Peacock gave Love Island USA fans the chance to audition to be the next bombshell entering the villa with a pop-up hosted in Austin and Nashville.Photo: Danielle Del Valle/Peacock
In July, Peacock gave Love Island USA fans the chance to audition to be the next contestant (aka bombshell) on the show with a pop-up experience hosted in Austin and Nashville. (Season five of Love Island USA is currently streaming on the platform.)
Based on the U.K. series of the same name, the show features a group of singles searching for love in a villa. Throughout their stay, participants couple up to take on challenges. New “bombshells” arrive throughout the season, forcing the rest of the group to decide if they want to remain with their current partners or recouple with someone new. Viewers then vote on who has to leave the villa.
At the Love Island USA Villa Pop-Up, fans had the opportunity to interview for the next season and film an audition tape in person. Participants were asked to record an entrance, share dating stories, and pose for photos. Former islander Deborah "Deb" Chubb was on hand in Austin and islanders Sydney Paight and Isaiah Campbell were in Nashville greeting fans.
Last summer, Peacock hosted a villa experience in New York City in the Meatpacking District. This year, the streaming platform wanted to give viewers the chance to audition for the show via this “mobile” villa. Because of their high concentration of Love Island fans and reality-show watchers, Austin and Nashville were chosen as the host cities. More than 1,000 people attended the experience. Experiential marketing agency HudsonGray handled the event design and production; Civic Entertainment Group's PR team handled press.
In partnership with Match Group, the experience also featured a co-branded Peacock and Tinder bedroom photo op. In June, Match Group and Peacock announced a partnership that aims to leverage Peacock’s programming and Match Group’s portfolio of brands, including Tinder, Match, OkCupid, BLK, Chispa, and Plenty of Fish, to offer users benefits and experiential opportunities.
The two companies previously partnered on a Halloween experiential date night with an offer for Tinder members themed, “Looking for a Boo?” Match Group and Peacock are currently exploring opportunities to partner around tentpole events like the Big 10 football season and Halloween once again.
To promote the premiere of Love Island USA season five, which is set in Fiji, Peacock also hosted an influencer trip to the South Pacific, as a way to drive awareness and social conversation. The show’s fans are highly active on social media, so the streaming platform decided to recruit a group of content creators to experience the Love Island USA villa in advance of the premiere as part of its marketing efforts.
Keep scrolling to see more from the Love Island USA Villa Pop-Up...
