Xbox + The Oregon Ducks

From halftime show to earned media sensation.

In November, 2021, we teamed up with Studio Mega to tell the story of a truly unique branded takeover by Microsoft’s Xbox at the rivalry game between Oregon and Oregon State.

During a halftime walk-on with Puddles the Oregon Duck mascot and WNBA superstar Sabrina Ionescu, Master Chief summoned his ship from the sky, which swooped in over Autzen in augmented reality (AR) on the largest video board in college football at 12,276-square feet.

Hovering above the field in a mind-bending feat of mixed reality, the Pelican projected the Halo Infinite and Oregon logos from its underbelly while the Oregon Marching Band launched into the Halo theme song, led with commanding aplomb by Master Chief.

  
      Strategy & Consulting
    
      Media Relations
    
      Awareness & Engagement

Our task was to maximize the impact of the partnership between The University of Oregon and Xbox to connect with crossover fans in the football program, at the university, and in the general population.

Twitter post screenshot from GoDucks account

Spreading the word

Within minutes of the halftime show, teams from the UO Athletic Department, Studio Mega, and Leverenz & Associates sprang into action to post and seed the groundbreaking AR experience on owned channels and with key media outlets.

The project has been hailed inside Xbox as one of the most successful uses of earned media in the company’s history.