Trend Spotted: Brands Are Drawing Attention With Larger-Than-Life Props in Public Areas

To welcome The Office to its library, American streaming service Peacock installed an 18-foot Dwight Schrute snowman, inspired by the sitcom’s “Classy Christmas” episode, in the heart of Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The six-ton snowman debuted in mid-January, not-so-coincidentally near both World Snow Day and World Day of the Snowman on Jan. 17 and 18, respectively. The mission? “To demonstrate that Peacock is the best new home of The Office,” said Peacock’s SVP of brand marketing Jo Fox. “And to give people a reason to smile while taking out their phones to take a picture and post it on their socials” she added.

Peacock is no stranger to over-the-top promos. “We announced the streaming service with a giant peacock bird topiary that took the place of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree last January,” recalled Fox. “We sent planes into the skies above NYC and LA to herald the fact that Peacock had just taken flight. So for a show as iconic and beloved as The Office, we had to go big as well while staying within the world of the show.”

When facing the challenges brought about by COVID-19, Peacock—along with brand experience agency Hudson Gray and marketing strategist Civic PR—shied away from physical touchpoints and anything requiring queues. But, in a pedestrian plaza such as NYC’s Meatpacking District, “our SnowSchrute could be viewed from blocks away and allowed for people to take pictures of it safely away from car traffic and socially distanced from other fans and onlookers,” said Fox.

To generate awareness for The Masked Singer’s Emmy nomination, FOX and experiential agency Creative Riff teamed up to install one of the show’s characters, Miss Monster, in a branded face mask atop iconic landmarks on Los Angeles’s Santa Monica Pier. “The focus of the installation was to create a socially distant, impactful moment that also felt relevant to the times we are in,” explained Creative Riff CEO Ryan Coan. “We also hoped to brighten up some outdoor public spaces and remind people to stay safe in a fun, attention-grabbing way.”

When in-person promotional opportunities were no longer safe, Creative Riff turned to ambient media and less traditional ways of creating unique activations and experiences. “In a world that is socially distanced, ambient media creates conversation and connections when consumers need it more than ever,” Coan said. “We’re excited to be able to drive that connection.”

Because Miss Monster is a character from The Masked Singer that everyone already knows and loves, dressing her in a face mask was a natural design decision. Once the blueprints were set, local sign and banner service Big City Print manufactured the larger-than-life prop.

To kick off TNT’s Snowpiercer season two premiere on Jan. 25, WarnerMedia tapped Los Angeles-based event production company Experiential Supply Co. The collaboration resulted in a pop-up promo boasting a 40-foot train atop Randy’s, a local doughnut shop. The train replica served as a nod to the show’s futuristic plot where the world has become a frozen wasteland and the remaining survivors inhabit a train circling the planet.

Before “freezing” over Los Angeles landmarks in honor of Snowpiercer’s season two premiere, TNT and Experiential Supply Co. created a website where fans could explore train cars designed by artists as well as straight off the TV screen. When looking to promote new offerings in creative ways, “the pandemic has challenged us to think differently about how to connect with fans,” the executive said.

To top it all off, Randy’s offered a Snowpiercer-themed powdered sugar doughnut for Los Angeles customers to enjoy. “We wanted to create an out-of-home unit that would draw attention with a big train, ice and snow machines” said an executive at TNT on behalf of Snowpiercer. “Randy’s offered an iconic location we could take over with a safe, on-the-ground experience, too.”