Paramount+’s exclusive series “Halo” chronicles the epic conflict between humanity and the extraterrestrial threat known as the Covenant. A cybernetically enhanced super-soldier known as Master Chief leads the charge in defending mankind during the 26th-century conflict. The series is based on the video game franchise of the same name, which has been a hit among gamers for more than two decades.
To promote the release of the new series, Paramount+ had the epic task to reach both long-time fans of the Halo video game franchise, as well as brand new audiences who are meeting the Master Chief for the very first time. It looked to find social media to find a way to reach both audiences with an exciting, engaging promotion that could bring fans in on the action of “Halo.”
To achieve the meteoric task of bringing the world of “Halo” to life, Paramount+ entered a first-of-its-kind partnership with the tech giant Meta to create a spectacular augmented reality group effect for Meta’s Messenger service. Paramount+ drew on one of the most visually striking and iconic elements of the “Halo” universe: Master Chief’s Spartan super-soldier armor. As a member of the Spartan program within the Halo universe, Master Chief is cybernetically and genetically enhanced, capable of donning a powered suit of armor that allows him to go toe-to-toe with the overwhelming Covenant threat. In partnering with Meta, Paramount+ allowed “Halo” fans to video call each other while appearing on-screen in full Spartan armor suits, just like Master Chief. The effect was achieved by using the actual screen-accurate 3D models of the suits as seen on the show “Halo.”
The AR filters were rolled out and teased on social media with a call-to-action post that read “Call Your Team With The New Halo The Series Group Effect.” A number of publications, including Screen, Rant ran articles celebrating the execution of the augmented reality filters with links on how fans could get the filters for use with friends and family.
The truly groundbreaking and innovative augmented reality filters allowed long-time fans of “Halo” to don the legendary Spartan armor while also encouraging new viewers to take up the charge to defend mankind in the dynamic extraterrestrial conflict. The partnership with Meta proved to be an invaluable way to bridge the gap between creators and global audiences. “Halo” went on to set a record for Paramount+’s most-watched series premiere globally in its first 24 hours on the platform.
