The new Halo campaign: seriously?

September 7, 2010 by Matt Rogers

For the last week, there’s been a thing in a parking lot near our office that resembles a large black pylon. It’s about 8 feet tall. Has an inscription on it. The other morning it was billowing smoke. I have no idea what it means, but I do know that it’s part of the campaign for Halo: Reach, the latest instalment in the super popular game series.

As someone in advertising, I question whether it’s self indulgent. Whether I’m just not getting it. Whether I ask myself too many questions.

But as an occasional gamer, I have to admit that it’s not doing its job. Large black smoking pylons don’t get me excited to play the game.

Halo: Reach hits stores in a couple of weeks and, per the Halo standard, there is an absolutely gargantuan advertising budget for it. The campaign—helmed by AKQA and AgencyTwoFifteen—is sprawling, immersive and detailed.

They have TV spots, outdoor installations (hey, a smoking black pylon!), online videos, and a tie-in with Doritos and Pepsi. But the big kahuna of the campaign is the robotic arm on RememberReach.com.

The robotic arm adds a point of light to a light sculpture. Not just any light sculpture, mind you, but a light sculpture that serves as a monument to the Spartan warriors.

Not being a Halo player, I don’t know whether light sculptures are a regular thing in that world. But in this world, they seem a bit ridiculous. Unless you’re into Lite-Brite.

The head-scratching doesn’t end there. RememberReach.com also features a bunch of live-action videos – soap opera-ish vignettes of everyday life before the alien craziness goes down. A husband and wife arguing, a mom going on a business trip, a girl letting go of her red balloon. (Damn, sounds like my weekend.)

I could forgive the melodrama if this were Alien 5: That’s Gotta Hurt! or something from the Gene Roddenberry franchise. But, Jiminy Cricket guys! This is a video game launch! Get me pumped to shoot stuff.

By reveling in the minutiae of the Halo world, they seem to be speaking only to those already immersed in it. Of course you want to speak to your core audience—preach to your own choir—but is there not a greater opportunity in reaching out to those who aren’t converted? When we work on a beer campaign, we’re not advertising to the guy who drinks it, we’re advertising to the guy who doesn’t.

I put it to you, advertisers or gamers, or none of the above: when does it make strategic sense to market almost exclusively to your existing fan base?

9 Comments

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9 Comments on "The new Halo campaign: seriously?"

Dave Hamilton
September 7, 2010 @ 11:22 am

Who is Matt Rogers?
Brook Johnston
September 7, 2010 @ 11:25 am

The always reliable Wikipedia says Halo 3 sold 8.1 million copies.

So I guess the answer is this: you zero in on your pre-existing target base when they are equal to the population of Austria and quite possibly willing to spend 60 bucks a pop on your product.

Plus, never underestimate the power of mystery and intrigue. Yes, the odd space stuff is weird and unknown to lots of people, but doesn’t that further motivate them to become part of the inner circle that does get it?
Martin Cinzar
September 7, 2010 @ 11:28 am

The only people that MS can sell this game to is people who have already shelled out $300 for the Xbox and $50-$60 for a Gold Membership.

Their market is really quite limited. Only owners of the 360 can buy the game. Spending one dollar, to advertise to a PS3 owner, is just a wasted dollar.

The game doesn’t need to advertise to to “outsiders” the viral nature of the video game will get “outliers” to buy a 360 and get Halo. Peer pressure can be intense.
Ian Mackenzie
September 7, 2010 @ 11:59 am

The light arm app is weird. I just used it and yet still have no idea what or why it is.

Which I think supports your point: Who are they talking to with this stuff?
Halo Addict
September 7, 2010 @ 12:43 pm

I think what they have done well is to build upon the prior experience. I have played Halo 1, 2 and 3 for about as long as it would have taken me to build a high-rise by myself with my hands.

I questioned whether or not I should buy Halo Reach; however, after seeing the short films, I was hooked. What this ad campaign has done – for me – is to build on the experience and make it feel deeper than ever before. In the past I have been excited to play the multiplayer component and not the campaign, but now, for the first time ever, I WAN TO PLAY THE CAMPAIGN.

So, it worked on me.
Norm
September 7, 2010 @ 1:43 pm

Hard core gaming is a very niche market. It expands only by word of mouth or personal experience, not by advertising. Most new gamers won’t spend $60-$75 on something that they haven’t played yet. They rely on their friends approval first. Target market doesn’t have to include people outside their existing base of customers. Most forms of advertising is just a reminder for the release date.
Terry
September 7, 2010 @ 4:01 pm

The big black pylon had something to do with an experiential marketing push. Essentially, they used it as an objective for a laser tag match. Pictures of which can be found if you go to
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/UNSC_Intel/154648471216605
Jacoub Bondre
September 8, 2010 @ 12:56 pm

The Halo series has been one of the most successful video game series of all-time. I’ve played a lot of FPSes in my day (First Person Shooters). So consider this.

At best Halo is a good FPS. Other games do what Halo does better. Other games have better graphics, better physics, better weapon balance. (Not intended to be flame, just one gamer’s opinion. )

In-spite of this it is still one of the most popular games of all-time. Most of that success can be attributed to presentation and marketing. So they must be doing something right.
Corey Dilley
September 8, 2010 @ 10:25 pm

I bought a Wii, because my video game crazed friend bought one when it was impossible to get, brought it to my place and showed me what was up. I bought an X-Box, because I wanted to play stuff online with my friends. I got the Halo 3 ODST package, because I know a bunch of my friends like it and I trust their taste. I bet someone bought a Halo game, just because @Halo Addict loves it.

Get a bunch of influential X-Box owners psyched enough to evangelize and the rest will follow.