Halo 3's final days of marketing assault

by Alexander Sliwinski { Sep 21st 2007 at 12:45PM }

And we're in the final stretch as the Halo 3 marketing machine goes into overdrive and assaults the broadcast medium this weekend. Variety got the details on what Chris Di Cesare, Xbox director of product marketing, calls "magnifying the mania." Expect original programming that'll bring newbs to the Halo franchise -- and the Xbox 360 -- by focusing on networks with demographics in line with the Master Chief plan.

It starts Saturday on Comedy Central with Fully Loaded, two-minute mini-ads hosted by Mad TV's Bobby Lee, which were taped at Tao Beach nightclub following the Madame Tussauds unveiling on the weekend of the MTV Video Music Awards. Spike TV's Game Head will host a live feed Monday night, breaking in with coverage during commercial breaks, and then air a half-hour special at midnight called: Halo 3 Launched. That program will feature a performance by Linkin Park. G4 has also set five hours of time aside for the launch as well. On Tuesday, Sci Fi Channel will show Halo 3: Sci vs. Fi. Of course, we'd love to stay home and watch all this launch coverage, but we'll be too busy doing our own coverage, which mostly consists of us waiting in line like everybody else, taking photos and getting quotes.

Tags: commercials, halo3, madametussauds, marketing, masterchief

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Intentless @ Sep 21st 2007 12:49PM

All of these at least entertaining specials and I'll be waiting in line. I wish I could get my copy and then I could watch the specials then play the game...

Kinsman @ Sep 21st 2007 12:51PM

"air a half-hour special at midnight called: Halo 3 Launched. That program will feature a performance by Linkin Park."

COVEEEENANT INNNN MY SKINNNNNNN
THESE WOUNDSSS THEY WILLLLL NOT HALOOOOOO

shivr @ Sep 21st 2007 1:19PM

LOL!

awesome

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 21st 2007 1:20PM

Here take 1,000 Kudos.

Matt B (SDF ) @ Sep 21st 2007 1:59PM

Don't forget the Fall out boys!!!

Slaziman @ Sep 21st 2007 2:24PM

Add another 1000 kudos to the tally

ThornedVenom @ Sep 21st 2007 6:21PM

I'd SO watch that. xD

NATO_Duke @ Sep 21st 2007 12:51PM

I cant take much moe of the marketing - I already preordered at 15 retailers and am on a mt dew sugar high. They just keep making me buy teh haloz over and over.

OnimushaSoki @ Sep 21st 2007 12:56PM

LoL... only 15? REAL Spartans reserve copies at 300 videogame selling stores. And they bleed MT DEW GAME FUEL™. And they throw their controllers while going into diabetic convulsions from all the high fructose ingested.

NATO_Duke @ Sep 21st 2007 1:02PM

Damn it, I better steal a pontiac and hit those other stores. I wanna be a Spartan too!

blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Sep 21st 2007 12:51PM

guess i won't watch much tv this weekend

Donald @ Sep 21st 2007 12:52PM

In an apparent attempt to drive sales AWAY from Halo 3, FutureShop (Best Buy subsidiary in Canada) is giving away copies of Fantastic 4 2 with a Halo 3 purchase.

also buy teh haloz

Sean @ Sep 21st 2007 1:28PM

Worst bonus ever.

ThornedVenom @ Sep 21st 2007 6:23PM

I'd laugh so hard if Futureshop's versions of Halo3 required Fantastic4 to boot, just like Halo3's beta needed Crackdown for some. XD

stacey.donovan @ Sep 21st 2007 12:52PM

Wow!

copa @ Sep 21st 2007 12:55PM

Remember, kids. Enjoy your Halo, but don't forget to bang your supermodel girlfriend:

http://www.games-digest.com/2007/09/jealous-glamour.html

blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Sep 21st 2007 1:02PM

no pics? blegh

HineyWipe @ Sep 21st 2007 1:15PM

Amii Grove? Why would you cheat on that??? (obvious tag for Farkers) Heck, he deserved getting his junk destroyed!

http://www.amiigrove.co.uk/gallery.php

MariosInferno @ Sep 21st 2007 1:22PM

Some people got problems.

On topic. I've YET to see a single Halo 3 commercial.

Kyle @ Sep 21st 2007 4:48PM

Well remember no matter how hot a woman is somewhere theres a guy tired of putting up with her shit.

