"Protect and elevate the Xbox brand": Microsoft hires for major new comms role, pointing to a potential shift in PR strategy

I’ve been saying this a lot lately whenever I cover Xbox, but they seem to be on a bit of a positive run since Asha Sharma took over as CEO. It seems that the positive run from Xbox is continuing too, as it was hiring for a new position, a Senior Manager, Xbox Brand & Reputation.

A certain Major Nelson of Xbox fame seemingly expressed interest in and the role has since closed its applications. At the very least, Xbox hasn’t stepped on a rake in the way it often used to.

It always felt like bad PlayStation news would be followed up by Xbox doing something just as questionable, if not worse, which killed any momentum in the wider conversation. That said, it’s been a couple of months now, and Xbox hasn’t really messed up.

The role itself has quite a few responsibilities, listed on the application page:

• Drive global strategic comms plans for our Gaming business including creating and delivering engaging and relevant content that showcases our brand values and vision.
• Provide ongoing PR counsel, strategic vision narratives and messaging guidance to internal stakeholders, including the Xbox Leadership team as well as engineering, public affairs, and corporate issues management partners.
• Collaborate with the broader Gaming communications team at Microsoft to ensure alignment and consistency of our brand voice and message while supporting cross-company events and news beats.
• Establishing and maintaining positive relationships with key stakeholders such as gaming community, influencers and the media.
• Serve as key resource to cross-gaming teams on story-first communications approaches as well as best practices on frameworks to scale.
• Lead cross-gaming measurement and insights.
• Manage PR agency as integral members of our extended team  
• Embody our culture and values.

The application page also highlights how large an impact this role could have, stating:

"Xbox comms and marketing teams as well as Xbox Leadership, Social Media, Public Affairs and engineering teams to drive storytelling to protect and elevate the Xbox brand. This is a high-impact role that will lead business-critical proactive and reactive work across gaming corporate issues as well as larger narratives including business momentum."

It might not seem like much to us on the surface, and it might not immediately jump out as important, but the role could be signaling a change in priorities behind the scenes. If Xbox is really focusing on its messaging and reputation, that could go a long way in shaping how the brand is perceived going forward.

Let me know your thoughts on this new position at Xbox in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!

Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.