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Halo 2 ad campaign has begun 56k warning

BeOnEdge

Banned
i remember seeing PS? billboards MONTHS before the ps2 was released. generating tons of hype getting more and more intense up until launch. Is MS hoping for success by using the same tactics?

halo2.jpg
 

TekunoRobby

Tag of Excellence
I'm not a marketing expert but that type of ad is too bold to be ignored and even if people don't know what Halo is (I highly doubt that the average console gamer wouldn't know Halo, HIGHLY DOUBT) they will be further intrigued because of this ad.
 
TekunoRobby said:
I'm not a marketing expert but that type of ad is too bold to be ignored and even if people don't know what Halo is (I highly doubt that the average console gamer wouldn't know Halo, HIGHLY DOUBT) they will be further intrigued because of this ad.

I disagree. The ad is so generically 'alien invasion' that people may pass it over without caring.
 

TekunoRobby

Tag of Excellence
I was thinking that as well but maybe the overall market really digs this sort of stuff? I do see a very large trend to really play up the aliens and futuristic side of games in gaming, well marketing wise atleast.

I'm kinda at a loss because overall the ad seems really bland to me. It's very bold and aggressive with such a large font and black background but the description is lifeless.

EDIT: That's right I forgot that marketing DOES tend to have a general scheme when doing multiple shots. This is probably the beginning and in the grand scheme of things, the initial blandness will make sense.
 
Just striked me as doing an ad for the sake of doing an ad. It's too early to really show anything, and it's only going to excite people who are already excited for Halo2. Waste of money really. But they got money to waste so I guess they can do what they like.
 

pilonv1

Member
And so the great Halo 2 damage control of late 2004 begun. Apparently it's not ok to hype up Halo 2, but when Metriod Prime isn't getting hyped it's MASS PANIC.

They've already said they're going for blockbuster movie style advertising with Halo 2, I'm intriuged as to seeing how far they will go.
 

iapetus

Scary Euro Man
pilonv1 said:
They've already said they're going for blockbuster movie style advertising with Halo 2, I'm intriuged as to seeing how far they will go.

IAWTP. Nice to see this sort of ad once in a while for games. Lets the people who do know what it's for feel smug, and makes the people who don't know what it's for feel curious.
 
I find it funny that they still refer to us as the Interactive Digital Software Association even though we're now the Entertainment Software Association.

<rodneydangerfield> No respect I tell ya!</rodneydangerfield>
 

Joe

Member
theres a reason the logo is big compared to everything else. they're just trying to start getting it into peoples minds. lets not forget the game is still 6 months away and this is just the tip.
 
Damn you guys act like you've never see a real hype campaign before. The first step is ALWAYS to create a mystery as to what you are selling, it gets people interested.
 

BeOnEdge

Banned
BlueLegs said:
How would people who don't know what halo is, know what this ad is about???

how did people know what PS? was and PS9 was? remember how many dumb casuals thought ps9 was coming out? :lol as far as the billboard comparison, i was refering to starting the advertising early. it has nothing to do with what form it takes. i wouldnt doubt halo 2 billboards making their way onto the streets by late summer though. If rockstar can cover the town with max payne 2 billboards and vice city bus ads, MS can do something like that too. anyone remember "SUPER...this summer" ads?
 
El stupido.

Honestly, the ads are pretentious tripe. They don't interest me. They don't make me want the game. At all.

The PS9 ads kicked major ace. They were strange, but at least they were both cool and interesting. These just have the standard "OUR GAME WILL KICK YOUR ASS" attitude, and the "WE HIRE STUPID ADVERTISING STUDENTS" smell that every single Xbox ad has had since its beginning.

Where's the intriugue or mystery? I've got my Halo 2 reservation ticket in my pocket and even he goes limp looking at these ads.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
I think the real purpose behind the ad is to announce the release date - which was done at E3 but not everyone who owns Halo may know that. Placing some ads at the beginning of the campaign to set the date in people's minds and build anticipation is a good tactic.

That said, I don't like the tagline.
 

BeOnEdge

Banned
Jimmy Carter said:
El stupido.

Honestly, the ads are pretentious tripe. They don't interest me. They don't make me want the game. At all.

The PS9 ads kicked major ace. They were strange, but at least they were both cool and interesting. These just have the standard "OUR GAME WILL KICK YOUR ASS" attitude, and the "WE HIRE STUPID ADVERTISING STUDENTS" smell that every single Xbox ad has had since its beginning.

