Brandweek has taken a look at the estimated $10 million dollar effort Microsoft has put into marketing Halo 3 in order to create some sort of blockbuster movie style phased advertising strategy. Microsoft's creative marketing directo Chris Di Cesare seems to be in good spirits declaring that the team is 'well ahead' of where they were with Halo 2 previously.

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This week, Microsoft breaks its Halo 3 "Believe" TV ad campaign touting the Xbox 360 title's highly-anticipated Sept. 25 launch. The estimated $10 million-plus effort centers on an immaculately constructed diorama depicting the great battles of lead character Master Chief. With this as a backdrop, warriors that did battle with the game's hero provide testimonials as to his greatness in the ads created by McCann-Erickson, San Francisco.

"We're well ahead of where we were with Halo 2," said Chris Di Cesare, director of creative marketing at Microsoft, Redmond, Wash. "In the year of the summer blockbuster 'three-quel,' the biggest one is going to be one you don't go to a theater to see."

Phase 1: Starry Nights. During Monday Night Football last Dec. 4, Microsoft hit

7.9 million households (and 1.8 million of its target 18-34 audience) with an eerie spot featuring Master Chief grabbing his helmet and jumping into the fray. Tag: "Finish the fight." It has since been viewed on YouTube more than 3 million times.