"There were four Gold winners that could have taken the Grand Prix award in any given year, and after Nike's 'Tag' spot, the 'Champagne' spot for Xbox was the favourite among the judges,” said Jeff Goodby, president of the 2002 Cannes Lions judging panel and Chairman, Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

“Mosquito,” a 60-second TV and cinema commercial creates specifically for the European launch of Xbox, picked up a Bronze Lion in the same category.  The piece neatly illustrates what can happen if you forget how to have fun and play in life by telling a “fable” about a group of mosquitoes who lost the ability to sing and play.

The advertising by Xbox was created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty London, who accepted the awards.  Derek Robson, Group Business Director, BBH London, said, “We’re thrilled with these prestigious awards for the work we’ve done on behalf of Xbox.  We felt these pieces really communicated the Xbox brand vision – that we need to elevate play to its rightful place in our lives.  It’s important to balance work and play, and both “Champagne” and “Mosquito” bring those notions to life in a very engaging way.”

“We’re very excited that BBH’s work was recognised by the Festival,” said Neil Thompson, European Marketing Director, Xbox.  “We’ve set out to raise the quality bar in video game advertising to appeal to a broader audience, with a more inclusive feel.  Video game advertising has come of age and both “Champagne” and “Mosquito” are of the calibre you’d expect from a major consumer brand like Xbox.”

“Xbox leads the console market in terms of performance and fantastic game experiences, and it’s very gratifying that these prestigious judges have chosen ‘Champagne’ and ‘Mosquito’ as leaders in the creative advertising field,” said Harvey Eagle, European Advertising Manager, Xbox.  “We realise that broadening the market for gaming by redefining people’s notions of play is a massive challenge, and one that won’t be accomplished overnight, but we feel ‘Champagne’ and ‘Mosquito’ further our goal of making play, and video games, a more important part of people’s lives.”