UM International scooped one of the industry’s most coveted accolades at the Brand Republic Digital Awards this month.  The “Glitch – The Longest/Shortest TV Ad Ever” campaign for client Xbox was honored by the judges in the hotly contested Media and Entertainment category.

With 3.9 million Xbox One consoles sold-in across 13 markets since its release last November, Microsoft wanted to thank fans for their loyalty with a never-before-seen campaign – a disruptive one-second film in the middle of nationwide Xbox One TV ads. To the untrained eye it looked like a “glitch”. The ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ codes and ciphers, hidden within one second and just 25 frames of the commercial, were seen by millions, but only understood by Xbox fans who were intrigued to delve deeper. The glitch took gamers on an amazing, cryptic journey to unlock title games, prizes and unique consoles.

One of the most highly respected awards in the industry, the Brand Republic Digital Awards celebrate the best digital media campaigns in the last year.

Continuing the superb run for Xbox, UM London’s ‘#Keycode’ campaign was Highly Commended in the Creative Technology category.

Speaking about the win, Russell Place, UM London’s managing director, said: “This is truly outstanding achievement. Every year the standard for these awards seems to improve, which only underscores the significance of this win. Our commitment to curiosity, creativity and innovation has been recognized, and I’m extremely proud of our teams.”