REPORTER'S GUIDE
TO THE GALAXY

After more than a decade, AMC’s record-smashing series “The Walking Dead” will air its final season this fall. So to mark the milestone and reward viewers for their loyalty, the network hosted the ultimate fan celebration on the Skylight Terrace of the San Diego Gaslamp Hotel. According to the brand, it was a sort of tribute to Comic-Con attendees, who have served as some of the show’s most fervent fans from the very beginning. We couldn’t make it to the sold-out evening affair, but were fortunate enough to get a tour of the space as it was being transformed. And it was killer (we can sense your eyes rolling from here).

Fans had a number of ways to celebrate the series, both on the terrace for the main event, and in an adjoining indoor space, each offering displays of iconic set pieces and vignettes from all 11 seasons of the show. The interior area had a sleek, chill vibe featuring museum-like showcases of series props, including Negan’s bat, Daryl’s crossbow and an ultra-creepy model of a “walker” rising from the ground. It was also a space where fans could have a seat and view a custom content reel throughout which “The Walking Dead” cast told heartfelt anecdotes. 

You might say the terrace celebration had a different energy, which can mostly be attributed to the live “walkers” in full makeup and costume who hung over an elevated catwalk to greet attendees, roamed the party, crawled through a caged gate on-site and interacted with fans. (We got a peek behind the scenes at the artistry required to create the show’s zombie look, and it was something to behold.) There was also an airbrush makeup station that transformed fans into walkers themselves.

Additional touchpoints included a central bar containing a series-inspired installation; themed food and beverages, including “Taste of Tradition” ice cream flavors; posters with custom art designed for Comic-Con; a t-shirt printing station; exclusive swag and appearances and remarks by popular cast members, including fan favorite Norman Reedus, made from the dj balcony.

 A detail we loved: Among rare swag attendees scored on-site were exclusive commemorative enamel pins, illustrating just how well AMC knows the Comic-Con audience. When the convention was established, attendees traded paper comic books, but the tradition has since transformed into pin-swapping, and with “The Walking Dead” making its final appearance this year, those pins were Comic-Con gold.

“‘The Walking Dead’ has been a staple at Comic-Con, and this year for the series finale, AMC knew emotions would run high as we reunited after a two-year hiatus,” said Lauren Collins, head of AMC’s promotional campaign at Comic-Con. “We designed the ‘TWD’ fan celebration as the ultimate thank you to the loyal fans who’ve been filling Hall H and supporting the show since the beginning. Comic-Con audiences—especially this summer—deserved an event created just for them.” (Agencies: 3CS; Campfire)

^{Photo credit: Spearhead Media}

You couldn’t miss the colossal Hard Rock Hotel building-wrap promoting Apple TV+’s original series “Severance” if you tried, but the activation that took place inside packed just as big of a punch. This is where we had our work lives and personal lives detached, and completed our employee orientation on the “severed floor” at Lumon Industries. Many hallmarks of the series’ first season were part of the experience, and it added up to one of our favorite activations at SDCC.

The experience began in the orientation room, an exact replica of the one in the series, where an actor set us up with our new work names and employee badges, then headed up to the severed floor by elevator. From there, we toured a series of rooms, led by a talented team of actors. Among touchpoints: An archival department where Lumon’s vast array of artwork was being maintained (here, we scored a finger trap for attempting to answer an actor’s question, a detail from the series); a dark room displaying oversized images of employees’ smiles; and an impressive recreation of the Wellness Room, where a live actor offered facts about an attendee in our group’s “outie,” aka the person she is outside of the office, and reprimanded anyone for laughing at the exchange. To boot, one person in our group received a special badge to enter the break room, but it remains a mystery to us.

Finally, we reached a meticulously designed cubicle office setting, complete with the precise keyboards, computer mice, monitors, and even a 3D photo, seen on the show. Here, we snagged a branded carton of pretzels from a vending machine, searched the computers for series clues, interacted with a team of actors and, ultimately, participated in a spirited group dance break. 

We left with two official Lumon badges, an enamel Lumon logo pin, the employee handbook, which we’re told includes Easter eggs; a group photo and a keen interest in binge-watching the show. (Agency: GDX Studios, building wrap)

As part of its Summer of Ghosts campaign, CBS transformed a space inside the Interactive Zone into an amusing, campsite-themed Pinecone Trooper Pete’s Friend Zone activation that touted its hit comedy “Ghosts.” Across various touchpoints, fans could connect with the “afterlife” by participating in immersive tarot card, palm and crystal readings within tents and teepees brimming with props, like ornate picture frames showcasing the series’ main characters. 

Con-goers could also take aim at the “scare-free” archery zone (where we failed miserably but had a blast), stop at a refreshment station, snap photos of camping-themed installations, earn badges to swap for brand swag and pose for an official GIF taken on a vintage couch, which showed “Ghosts” characters interacting with one another behind the fan in the final product. What we loved: The little details that fans would instantly recognize, like brand ambassadors roaming the space with arrows through their necks, a nod to the archery accident that led to Trooper Pete’s death. (Agency: BMF)

^{Photo credit: Beyond the Light/Jun Mapue}

The Disney Bundle platform, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, marked its Comic-Con debut this year with the “Bundleworks Factory” experience hosted at a colorful indoor workshop that powered the fictitious “Bundletown.” The goal, of course, was to highlight the benefits of subscribing to, and particularly bundling, the streaming services. Disney made it happen with a playground of carnival games aimed at driving awareness and education, while delivering some old-school fun. It was a welcome reprieve. 

