(June 19, 2013) IRVINE, Calif. — Mazda has teamed-up with Xbox, Microsoft’s premiere entertainment brand, to produce the first-ever global live stream of a new vehicle introduction.  Mazda is keeping the vehicle a surprise but has announced that the event will be anchored with a live concert by the award-winning band Metric — the first to be streamed live globally through Xbox.
 
On June 26, Mazda’s vehicle reveal will take place live from New York. The event will be broadcast at 9 p.m. EDT globally on Xbox Live, and is the culmination of a multi-city reveal cadence that will start in Melbourne, travel through St. Petersburg, Istanbul, London, and then on to New York City.
 
“It’s a digitally connected world, so what better way to reach our customers than through a connected platform like Xbox,” said Russell Wager, vice president of marketing for Mazda.  “We were looking for a way to launch a global product and tie together our five separate reveals.  Xbox not only gave us the platform, but allowed us to leverage our digital assets to drive a global audience to view the event.”
 
Starting today, Mazda will begin launching a series of activations to build awareness of the event, which is in line with the brand’s new advertising campaign that began in April. The kick-off will begin through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+ and include the hashtag #GAMECHANGER so that fans can join the conversation.  MazdaUSA.com will direct viewers to a dedicated Mazda landing page on Xbox.com.  The site will include details of the event, a countdown clock and will host a sweepstakes for one lucky entrant to win $2,500 to create their dream trip to a music event of their choice.
 
Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox Advertising says, “Working with Mazda to introduce their new vehicle through a global live stream event showcases Xbox’s versatility as a connected entertainment device that reaches millions of Xbox Live users worldwide.”