Believe

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"He's received the highest commendations for bravery. Countless decorations for honor and selflessness. But Master Chief's greatest achievement reaches far beyond what any medal could ever hope to commemorate. For the men and women of the 26th Century, he is a human embodiment of possibility, the last Spartan standing against an angry tide. This strength of spirit is forged through his legend. Jericho VII. The Battle of Reach. High Charity. Tales rife with sacrifice and courage. Tales that grow, flourish, and inspire. And while he shapes his own history, he in turn shapes the history of all who follow. For no matter what horrors are released upon the day, they cannot match the reply of soldiers emboldened with his spirit, an army of Master Chiefs unto themselves. BELIEVE."

— Magazine Ad

Believe was a Microsoft marketing campaign for Halo 3. Featuring the word “Believe” as a tagline, it appeared to honour the legacy of SPARTAN-117, citing him as a hero of the United Nations Space Command whose brave actions inspired other servicemen during the Human-Covenant War.

Overview[edit]

As part of the broader marketing campaign for Halo 3, ad agencies McCann-Erickson San Francisco, T.A.G., and AKQA developed the Believe campaign, capitalising on the myth surrounding the Master Chief, the artefacts of the Human-Covenant War, and how historians would look back on it decades after.^[1]

The most central element of the Believe campaign was a 1200-square-foot diorama, the John-117 Memorial, created by New Deal Studios and Stan Winston, who previously constructed practical effects for franchises such as Aliens and Jurassic Park.^[2] The diorama would be shown off in a trailer directed by Rupert Sanders, who would go on to direct trailers for Halo 3: ODST and Halo 5: Guardians. It was also viewable as an interactive Flash movie on a website created by AKQA ^[1], and was the medium in which the photographs for the Shooting a Hero campaign were taken.^[3]

More live-action trailers were released as testimonials of UNSC veterans who fought at the Second Battle of New Mombasa alongside the Master Chief, humanising the Chief through the experiences of his fellow soldiers.^[1]

The music used in many parts of the Believe campaign, such as the Diorama website, the Jake Courage website, and its associated videos is "Preludes #15, Raindrop" by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin.

Media[edit]

Websites[edit]

Diorama – A fly-over through the John-117 Monument. Once available on the Halo 3 website, now available through the Halopedia Archives.
Jake Courage – A collection of photography taken by Jake Courage during the Second Battle of New Mombasa, titled ”Shooting a Hero”. Once available on Xbox.com, it is now available through the Halopedia Archives.

Trailers[edit]

Testimonials – A set of four videos showcasing veterans of the Covenant War reminiscing over the Second Battle of New Mombasa.
- Museum – A live-action TV commercial featuring Major Pawel Czernek, a UNSC veteran that fought in the Second Battle of New Mombasa alongside the Master Chief, reminiscing over his memories of the inspiring hero.
- Hunted – A live-action TV commercial featuring Lieutenant John Tippett walking through a wood where his platoon once hid from the Covenant many years prior.
- Enemy Weapon – A live-action TV commercial featuring veterans Roland Huffman and Tomas Navarro touring through the Museum of Humanity, peering through UNSC and Covenant weapons on exhibit.
- Gravesite – A live-action TV commercial featuring Lieutenant Niraj Shah returning to the site of the Battle of New Mombasa, including the purported site of the Master Chief’s grave.
Diorama – Two videos were released regarding the John-117 Monument.
- Believe: The John 117 Monument – An in-universe short documentary describing the construction of the John-117 Monument.
- Diorama – A TV commercial that pans through many points of view within the John-117 Memorial.^[1]
Shooting a Hero – A short documentary detailing Jake Courage’s exhibition of the same name, showcasing photography of the Second Battle of New Mombasa and the Master Chief.
- Making of Shooting a Hero – A behind-the-scenes video detailing many aspects of the Believe campaign, including Jake Courage, Shooting a Hero, and his photographs.

Events[edit]

Believe – Microsoft sponsored Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution music festival, where Halo 3 was pushed in late summer 2007,^[4] advertising an in-universe performance by the UNSC Symphony Orchestra in celebration of the Master Chief.^[5]
Believe Plaques – Plaques that were placed in several locations. Many of these plaques are canonically incorrect, erroneously commemorating the Master Chief’s actions in the Covenant War past 2552, despite the war already being over and the Chief declared missing in action during this time.
Photo exhibitions – Several photos from Jake Courage were exhibited in cinemas across the United Kingdom.^[6]

Canon status[edit]

According to Kotaku founder Brian Crecente on Kotaku on September 13, 2007, during a discussion he had with Frank O'Connor, the creators of the campaign were not informed of the ending of Halo 3, leading to multiple inconsistencies with the narrative depicted in Believe and the game's story.^[7] However, according to Jeff Easterling on September 9, 2018 it was canon "for now".^[8]

References to Believe[edit]

Halo 3: ODST[edit]

In the Halo 3: ODST campaign levels Mombasa Streets and Tayari Plaza, there are several graffiti where the player can read BELIEVE, a reference to the Halo 3 marketing campaign. There is one particular area in Mombasa Streets though that has 117 in bullet holes next one of the BELIEVE graffiti.

Serious Sam HD[edit]

A trailer released for Devolver Digtial and Croteam's Serious Sam HD entitled "Seriously Believe" is an obvious tribute or parody to the Believe campaign, utilizing a selection of frozen in-game views in place of the models, a similar track, and a black screen at the end with the words "Seriously Believe" appearing, very similar to the original "Believe" trailer, before showing the game's logo.^[9]

Fall Guys[edit]

Main article: Fall Guys (crossover)

The Spartan Showdown event in Epic Games and Mediatonic’s Fall Guys, an official crossover with Halo, was announced with a trailer that pays homage to the Diorama TV trailer, as a rendition of Chopin’s "Raindrop" plays while the camera pans over the game’s jellybean-shaped characters posed in various positions, akin to the soldiers in the John-117 Monument. It ends with characters dressed as the Master Chief and a Brute Chieftain atop a central hill, like in the original trailer.