If Activision’s Call of Duty XP marked the most innovative event-marketing push surrounding a game launch in 2011—with a Âmassive gaming area, a $1 Âmillion tournament, and Kanye West dropping in for a performance—Microsoft squarely took that title in 2012 with a major global rollout for Halo 4 that included never-before-seen event programming.
Developed by Microsoft Studios’ 343 Industries exclusively for the Xbox 360, Halo 4—part of an overall $3 billion-plus franchise—brought in more than $220 million within the first 24 hours of its release in November 2012. It was among the biggest entertainment launches of the year—across all media.
To fete the launch, Xbox worked with agency AKQA to send a massive illuminated glyph soaring over the River Thames in London, a nod to the game. It measured 50 feet in diameter, weighed 3.2 tons, and was Âilluminated by more than 100,000 LED lights. It took eight weeks to Âdesign and construct and was the largest and brightest man-made Âflying light structure ever to fly over ÂLondon. The stunt was visible for miles, with the flight course taking the glyph past some of London’s most recognizable landmarks for a can’t-miss marketing opportunity.
And how’s this for larger-than-life: On October 30, Xbox reimagined the European country of Liechtenstein into a real-life replica of the game’s universe, marking the first time a brand has taken over an entire country for an entertainment launch. For one day only, Xbox 360 and 343 Industries, working with the agency JCPR Edelman, transformed some of the small country’s landmarks, including a 13th-century castle and a working mine, to create an alternate universe inspired by the game.
Around the world, more than 10,000 stores in more than 40 countries drew fans who lined up around city blocks to count down to the game’s release. At launch events in Seattle, Paris, London, Berlin, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, ÂSydney, and other major cities, throngs of die-hard players, celebrities, and athletes came out to be among the first to play and to participate in other activities, such as meeting the creators of the game, private screenings, and photo ops.
With the launch also coinciding with Election Day in the United States, Microsoft amplified its get-out-the-vote campaign, which kicked off earlier in the year in collaboration with Rock the Vote, to encourage Halo and Xbox Live fans to exercise their civic duty before getting into the game. The campaign began with voter-recruitment efforts at major consumer events, as well as a voter registration program on Xbox Live, and expanded to major launch events at more than 100 college campuses nationwide.
Although Microsoft struggled financially in 2012, Halo 4 emerged as one of the brand’s successes—led by innovative event marketing around the globe.