ReverendGadgetBoy @ Sep 21st 2007 4:58PM

ooh there is a GREAT pic if you click the source link from "The Sun" and then scroll down the page a little. try it. NSFW.

ThornedVenom @ Sep 21st 2007 6:27PM

Remember folks: finish the fight BEFORE cheating on your girlfriend. xD

HineyWipe @ Sep 21st 2007 1:12PM

I want to see a roving camera show that follows the Halo 3 loyalists home, after they waited in line for hours till midnight and got their copy of H3. Then, video them unboxing, and starting it up and actually others! Then, get the entire Red Ring Of Death experience on tape as some schmoe is unfortunate enough to have it happen to them, right in the middle of Capture the Flag!
Mine is shipped and on its way to my door...

Pikachief @ Sep 21st 2007 1:13PM

Good thing i dont watch tv and play PSU all day everyday! If i see too much of a game or get too excited the game doesnt seem as good as people make it. I hardly played gears of war because they gave it more hype than any game can take >.> seems the same way for Halo 3 but good thing is that i dont look at too much halo 3 stuff ^.^

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 21st 2007 1:28PM

So you didn't played Gears too much because the game had too much hype?,that's stupid,no offense but that doesn't makes any sense.

Hype doesn't affect playing a game,buying a game yes but playing it?,Wow.

Pikachief @ Sep 21st 2007 1:33PM

no i meant the hype killed the game for me. I didnt like it because people made it semm way better than it was. i meant id dint play it much because the hype kille dthe game for me >.>

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 21st 2007 1:45PM

OH sorry you didn't make that clear,Now I feel silly.

I see your point.That happened to me with GTA SA.

Shmil @ Sep 21st 2007 1:26PM

i heard an ad for halo 3 on the radio
the radio
when was the last time anyone heard a radio commercial for a video game?
i don't ever recall hearing one

Ska Oreo @ Sep 21st 2007 3:42PM

Halo 2

And Wii.

And probably GTA.

Gambit @ Sep 21st 2007 1:30PM

Thank god.

Sean @ Sep 21st 2007 1:30PM

Who listens to the radio anymore?

Vegnagun @ Sep 21st 2007 1:36PM

people with cars

Sean @ Sep 21st 2007 1:39PM

I'd rather listen to a CD or a casette. I can understand listening to oldies or classic rock stations or sports/news radio somewhat, but modern top 40 radio sucks.

Slaziman @ Sep 21st 2007 2:59PM

Some people listen to radio in their car to hear other things than music, like news/weather

Also good MP3 players have radio receivers.

Kyle @ Sep 21st 2007 4:52PM

depends on your area. here in kansas it's all corporate so pretty much no reason to even have a radio anymore. the only refuge for good music is sattelite radio for the car or internet at home.Visiting cali, florida, dallas tx i never had to resort to cd's cause they actually play decent music

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Sep 21st 2007 1:38PM

I like the Halo marketing campaign, the ads are awesome and the Halo merchandise like mountain dew or gamer fuel and the other crap are kind of cool.

I would like to watch all that stuff but I rarely watch Tv anymore, I might watch it on youtube someday.

When this is over I guess (until Halo 4) we aren't going to see this level of hype and that is good because I don't think the body of harcore gamers could stand more Gamer fuel.

Slaziman @ Sep 21st 2007 2:39PM

With so much hype and marketing, all it needs is good reviews to make Halo 3 an unstoppable juggernaut.

Can't wait for September NPD numbers!

Utter Doom @ Sep 21st 2007 3:17PM

Don't wait in line. There is a little store in Brooklyn that will have plenty of HALO3 copies. I swear I don't work there (but I do get all of my games there)
They even have plenty of Wiis. No website but here's the info:

Game Place
542 Nostrand Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11216
(718)398-6799

Tell'em UtterDoom sent ya

ThornedVenom @ Sep 21st 2007 6:30PM

I also heard that they charged a kidney for the stuff.

Just tell them that Nobody sent you. xD

Mr Khan @ Sep 21st 2007 5:36PM

"Final Days of Marketing" ?

We'll be seeing ads straight through 'til New Year's probably

But i don't know why, but i'm just not feeling like i've been totally bombarded. Sure i get a few hits of that Gamer Fuel commercial everyday, and its getting a lot of write-ups on mainstream sites, but i don't see a sudden blitz from my perspective