Halo 3 advertising?

So only 3 weeks away until probably the biggest and most anticipated game release in history, but where are all the ads on tv and in theaters like you saw leading up to H2's release? I know that the majority of people who will be buying it know when it is being released, but what about the people that are not as game informed as us? I'm assuming there will be a full blitz in the few weeks ahead, though I thought that H2 already had advertising out by now. I guess I am just surprised that nothing to my knowledge has hit the tv or theater previews yet.

Midnight's picture

I agree. After the first TV commercial aired in January of this year I figured there would be at least one more to follow. However, consumers are fickle, and don't usually use personal planners. I assume if you advertise too far in advance then they'll forget about the release by Sep 25th. Perhaps the weekend before the release is when the blitz will start.

Bioshock's commercial didn't air until the weekend before, IIRC.

Doughgeek's picture

I've been seeing some commercials on G4 where Gamestop is pushing H3 preorders. It's mostly a montage of multiplayer levels from H2 with a voiceover saying goodbye to them. Haven't seen anything from Microsoft/Bungie though.

Oculus's picture

Midnight wrote:
I assume if you advertise too far in advance then they'll forget about the release by Sep 25th. Perhaps the weekend before the release is when the blitz will start.

Good point. I bet they will advertise the heck out of it a couple to a few days in advance. Then advertise the heck out of it after release.

I mean, it is the date that MS has been chomping at the bit to capitalize on for the past 2 years. Surely they've got something in mind.

Sir ginger's picture

Do you think that Microsoft would gain enough sales generated by TV and Cinema advertisements alone to cover the costs those methods incur?

The game has practically sold itself to the general public by word of mouth alone. Anybody even -slightly- interested in gaming has probably seen at least one of the many Halo 3-related videos that are now out there, and are most likely quite enticed by what they saw.

To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't a gigantic TV and Cinema campaign cooked up by Microsoft. I'd fire my marketing staff for spending too much time and money on a product that practically sells itself. They'll probably still make something, just nothing insanely fancy or costly.

Midnight's picture

sir ginger, your point is valid, but there is another side of it. When it comes to video game consoles MS is not solely concerned with short term profits. Microsoft's entertainment and devices division is not known for profitability. They take a loss on each 360 sold. IIRC, and don't quote me on this, they are generally expected to post net losses each quarter rather than gains, despite ~$6 billion in revenue. MS wants to capture market share and the buying habits of the average American consumer. Halo 3 sells xboxen. Xboxen entrench MS into the home entertainment market.

Even if it's not profitable in the short term, I think MS is interested in using a Halo 3 commercial to sell a few extra units and try to become more mainstream. FWIW, a commercial would also sell to gaming-ignorant parents, who absolutely need a commercial to know that H3 is available for a Christmas present.

Sir ginger's picture

I think I overlooked that. D=

Yeah when looking at it that way, I guess I can understand them creating a sizable TV and Cinema campaign for Halo 3, most likely very close to release time and leading up to the Christmas period. Market share around this time of year would be extremely important.

rapture's picture

Who needs to advertise on TV and in the theaters when they are advertising at Burger King, 7-11's, and grocery stores (Mtn. Dew Game Fuel)?

I think advertising at BK will give enormous visibility to this game. Young kids eat there. Old farts eat there.

Still, I do expect some TV marketing soon.

Master Kim's picture

It tastes okay, but reading the nutrition label (what nutrition?) makes me want to vomit because I feel like I'm shaving off a month from my life each time I drink a bottle.

Oculus's picture

A short life well lived is much better than a long drawn out one played safely. Drink that crap and go lift weights if it makes you feel any better.

Inevitably as they say: you will die alone.

Midnight's picture

Not everybody dies alone, just him.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Post new comment

  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd><s><img><i><b>
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Youtube and google video links are automatically converted into embedded videos.
  • Filtered words will be replaced with the filtered version of the word.
  • You may quote other posts using [quote] tags.
  • You can use BBCode tags in the text, URLs will automatically be converted to links.

More information about formatting options

Captcha
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Syndicate content