Ding fries are done - the Halo 3 media onslaught begins

by Jared Rea { Aug 9th 2007 at 7:00AM }

Imagine, if you will ... a perfect storm of Halo 3 insanity come September 25th. You venture to 7-Eleven in your Pontiac G6 GXP that has been fully pimped out in Halo fashions. You pick up a 44-ounce Slurpee -- your cup plastered with images of the Master Chief -- and make your way to GameStop, bumping Marty O'Donnell tracks from your Halo 3 Zune. Legendary Edition in hand, you cruise over to Burger King where you get a Double Whopper meal complete with Halo branding on the wrappers. When you arrive, your Halo Xbox 360 is ready and gobbles up the disc. A vegetative state is assumed as you only so much as twitch to take a sip from your Halo 3 Mountain Dew.

That, dear readers, is how Microsoft plans to finish this fight. Much like when they set out to promote Halo 2, Microsoft is positioning themselves to combat not the sales of video games, but the entertainment industry as a whole. With more than one million pre-orders of Halo 3 already in the wings, they plan to soar well above the success of Halo 2 utilizing multi-million dollar partnerships with Pontiac, Burger King and Pepsi, just to name a few.

If you're already feeling an overload of Halo, this is the point where you should bury yourself under the sand until the game is actually out. For the rest of us ... have any of you been to Burger King lately?

Tags: bungie, halo, halo3, microsoft

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

OnimushaSoki @ Aug 9th 2007 7:26AM

French -> Freedom -> Covenant Fries. :d

Draco @ Aug 9th 2007 9:40AM

Covenent Fries?

This will probably get voted down, but wouldn't it be funny (in a depressing way) if you did everything mentioned, you got your H3 slurpee, your H3 whopper, while driving the G6 and listening to your H3 Zune, pop in your game, and get the red rings of death? I would borrow a second 360, but for that brief period between unhooking the main and plugging in the second my heart would sink.

SYN @ Aug 9th 2007 7:26AM

as long as i only have to see halo in burger king, and not the other way around, i could care either way :)

gamesake13 @ Aug 9th 2007 2:38PM

Amen to that...any updates on the whole xbox/double fusion thing. I'd hate to be playing MGS or Halo and be bombarded with ads for Wal-mart or pepsi one.

http://us.wazap.com/web/Midway%2BDouble+Fusion/?bx=101

Last article I read said things were still in development. As for Halo taking over...9/25 cannot come soon enough. I might just hold my breath to the day.

SoxFan13 @ Aug 9th 2007 7:36AM

SYN- GREAT point! Is this a picture of David Cross?

Colin @ Aug 9th 2007 1:31PM

I was wondering the same thing; is that David Cross?

slacker164 @ Aug 9th 2007 2:26PM

Yes, that is David Cross. The picture is from (I think) an episode of Arrested Development where they poke fun of product placement by having really obvious, over-the-top Burger King product placement throughout the episode.

The Tim @ Aug 9th 2007 4:54PM

Because the post is about all of the _cross_ marketing coming up for Halo 3, get it?

Wokka wokka wokka!

Ben @ Aug 10th 2007 3:08AM

Damn you beat me to it. I was about to scroll past the article but the pic caught my eye. I wonder if he is going to do voice overs again.

Mr.RX99 @ Aug 29th 2007 11:05PM

Did anyone here notice the link at the bottom of the page to the clip that pics from? It also contains the moment where Harry Winkler jumps the shark... again.

Brian Spence @ Aug 9th 2007 7:46AM

Halo peaked at 2 (which failed as a single player game). Gears has taken it over. I'm surprised MS is paying this much to annoy the crap out of me with this and overexpose their property.

Stupidiot @ Aug 9th 2007 7:49AM

You're joking, right? After playing the Epic Halo campaign, I was left severely disappointed by Halo 2 in every respect, including the multiplayer (though the lobbying system was exceptional)

Jake @ Aug 9th 2007 8:14AM

This will be the best Halo yet. It has the most features, biggest budget, longest dev cycle, most powerful hardware, and had both Halo1 and Halo2 to learn from. I would say the series is about to peak with Halo3. You can't say it peaked with 2 anyways, you haven't even played three. :)

phattie @ Aug 9th 2007 7:35AM

Launching Halo3 is about the same as launching Jackass 2... pretty much the same demographic except no women are interested in Halo.

Vidikron @ Aug 9th 2007 10:13AM

Ummm.... no. I didn't give a shit about Jackass 2 and don't know anyone who did. Yet I and all my friends are looking forward to Halo 3.

Grindstone @ Aug 9th 2007 12:53PM

Meh, just another stupid post from phattie (and that is his pic in the avatar). Of course, he blatantly turns a blind eye to Frag dolls and other professional women Halo players. But don't blame him, blame the educational system... [/sarcasm]

Dan @ Aug 9th 2007 7:38AM

Fair play to them... but Halo isn't that good.

Sean DL @ Aug 9th 2007 7:42AM

The King is having a good run. From The Simpsons to Halo 3. Wonder if the King will show up in Halo 3 or if Master Chief will do a whopper commercial...

John @ Aug 9th 2007 7:45AM

"It's a wonderful restaurant!" -Tobias Funke

baby sea tuna @ Aug 9th 2007 9:28AM

It sure is.

faded515 @ Aug 9th 2007 11:44AM

I wondered how long that would take. Arrested Development FTW!

bonzy11 @ Aug 9th 2007 8:01AM

Bring it on! I don't want them to stop until I'm wearing Halo3 boxers, brushing my teeth with Colgate Chief toothpaste and using KY "Plasma" purple lube.

bearattack @ Aug 9th 2007 7:48AM

Ill have the whopper with extra chief!

bearattack79 @ Aug 9th 2007 7:56AM

Jackass sucks! Halo rocks.

