2008 Creativity Award Winner: Halo 3 Launch Campaign

Though the $170 million generated in Halo 3's first 24 hours of hitting shelves led many to deem it the biggest launch in entertainment history, the campaign that preceded its release was just as staggering. All-encompassing in medium and global in scope, the Halo 3 marketing attack leveraged the creative talents of McCann's T.A.G., AKQA, Stan Winston and New Deal Studios, along with VFX, music and production houses to produce ARGs, models, viral/web films, TV spots, an interactive site and much more. With the intention to simultaneously reach a mass audience and please the hardcore gamer, T.A.G. conceived an action-filled diorama of a battlefield that served as the centerpiece to tell the story of Halo 3 hero Master Chief. Miniature figurines and set pieces built by Winston and New Deal came together to create a war-torn landscape that became the focal point of TV spots and an interactive web experience from AKQA. Additionally, a series of beautifully-directed short films from Rupert Sanders and Simon McQuoid and live action online promos by Neill Blomkamp (the latter, created directly with Microsoft and Bungie) further explored different facets of the futuristic mythology of Master Chief.Q&A with T.A.G. Creative Director John PatroulisHow did you come up with the Halo 3 campaign concept?Patroulis: Essentially, the core of the Halo phenomenon is a simple story about a hero?the idea being that the hero is universal and resonates deep inside all of us. Master Chief came to life by our treating and honoring him exactly the way heroes have been honored throughout history.

2008 Creativity Award Winner: Halo 3 Launch Campaign

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