Microsoft, not known as a retailer in the UK, wanted to open its first flagship European store in the heart of London.

But how do you talk about a store that is as much a digital learning hub for the community, as a free tech support for businesses and an incredible new place to game?

We needed to create an opening that celebrated the store’s iconic location and the diverse communities it would serve, involving local communities from the start whether that be gaming, small business, charity or school.

We needed to show off all the fantastic experiences and expertise the Flagship has to offer, highlighting the role Microsoft can have in the London community.

STRATEGY & EXECUTION

We transformed the top floor into an Xbox Showcase for fans to get hands on with latest games direct from E3 over opening weekend to drive huge footfall.

We partnered with community groups and brands to authentically bring to life what the Flagship could do for you - these Included UK Youth, Muscular Dystrophy UK, Raspberry Pi, Liberty, Mastercard and many more…

We targeted over 60 top tier media and creators for exclusive preview tour of store and on launch day Itself. We provided a showcase of new experiences coming to Oxford Circus as well as access to senior execs, community partners and the new store manager to drive positive In depth coverage at scale.

We built a community on social to generate excitement for opening on 11th July and then flooded them with tons of great content to showcase the best of the Flagship Store. We hosted a LinkedIn Live livestream from store and a 5-hour Xbox livestream with celeb gaming fans John Boyega, Taron Egerton, Peter Crouch & Raheem Sterling so that all around the globe people could tune Into the launch of the Flagship.

business outcome

There were over 35,000 visitors to the Store In the first four days and over 2000 fans visited the Xbox Showcase over opening weekend.
1.2M livestream reach, with over 150 global media stories and 3M pre and post opening social engagement.