Microsoft’s strange new Xbox ads have become an instant meme

You know what an XBox is, right? Even if you don’t have one because you prefer PS5 or PS5 Pro. Or even if you’re not interested in gaming at all, you’e probably never felt the need to ask deep ontological questions about the nature of Microsoft’s gaming console.

But Microsoft begs to differ. It thinks people still need to know what an Xbox is. And it thinks the way to clarify that is to point out what an Xbox isn’t… At least we think that’s the idea.

Xbox – This Is an Xbox – YouTube

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Microsoft’s ‘This is an Xbox’ campaign comprises a series of ads for online, digital billboards and buses. The aim is to show that Xbox players can use TVs, laptops, handheld gaming PCs and VR headsets to play. According to Craig McNary, senior director of Xbox marketing: “This Is an Xbox invites people to play with Xbox across multiple devices and screens. It showcases the evolution of Xbox as a platform that extends across devices, with bold, iconic, fun visuals and a light-hearted tone.”

In a way, perhaps Microsoft’s campaign works since it has people asking a question they thought they knew the answer to, namely, “what on Earth an Xbox?” The problem is that it’s so confusing, it doesn’t exactly make me inclined to discover the answer. The public and even other brands are wondering what other products might also now be an Xbox, turning the campaign into a meme already.

We’ve seen Microsoft take a light-hearted approach to Xbox marketing in the past, even trying to get involved in the memes about the Xbox Series X name. The new Xbox ads are at least generating engagement. Perhaps they’re not as far off the ball as the Coca-Cola AI Christmas ad.