A successful Viral Marketing Campaign if I've ever seen one...

In a series of five phases, Microsoft and Bungie Studios (the makers of the ever popular Xbox game "Halo") promoted the third installment of the series. For anyone who isn't familiar with their strategy, here is a quick breakdown of what they did:

The first of these phases began in December of 2006 with the "starry night" commercial, which aired during Monday night football - a perfect choice that is congruent with their target market.

Phase 2, namely "the Beta", was one where fans could enter to win a chance to try a multiplayer beta version at Halo3.com. By the end of this phase, 820,000 participants spent more than 12 million hours of playing online. Great way to get 'em hooked and asking for more.

Then came phase 3, "Project Iris". This phase comprised an online/offline scavenger hunt in which Halo fans searched for hidden clues to unlock new information about the game.

Phase 4 involved partnering up with big names to aid in promotional activities. Pontiac, Mountain Dew, Burger King, 7-11 and Samsung were just a few that were up for it.

The final phase included a series of television advertisements with the tag line "Believe" (below), as well as 10,000 retail outlets opening their doors at mid-night on September 27th, 2007 to begin the official launch of Halo 3.



These ten months of marketing prior to the launch were extremely effective; After the first day of its release, sales totaled more than $170 million, with 3.3 million copies sold after only one week... far surpassing the numbers of Halo 2's debut.

Although this strategy included both online and offline marketing, the internet greatly facilitated the spread of information about Halo 3. From forums, to gaming blogs, to pre-sale orders available at Amazon.com, word about this game went viral. When marketing is engaging and interactive, consumers are more likely to talk and have conversations about the brand and product. Online spaces to discuss the release of Halo 3 were everywhere, both user and company generated. What's more is that these online spaces helped to create brand evangelists, in every shape and form- something every company strives for.

What I find most interesting about this strategy is the fact that makers of Halo 3 created an experience for consumers for the months leading up to the official launch that would ultimately build the hype and anticipation for the product and its release. They kept consumers engaged, interested and wanting more. And it worked.


Sources:

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/magazine/current/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003637129