2008 Woodie Awards
'Halo 3' effectively markets to XBox 360 gamers
Nathan Cape
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Editorials
- Page 1 of 1
As a Resident Assistant, it was simple to see that Monday night was no ordinary night here at University of Northern Colorado.
The long awaited release of "Halo 3" culminated on Monday night as countless residents headed out at midnight to wait for their copies. Students braved the elements of the night and sleep deprivation to take their shot at completing the anticipated game before sunrise.
As an individual that is satisfied with playing James Bond on a Nintendo 64 or Madden '05 on a Playstation 2, it is hard to understand why students would want to stay up all night to try and beat a newly released video game. I would much rather wait a couple of months, let the price go down, let Microsoft work any kinks out of the game and get a full night of sleep.
But apparently students at UNC were not the only individuals to participate in this night of "Halo" madness, as the game racked up $170 million in sales in a 24-hour period, making it the hottest selling video game in history. With the amount of sales for Tuesday alone, there were over 2 million "Halo 3" gamers with bloodshot eyes after a long night of energy drinks and non-stop "Halo" action, and that is without including the 1.7 million pre-order copies that were reserved before Tuesday. It was impossible not to notice the excitement and energy that was running through my floor alone, and nearly impossible to see the mass advertising and promotion that occurred up until Tuesday.
Burger King and the NFL had immense contributions to the promotion of "Halo 3." Even though Burger King usually focuses on G-Rated, parent and child-friendly promotions, the "King of Burgers" decided to focus directly on the promotion of "Halo 3." "Halo 3" was even an official sponsor of the NFL this weekend and boosted its image during game time commercials. If you were in the mood for a greasy hamburger and a Bronco game this weekend, it was nearly impossible to miss the buzz for "Halo 3."
"Halo 3" was able to surpass any previous games sold, even after the game was only sold for one game console, XBOX 360. For marketers of "Halo 3," the promotion of this game presented a significant challenge of having only one specified market to pursue, but were able to capitalize on the potential of individuals that would purchase an XBOX 360 for the sole purpose of purchasing "Halo 3."
It could be seen in Burger Kings, residence halls and game stores throughout the nation. "Halo 3" took the game market by storm and made its mark in history and even got me thinking about going out to purchase the game at midnight.
- Nathan Cape is a senior marketing major, a Monfort College of Business Learning Community Resident Assistant and a Mirror columnist.
The long awaited release of "Halo 3" culminated on Monday night as countless residents headed out at midnight to wait for their copies. Students braved the elements of the night and sleep deprivation to take their shot at completing the anticipated game before sunrise.
As an individual that is satisfied with playing James Bond on a Nintendo 64 or Madden '05 on a Playstation 2, it is hard to understand why students would want to stay up all night to try and beat a newly released video game. I would much rather wait a couple of months, let the price go down, let Microsoft work any kinks out of the game and get a full night of sleep.
But apparently students at UNC were not the only individuals to participate in this night of "Halo" madness, as the game racked up $170 million in sales in a 24-hour period, making it the hottest selling video game in history. With the amount of sales for Tuesday alone, there were over 2 million "Halo 3" gamers with bloodshot eyes after a long night of energy drinks and non-stop "Halo" action, and that is without including the 1.7 million pre-order copies that were reserved before Tuesday. It was impossible not to notice the excitement and energy that was running through my floor alone, and nearly impossible to see the mass advertising and promotion that occurred up until Tuesday.
Burger King and the NFL had immense contributions to the promotion of "Halo 3." Even though Burger King usually focuses on G-Rated, parent and child-friendly promotions, the "King of Burgers" decided to focus directly on the promotion of "Halo 3." "Halo 3" was even an official sponsor of the NFL this weekend and boosted its image during game time commercials. If you were in the mood for a greasy hamburger and a Bronco game this weekend, it was nearly impossible to miss the buzz for "Halo 3."
"Halo 3" was able to surpass any previous games sold, even after the game was only sold for one game console, XBOX 360. For marketers of "Halo 3," the promotion of this game presented a significant challenge of having only one specified market to pursue, but were able to capitalize on the potential of individuals that would purchase an XBOX 360 for the sole purpose of purchasing "Halo 3."
It could be seen in Burger Kings, residence halls and game stores throughout the nation. "Halo 3" took the game market by storm and made its mark in history and even got me thinking about going out to purchase the game at midnight.
- Nathan Cape is a senior marketing major, a Monfort College of Business Learning Community Resident Assistant and a Mirror columnist.
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