mino Jarjoura
LINE PRODUCER: Brady Vant Hull
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Scott Henrikson
EDITORIAL COMPANY & CITY: Cut + Run, Santa Monica
EDITOR: Jay Nelson
ASSISTANT EDITORS: Dustin Zimmerman, Brooke Rupe
SENIOR PRODUCER: Amburr Farls
MIX COMPANY & CITY: Lime Studios
AUDIO ENGINEER: Mark Meyuhas
AUDIO ENGINEER ASSISTANT: Matt Miller
VP/EXECUTIVE INTEGRATED PRODUCER/ MUSIC, TALENT + PUBLIC WORKS: Bill Meadows
INTEGRATED MUSIC PRODUCER: Chip Herter
POST PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: The Mill, LA
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jo Arghiris
PRODUCER: Anastasia Von Rahl
SR. FLAME COMPOSITOR: Tim Bird
FLAME COMPOSITOR: Jake Maymudes
TELECINE EP: Larue Anderson
TELECINE: Adam Scott
COLORIST: Adam Scott
VP/ ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Evan Russack
MANAGEMENT SUPERVISOR: Laura Likos
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Cara Finkbeiner
CONTENT MANAGERS: Jessica Cohen, Madison Morris
BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER: Natalie Greenman
GROUP DIRECTOR, PLANNING: Jason De Turris
TRAFFIC MANAGERS: Kelton Wright, Alex Blumfelder
SOUND DESIGN: Stephen Dewey – Machine Head, Mark Meyuhas – Lime Studio