Stopping passers-by in their tracks, the unnerving stunt even made its way onto popular breakfast show Sunrise.
Paramount Pictures and Hello Social teamed up to bring the new movie SMILE to the streets of Sydney in an experiential marketing stunt.
Ahead of the film’s theatrical release, Sydney played host to mobs of ominous individuals frozen in place and smiling eerily on the train, at the park, inside office buildings and in front of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Groups of more than 20 at-a-time were spotted in key locations such as Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, Pitt Street Mall, Central Station, Surry Hills, Hyde Park and Martin Place.
Stopping passers-by in their tracks, the unnerving stunt even made its way onto breakfast show Sunrise, as the mysterious group peered eerily into the programme’s glass studio while live on-air.
The smilers also made an appearance online through custom social content posted by TikTok creators Caleb Finn and Emma Horn, providing a further glimpse into the creepy smilers as they descended on the streets of Sydney.
Sam Kelly, partner and managing director of Hello Social, said: “Our strategy was to drive beyond pure key art and trailer promotion. The multi-pronged activation provided us with a disruptive real-life moment, an earned PR opportunity and made for epic social content that localised the films narrative and could be served digitally to the masses.”
Credits:
CLIENT: PARAMOUNT PICTURES AUSTRALIA
SENIOR MEDIA & DIGITAL MANAGER: Alice Tran
SENIOR NATIONAL PUBLICITY MANAGER: Hannah Brown
NATIONAL PUBLICITY MANAGER: Madeline Georgiadis
DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE: Terryn Wood
MEDIA MANAGER: John Macmahon
CREATIVE & MEDIA AGENCY: HELLO SOCIAL
PARTNER & MANAGING DIRECTOR: Sam Kelly
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT: Ben Stavert
HEAD OF TALENT AND PR: Melissa Leverett
STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Matt Pearce
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Jo Allen
SENIOR PERFORMANCE MANAGER: Hannah Steele
