Earlier this week, Microsoft and Bungie released the third installment in their massively popular Halo series. As predicted, the launch was a huge financial success, dragging in $170MM in sales and inspiring pundits to dub it (insert reverb) The Biggest Entertainment Launch in History.

But was it? Really?

Microsoft Game Studios VP Shane Kim called the launch a “pop-culture phenomenon,” and one that is “redefining entertainment.” I’m not so sure. The event was largely confined to males 12-34, a group that comprises ~17% of the population. The rest the nation watched semi-interested from the sidelines. I would expect a “pop-culture phenomenon” to be relevant to a wider swath of the population, no?

The point? When it comes to video games and interactive entertainment, we are where we were. Three years ago, Halo 2 hit the shelves, grossed $125MM in 24 hours, and was dubbed… yup, you guessed it, The Biggest Entertainment Launch in History. A generation of hardware later (and billions in investment) and the medium is still largely confined to a niche hardcore audience of young males. It’s a big business to be sure, but Microsoft has lost $5 billion since the original Xbox launch in a gambit to bring interactive entertainment to the masses.

They’ve captured the hardcore, but what about the rest of us?

Technorati Tags: Halo 3, Hype, Master Kitty

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At last night’s Mixx awards Campfire, along with its partner, Leo Burnett, Detroit, won a Gold for In-Game Advertising for Pontiac’s Motorati experience in Second Life. We were also fortunate enough to win a Bronze for our Promicin Campaign for the 4400 series on the USA Network.

Previously Campfire, along with McKinney, had won a 2005 Mixx Gold for Audi’s Art of the Heist Campaign.

The event was tight and well run, with John Heffron, the winner of the Last Comic Standing competition proving he could make jokes about feeling old at 37 in front of an ad crowd and survive, while the caterer solved the do-you-want-meat-or-fish? issue by serving both on one plate. Smart!

And the venue, the venerable Gotham Building, is a remarkable reminder of the days when bankers were not afraid to show off their riches.

Technorati Tags: Advertising Agencies, Gaming, marketing, Motorati, Motoratilife, Pontiac, Second Life

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We had a wild time at the first of five home parties Saturday as we revealed a complete FiOS makeover of the Kaczor Family’s home in Yardley, Pennsylvania. The campaign includes a large interactive web site, reality TV show, and carnival like parties, which included a lengthy chat with James Earl Jones about his early acting experiences.

Over 500 people attended and enjoyed themselves as the Kaczor family saw the complete hi-tech makeover of their home by the Verizon FiOS team.

The Kaczors now have a fabulous FiOS-equiped house, with a home office to rival Campfire World Headquarters, completely webcam-ed home, and an entertainment center with massive flat screen, Surround Sound system, and a secret lever that reveals disco lights and bowling lane — all designed by our techno-geek show hosts, Brian, Lloyd and Yue.

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Hey all you loyal Campfire blog readers. If any of you have tried to reach us via email since yesterday then you may have received a bounce back declaring an “Undelivered Mail Returned” message. Well, we are excited to inform you that our email has changed along with our primary domain to campfirenyc.com. If you replace the campfiremedia with campfirenyc in the email address of your favorite Campfire-ite then all information will make it to its recipient. If you chose not to then our old email addresses will begin forwarding soon. Thanks for your understanding and patience.

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Wieden + Kennedy’s Portland office posed the question: is the web today’s punk rock? The question strikes me as vaguely out-of-touch… something Carrie Bradshaw might diddle on her laptop in a 1998 episode of Sex in the City.

I think the answer is, no, at least not without the extra dimension of time.

Perhaps: punkrock was to music in 1971 as the internet was to media in 1997? But today?

Right now, time spent on the Internet rivals time spent with TV. And much like Green Day and punk rock, the Internet outgrew its insurgent roots long ago. It’s mainstream, baby. And we’re all better for it.

Technorati Tags: Carrie Bradshaw, punk rock, Wieden Kennedy

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One day after Apple’s $200 price drop on the iPhone and less than 24 hours after their discussion boards erupted with angry messages from consumers, Steve Jobs responds to their issues with a $100 store credit for all early iPhone adopters, Apple’s most passionate customers.

And with that quick and honest response, Apple shows they really are listening to their customers and their customers respond in kind.

Perhaps the reason I’m most struck by this, aside from getting a $100 credit, is that I spent over an hour last night trying to get my cable company to answer their “customer service” line.

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This from the AP via CNN (hat tip to LGR).

Technorati Tags: conversation, social media

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