Prime Video
SCOPE OF WORK:
Event Concept + Strategy
Event Execution
PR Strategy
Campaign Concept
Campaign Photo + Video
Brief
Prime Video came to Very Polite for a 360-marketing strategy to drive awareness for the launch of the highly anticipated Fallout TV series. The strategy would feature a public stunt hosted in a Canadian city with the objective of building excitement with the target audience and driving Prime Video subscriptions for the Fallout premiere. Working directly with the Fallout showrunners, the stunt needed to be representative of the Fallout look and feel to create buzz with the gaming community while also being approachable and intriguing for a mass audience.
Approach
After researching Fallout and capturing insights from the gaming community and their sentiment towards the upcoming Fallout series, it was identified that fans were concerned about the series’ authenticity and preservation of the game world. It was important the activation and strategy demonstrated knowledge of the Fallout world to build trust with this community and drive genuine interest for the show. The concept presented and approved by the Prime Video team took inspiration from the TV shows’ key themes and specifically the narrative of ‘have and have not’ between those living in Vaults and those in the Wasteland.
In order to create an activation rooted in shareability and intrigue, the concept used imagery that would act as a signal for the Fallout community while being a mysterious and newsworthy stunt for a mass audience. The concept centered around a shipping container that was branded with the Fallout Vault-Tec logo and colour palette. But the main attraction was a 10ft long ‘Radroach’ lurching on top of the container. The concept utilised the Radroach, an oversized cockroach, as it appears in the Fallout Wasteland and is a common visual in the Fallout game and TV series.
The stunt landed on 18 York St., an iconic location in downtown Toronto. The strategic location ensured the capture of busy pedestrian traffic, as well as concert goers and baseball fans enroute to their respective events. The bustling city backdrop was intentionally chosen to create an impactful contrast with the distressed, post-apocalyptic Fallout container, causing passersby to stop in their tracks at the unexpected display.
Instead of using a pre-existing container, the shipping container was custom built to have better control of the finished outcome. It was important to include some key safety and accessibility features like a hidden back door and custom-built removable ramp as well as lighting and sound effects, and built-in brackets to install the giant Radroach. The customisation also allowed for the container to be distressed appropriately with interior and exterior graphics for Prime Video brand placement. Included on the container was a highly visible custom countdown clock that was installed to create anticipation and signal the opening of the event and launch of the premiere.
The activation experience featured 5 actors dressed as Vault dwellers who engaged with the public and ventured on the Toronto subway to meet Fallout’s lead actress Ella Purnell. At the opening of the activation, Ella Purnell emerged from the container to surprise a special audience of Fallout fans. Once inside the container, guests were invited to participate in a photo op with a one-of-a-kind backdrop depicting a visualisation of the Toronto Wasteland. To wrap up the experience with an emotional takeaway, participants were given a special-edition Fallout Radroach poster.
Outcome
The activation successfully generated awareness and anticipation for the launch of Prime Video’s new #1 series, Fallout. The immersive experience also garnered international attention and drove positive engagement and conversation across social platforms.
Over the 2-day experience, foot traffic averaged over 45K people and an influx of over 32K thanks to a hockey and baseball games and a Noah Kahan concert. The team handed out 550 exclusive Radroach posters reserved for early visitors which ran out in the early evening of day one of the event. The experience captured over 1320 visitors that passed through the container during the 2 days it was open.
