Prime Video pulled out all the stops to boost awareness of its futuristic original series “The Peripheral” among sci-fi and fantasy fans at New York Comic Con, Oct. 6-9. In addition to an extensive booth exhibit open to all attendees, the brand hosted an intimate activation for content creators that dropped them smack-dab in the center of Clanton, the show’s fictional middle-America town. With its sights set on driving earned media value, Prime delivered a gamified experience that took influencers on a journey from the year 2032 to 2099, and incentivized them to post about it along the way.
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Roughly 100 content creators were invited to participate in the curated, escape-room-like activation, including fashion designer Jerome Lamaar, director Nneka Onuorah and sci-fi/fantasy creators Trevor Bell and Jennings Brower. The idea was to fully immerse attendees in the setting of the series, which centers on a woman named Flynne who discovers an alternate reality. And every touchpoint of the experience, naturally, lent itself to content capture. Among them: a recreation of Jimmy’s bar featuring rustic décor, a pool table and two real motorcycles parked in back, an Airstream trailer with rundown campfire setups in front, and a “Clanton City Limit” sign. Cocktails and bites were also on tap.
Prime recreated “The Peripheral’s” watering hole, Jimmy’s, as part of the in-world immersion.
The gamified component of the activation included challenges like “verifying your ID” by taking pictures with specific props and finding (and documenting) hidden Easter eggs throughout the experience. By solving clues and completing missions, the influencers received stickers proving they were worthy of approval from Aelita (a key character in the show) and, if all challenges were completed, a free Sonos Roam portable speaker. Creators were also incentivized to work together to complete certain tasks, which, if accomplished, yielded them glow-in-the-dark tattoos. Prime encouraged attendees to position their arms together under a black light to signify the teamwork component, inspiring plenty of social content.
“Experiential is an efficient and strategic way to connect with creators IRL and provide an environment that brings our content to life in a meaningful way,” says Jazmine Chase, manager-influencer marketing at Prime Video. “So, not only does it help our target audiences learn more about the upcoming release, especially if it’s a new IP, but we aim for the experience to build brand awareness and drive interest. And we ultimately believe that this tactic helps us cut through all the noise.”
More Scenes From the Event:
Photo credit: Luis Ruiz