Where's the intriugue or mystery? I've got my Halo 2 reservation ticket in my pocket and even he goes limp looking at these ads.

yes. lets start a full blown marketing blitz 6 months before the game is released. that would work WONDERS. 30 second commercials, movie trailers, mailers, air drops...MS should do it all RIGHT NOW.
 
BeOnEdge said:
yes. lets start a full blown marketing blitz 6 months before the game is released. that would work WONDERS. 30 second commercials, movie trailers, mailers, air drops...MS should do it all RIGHT NOW.

Stop being such a tool.

I didn't even come close to insinuating that they should start a massive ad campaign. I said they should start an interesting campaign. Maybe one that isn't filled with trite, overused statements. "EARTH WILL NEVER BE THE SAME" Holy crap. That's some real whiz-bang marketing genius. I wish that the person who came up with that line for Microsoft would raise my children so that they might possibly, just maybe, be as shockingly inventive.

Why couldn't they show some dramatic screenshot? Like, Master Chief stepping back onto the planet to kick some ass. Or something exciting. Instead of an epic screen that screams "This game will change the way you look at games", we get a pretentious "2" and one of the most overused statements ever.
 
Jimmy Carter said:
Stop being such a tool.

I didn't even come close to insinuating that they should start a massive ad campaign. I said they should start an interesting campaign. Maybe one that isn't filled with trite, overused statements. "EARTH WILL NEVER BE THE SAME" Holy crap. That's some real whiz-bang marketing genius. I wish that the person who came up with that line for Microsoft would raise my children so that they might possibly, just maybe, be as shockingly inventive.

Why couldn't they show some dramatic screenshot? Like, Master Chief stepping back onto the planet to kick some ass. Or something exciting. Instead of an epic screen that screams "This game will change the way you look at games", we get a pretentious "2" and one of the most overused statements ever.


Fine you nugget.

Use the sloagan:
"Your children will never be the same...."


2

~fin.
 

BeOnEdge

Banned
Jimmy Carter said:
Stop being such a tool.

I didn't even come close to insinuating that they should start a massive ad campaign. I said they should start an interesting campaign. Maybe one that isn't filled with trite, overused statements. "EARTH WILL NEVER BE THE SAME" Holy crap. That's some real whiz-bang marketing genius. I wish that the person who came up with that line for Microsoft would raise my children so that they might possibly, just maybe, be as shockingly inventive.

Why couldn't they show some dramatic screenshot? Like, Master Chief stepping back onto the planet to kick some ass. Or something exciting. Instead of an epic screen that screams "This game will change the way you look at games", we get a pretentious "2" and one of the most overused statements ever.

stop crying. :) why show shots if they have 6 months? they are still keeping everything secret. how do you know that next month there wont be shots? and the month after that a movie trailer? and the month after that TV ads? This is only the beginning of the ad campaign. MS already said they are gonna hype this up unlike any game before it. you act as if this will be the ad they will be running for the next 6 months and thats it. hell maybe they'll even flash that same print ad in a 5 second spot on TV.
 

BeOnEdge

Banned
its almost a given they are. its one of the reasons they havent shown any of it. tehy want a full on suprise for its fans so its totally fresh when it finally hits.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
BeOnEdge said:
its almost a given they are. its one of the reasons they havent shown any of it. tehy want a full on suprise for its fans so its totally fresh when it finally hits.

I've been thinking a great deal about this, and I'm starting to conclude that Bungie isn't really deviating much from how they released media for Halo. I've been going back and reading the pre-release stuff about Halo, and all we really saw about it until right before launch was:

* General backstory and premise - the war with the Convenant, crashing on Halo and fighting for survival. Everything after that was left open.
* A few movies of non-gameplay showing off the visuals and story
* Lots of warthogs driving around in outdoors environments, which eventually became Silent Cartographer and Halo (2nd level in game).
* Blood Gulch multiplayer demo at E3

Contrast that to what we've seen so far of Halo 2:

* General backstory and premise - Master Chief returns to Earth, which is under Convenant attack. After that, all is left open.
* A non-gameplay trailer showing off the new graphics engine and setting up the story
* Demo of warthogs and marines running around in outdoors environment, this time on Earth.
* Multiplayer demo of Zanzabar at E3

While the stream of new media from the first Halo was a little stronger, Bungie obviously knows they don't need to release new media to build anticipation for Halo 2. It's there already, so they don't need to show more of their hand until closer to launch.
 
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