G4TV Hosts Halo 3 Countdown
September 24, 2007 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
Similar to the record-breaking pre-orders and midnight release parties related to the release of a new Harry Potter book, 1 million copies of Halo 3 (available tomorrow) have been pre-ordered and over 10,000 stores plan to stay open past midnight tonight to capture early sales and excitement. Halo 3 even got five hours of countdown coverage on G4TV (the video gamers network) today. According to Morgan Webb, co-host of X-Play on the G4TV Network, ”It’s a test for the industry on how much hype can you successfully get around a game.”
The online buzz is certainly loud and strong surrounding what’s being called the biggest video game launch in history. Here’s a sampling of the marketing efforts for Halo 3 according to USA Today:
- Burger King products
- 7-Eleven Slurpee cups
- A new Mountain Dew drink, Game Fuel
- NASCAR driver David Stremme’s No. 40 Dodge Charger displayed a new Halo 3 paint job at the Dover 400
- Pontiac is giving away 144 Halo 3-themed sports cars
- Action figures of Halo 3 controllers
- Marvel Comics has a special four-issue Halo Uprising series in the works
And of course, there is the traditional advertising and marketing you’d expect to hype a new video game that’s already part of a strong brand. The strategy worked for Harry Potter and it seems to be working for Halo 3. Is this the start of a trend for hyping new product launches similar to movie premieres? Are red carpets and paparazzi next?
