Microsoft Begins Major Xbox One Marketing Push

'Today is the day the Xbox team is launching its invitation to the world to join the Xbox One launch on November 22,' reads Microsoft's official blog. Get ready for hype.

We're now just a month out from the launch of both the PS4 and the Xbox One, and we can expect to hear a lot more about them, all the time - TV, internet, buses, you name it. There are going to be some serious marketing dollars for these machines in the coming month all the way through holiday season, and the companies are starting their spending now. Microsoft is launching an Xbox One campaign that's all about invitation - we see a bunch of people going about their day to day lives, and they're invited to what we assume are fantastic adventures by a suite of videogame characters. Putting regular people in the extraordinary circumstances of video games is a well-established ad concept, and it works pretty well here. Watch below:

Aside from the 'invitation' concept, we can expect 'All in One' to be a major focus in this marketing push. The company already had those incomprehensible banners at E3, but it appears to have wisely dropped the cryptic 'input one' subhead. Entertainment integration is one place where Microsoft is trying to differentiate its console from Sony's PS4, so expect to see a lot of people talking at their Kinects to watch movies in future ads. According to the press, release, 'authenticity' is another key element of this campaign.

'The ads were designed to celebrate that for the first time, the best in gaming is coming together with the best of entertainment, all-in-one place,' said Microsoft General Manager of Consumer Marketing Matthews. 'Authenticity was a key goal for the campaign design, from including one of only three McLaren P1's in the world to represent 'Forza Motorsport 5,' to including Liverpool football star and England national team captain Stephen Gerrard, to actor Zachary Quinto representing Spock.'

Microsoft also promises a comprehensive social media campaign featuring our old friends Doritos and Mountain Dew, as well as an international hardware tour where fans in cities around the world can get their hands on some games before launch day.

An interesting thing to notice when watching this first ad - there aren't many Americans. Xbox 360 was very strong in the US, but not nearly so much in Europe (and nearly nonexistent in Japan). Between bundling FIFA with European consoles and prominently featuring non-American accents, Microsoft is clearly trying to push into new territories with this console. It's wise to not try to take on Japan, however - that's a bigger battle yet.

Microsoft Reveals The Xbox One