Yes this is Halo3, but its on the 360 now so Im expecting some major improvements.

Bungie has spoken out about Halo2 dissapointments and Im hoping they address those concerns.

Ian O'Rourke @ Aug 9th 2007 8:10AM

The most impressive Halo 2 marketing I saw was pretty much every tram in Melbourne totally painted with a Halo 2 image. Impressive and surreal at the same time.

Evan @ Aug 9th 2007 8:10AM

Plastering ads on fast-food cups is normally reserved for kiddie movies. I find it interesting that Halo 3 will be promoted in the exact same way as Shrek and HappyFeet.

Grindstone @ Aug 9th 2007 1:03PM

Or Spiderman, Star Wars, Matrix... open your eyes.

And Halo is rated what? M, for mature, which is beyond your age.

Jake @ Aug 9th 2007 8:16AM

The kiddies can be swayed to 360 by some Halo marketing. Advertising it to adults would have minimal impact.

Bill=Pwnt @ Aug 10th 2007 2:53AM

You're a true fool if you believe that. You really don't think most adults fall for marketing? Hah! You're funny!

point09micron @ Aug 9th 2007 8:23AM

Did you know you can get a refill on any drink and it's free?

Grant @ Aug 9th 2007 9:29AM

i think that actually depends on the chain, if it's a franchise, and how management feels.

Take yum brands for example. It's all franchise, and typically the manager best friends with the owner.... or actually IS the owner. i have had many times at my local taco bell where they will start to ask you to stop refilling after 2 and if you go for 3 they will fill it up like halfway and give you a death stare, where i have never had such an issue at KFC or Pizza Hut(also Yum). As i understand, Yum doesn't hold as strict "corporate policy" as some others chains, and it gives them the options to carry certain items, or control over the price.

So for Burger King, i'm sure you can proabably gt unlimited refills on everything but milkshakes.... even though i can't imagine who would want that.
7-11 also probably falls under similar franchise freedom as Yum, and probably won't look too fondly on you refilling... since it is not a retaurant, and if you really feel the urge to sit in a 7-11 to get free surpees, you need a job.

Etheo @ Aug 9th 2007 10:03AM

You totally missed the point, it's a quote from Carls Weather from Arrested Development.

baby sea tuna @ Aug 9th 2007 11:36AM

That's okay...you can still take your comment, some veggies and hot water from the craft service table and baby, you got yourself a stew!

Grant @ Aug 9th 2007 12:48PM

wow, totally missed the picture up top.
don't i feel dumb.

Josh @ Aug 9th 2007 8:36AM

You know, we get bombarded with this type of marketing for films all the time. Why not with a video game?

Maybe it will get some people who wouldn't normally play a video game to pony up.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 9th 2007 9:20AM

Sure that works for a movie since a ticket is like $10. But for Halo 3 it's $60 for the game and $350 for the 360 to play it on.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 9th 2007 8:49AM

Issue a beige alert.
If I don't make it out alive tell my wife Hello.

TonyBlair @ Aug 9th 2007 9:36AM

That was kinda funny the first time you used it, but now youve driven it into the ground. Time to find a new semi-obscure quote, Zapp Brannigan says give this one back to the Neutral Planet.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 9th 2007 10:36AM

I'm not doing it for the funnies. It's to express my neutralness on the subject.

bearattack79 @ Aug 9th 2007 11:19AM

Tell your wife halo.... Ok got it.

Grant @ Aug 9th 2007 9:15AM

i expected to see halo marketing everywhere i turn in the month of september, anything less, and MS isn't utilizing it's BIGGEST GAME EVER.
H3 is easily listed as the highest anticipated game for 360, so it should have marketing budget to match it.

come to think of everything you listed... sounds like they are using the same marketing company and package deal as the simpsons movie. They are both attacking the same places.

Brian Fantana @ Aug 9th 2007 11:02AM

Gotta love David Cross.
Party Tape!!!
Wycked Sceptor Rules!!!
Mr. Show bitches.

Matt B @ Aug 9th 2007 9:34AM

Only a million pre-orders? That is only 10% of the MS population. I was expecting 3-4M.

bender @ Aug 9th 2007 9:55AM

Not everyone pre-orders or likes Halo, but I see where you are coming from. H3 is the most anticipated title on the 360 and I expected to more pre-orders than that since likely the only way to get this game early on is to pre-order it.

josh @ Aug 9th 2007 11:34AM

Really? a million pre-orders seems crazy to me - do most games get that many preorder? i dont generally preorder myself, at least not from gamestop, after having them not give me things i preordered for days after release more than once.

faded515 @ Aug 9th 2007 11:45AM

I know quite a few people who love Halo, some of them even bought a 360 for it, yet none of them have pre-ordered it.

ForceUnleashed @ Aug 9th 2007 9:47AM

I haven't pre ordered it but you better believe I'm gonna buy it on Day 1.

I hate Pre Ordering stuff. I like deciding to buy games on my own terms. Not to mention those losers at game stores like EB are always trying to force them on you and I hate pushy sales people.

I'm sure Halo 3 will sell a whole lot more than a million. Frankly I expect 3 to 5 million depending on how good the reviews are.