Microsoft has given video game character Master Chief a makeover, and is giving the enigmatic video game character some added dimension in a new online advertising campaign.
To promote the latest iteration of its juggernaut gaming franchise Halo, Microsoft has partnered with Montreal-based Say Media to create what is being billed as an “industry-first” advertising initiative.
Online support for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary includes a custom-created 3D advertising unit. The unit enables users to conduct a side-by-side comparison of the re-mastered title and the original version, watch video previews of the game’s latest installment, and view a live stream of comments and photos from the Halo Facebook page.
Paul Cassar, vice-president of Say Media’s Canadian operations, said the new advertising AdFrames 3 platform – which operates on a cost-per-engagement model – is designed to help brand partners “tell a little bit of a story.”
When users click on the ad unit, they are taken to a full-page environment featuring a 3D effect. The unit prominently displays the game’s main character, Master Chief, as well as three windows incorporating the comparison, the Facebook feed and a video player. There is also a “Buy now” button that takes users directly to the Xbox Marketplace.
The unit features what Say describes as a “deeply interactive” landscape that reacts as users navigate through it.
Cassar said units such as AdFrames 3 continue to push online advertising forward. “You see the richness of the experience the user has [and] I think those kind of standards will keep getting better,” said Cassar. “It allows [Microsoft] to bring the best elements of the game to the user wherever they are, and get them to really experience what the game is about.”
Heather Loosemore, digital director for Microsoft’s media agency, Toronto-based Starcom MediaVest Group, said the ad is intended to be as immersive as an actual Halo gaming experience.
“In terms of finding that big opportunity space, we wanted to create an experience that embodies and amplifies the Halo franchise,” she said. “It really gives you a similar experience to an in-depth console gaming [experience]. It’s just very immersive, very experiential – you really feel like you’re getting into the content.”
While the primary audience for the campaign is males 18-34, Loosemore said Halo has broad-based appeal. “There’s no exact identity for the gamer,” she said. “It’s really just people who are passionate about the space.”
Microsoft and Say Media have worked together regularly over the past four years, said Cassar, who characterized the latest ad as the “next step in the evolution of our relationship.”
The Halo series has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide since the game debuted on Microsoft’s Xbox system in 2001, making it one of the biggest video-gaming franchises in history.