Throughout the experience, attendees were invited to participate in hands-on activities, like following a golf ball through a “production pipeline” installation based on which of the Disney services they already subscribed to, playing a branded version of Plinko and testing their accuracy with a ring toss. Based on their skills, fans earned a certain number of Bundlebucks rewards in the form of raffle tickets after completing each game. The tickets could later be traded in for swag related to each of the Disney Bundle services at the Prize Wall (we snagged a “The Orville” mug with our bucks, in addition to a complimentary metal lunch box). Participants were invited to finish their “shift” in the Break Room with an ice-cold slushie topped with candy. (Agency: Creative Riff)

^{Photo credit: Creative Riff}

Fox’s hit animated series “Bob’s Burgers” is known for the catchy “Burger of the Day” puns written on the restaurant’s chalkboard menu in each episode. So when we participated in “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” experience, it came as no surprise that brand ambassadors were donning yellow t-shirts that read: The Gouda Morning San-Di-Eggo. Nice.

The family-friendly footprint included two central photo ops depicting scenes from the new movie. One featured a backdrop of the restaurant, a few construction zone props and a 3D image that made it appear as if we were falling into a sinkhole, while the other included a backdrop of the wharf from the film and series, a prop-filled food cart and a wooden cutout of Bob himself. 

There was also a Lucky Ducks fishing game played beside a kiddie pool that proved to be popular and included prizes. But the most talked-about aspect of the activation was the daily “Patty Hour” during which throngs of consumers lined up to snag a “Comic-Con you believe it’s a free Bob’s Burgers burger” and, provided there was enough space, enjoyed the meal at on-site picnic tables nestled under branded umbrellas. As you might imagine, the lines for free food were considerable. We also hear a “Bob’s Burger’s” food truck made its way around the Hilton San Diego Bayfront area, just across from the convention center.

FX has taken over a sprawling outdoor property across from the Hilton Bayfront since 2014 to promote its wide array of content, and this year was no exception. The #FXSDCC experience encompassed a 100,000-square-foot walkable labyrinth that brought popular FX series to life under one “roof.” 

Upon entering the experience, participants, including yours truly, were encouraged to navigate the eerie garden environment at their own pace, and met countless photo moments, delights and frights along the way, from walking trees to the “dolls” from “American Horror Stories” (who will forever haunt our dreams). To us, it genuinely felt like a garden maze (one staffer told us they got temporarily lost the morning of opening day) and included plenty of surprise and delight moments, encounters with strange characters and audio piped in to enhance the creepy factor. Exclusive giveaways, like a “You’re a Doll” compact mirror, were also part of the mix.

“The concept is that the garden has come to life. You never really know what to expect, so it offers that sense of discovery that fans really enjoy,” Kenya Hardaway, svp-integrated promotions, multi-platform marketing, at FX Networks, told us on-site. “We want to have an opportunity for the fans to get as close to their favorite shows as possible. And this kind of [activation] allows them to do that. It’s what we strive for.”

Among a variety of touchpoints were stations where makeup artists from “AHS” recreated the porcelain doll look for registered participants, in addition to the real-life roaming dolls who used their rigid gestures to beckon us to a lavish banquet table… filled with rotting food; a photo op with a leaf-covered “Mayans M.C.”-inspired motorcycle; a sound sculpture featuring a blend of 3D printing tech and avant-garde industrial elements used to showcase the network’s range of sci-fi and horror content; a “Little Demon Den” where FX hosted an experiential screening event; and kiosks featuring an identity quiz used to create personalized fan profiles with series recommendations.

Then there was Nadja’s San Diego, the aforementioned vampire night club, which served as a replica set from the fourth season of “What We Do in the Shadows.” Before entering, we chatted with humorous “bouncers” and scanned a QR code to ensure we later received a 360-degree video asset—then went inside and shook what our mama gave us. Worth noting: Air conditioning in Nadja’s gave attendees a welcome, if brief, break from the heat. 

On the way out of the experience, we had a chance to snag custom-embroidered swag, like bucket hats, and spin a roulette wheel to win a bottle of “Little Demon Garlic Hot Sauce.” (Agency: Creative Riff)

Read the full #FXSDCC case study here.

HBO touted its much-hyped “Game of Thrones” prequel, “House of the Dragon,” with a beautifully fabricated castle, a multisensory dragon-hatching ceremony, a companion app and a lively outdoor marketplace set in the show’s time period. This one pretty much smoked the competition. And the lines to get in wrapped around the block.

As we entered the marketplace, actors were on-site in period costumes selling goods like spices and fruit, and interacting with one another and attendees, remarking on things like the exotic colors they were wearing (our shade of orange was of interest) and what strange objects they were pointing at each other (mobile devices). Meanwhile, the sound of what we can only assume were dragons could be heard all along the castle’s exterior.

Then, the castle doors opened and we entered the “The Dragon’s Den,” prepared to walk in a Targaryen’s footsteps. It was dark and foreboding inside, with wall-mounted candles and an eerie red glow serving as the light sources. Before the journey began, our guide fervently impressed upon us what a privilege it was to participate in a ceremonial dragon-hatching experience, and asked that we demonstrate our bravery and worthiness of bonding with a dragon along the way. This included selecting a heavy, scaly dragon egg from an altar featuring faux flames and complete with smoke effects, observing a candle-lit dragon skull installation and completing the ritual by placing our egg in a pit of flames to be hatched. 

Before the experience ended, we snagged a legitimately cool “HOTD” hologram pin premium, and, naturally posed for a photo on the Iron Throne surrounded by lifelike flame effects. Dracarys. (Agency: Giant Spoon)