Some of the very first public looks at both Halo 3 and GTA IV came in the form of trailers. Microsoft unveiled the first Halo 3 trailer at E3 2006 and another one at the same event the following year. Rockstar took the approach of revealing four trailers on its official website, the first of which almost immediately overloaded the developer’s servers.
To put out even more hype, it was on to teaser videos for both titles. Bungie Studios produced a series of videos directed by Neill Blomkamp depicting the Halo universe in a live-action setting. Rockstar has released numerous teaser trailers since February of this year.
The final major advertising campaign for Halo 3 was a series of videos marketed with the tagline “Believe.” The videos aired before and after the game’s release. Rockstar chose to partner with GameStop to produce a Tourist Guide to Liberty City commercial for GTA IV. Another commercial was produced promoting the game’s Xbox 360 version.
While licensed merchandising leading up to GTA IV’s release has been quiet, the list for products and promotions 
for Halo 3 is almost endless. Wizkids released Halo ActionClix collectible miniatures and Todd McFarlane announced new figurines for Halo 3. Among other promotions, Burger King displayed Master Chief, the Halo 3 logo, and the “Believe” slogan on its cups and French fry wrappers. A Halo 3 inspired Zune was developed, and Pepsi-Cola announced Game Fuel, a new variant of Mountain Dew.
What Rockstar has not shied away from is hitting the streets, plastering large murals, 
billboards, and GTA IV artwork around the nation, predominantly in New York City.
The marketing push for Grand Theft Auto IV has certainly not been as extreme as Halo 3. Its exposure led to massive sales of the game and related merchandise, but may have forced the title to be surrounded by hype that it simply could not live up to. Nonetheless, the marketing for GTA IV has been impressive and thus far very promising for its fans.
