HOW WE HELPED GHOSFACE MAKE A STABBING AT THE BOX OFFICE
Marketing Campaign
A KILLER RETURN TO META HORROR
Considering what usually happens when the phone rings in this franchise, we had to take a second before picking up the call...
And after a frighteningly fun campaign, we're glad we did. Here's how we took a stab at the long-anticipated return of Ghostface to the big screen.
To do this legendary slasher justice, our campaign had to take Ghosftace to new interactive heights, delivering a campaign that honored the meta, self-aware film that awaited fans. With no shortage of legacy moments and characters to work with, Ghostface’s hit-list began to come together:
- 1) Embrace Ghostface’s anonymity—online, he can be anywhere, and anyone
- 2) Deliver a modern “jumpscare” digital campaign by hiding in unexpected places
- 3) Activate core fans with lore-driven content that honors franchise history
- 4) Integrate what makes Scream a signature horror IP into a signature campaign
So, how could Ghostface make another killing with fans? Simple: by embracing what the masked slasher does best.
Together with our partners at Paramount, we made a plan, laid in wait, and hatched an onslaught of interactive and digital content stunts, helping the Scream franchise relaunch as only Ghostface would: by making the film infamous.
Client Paramount
Project Scream (2022)
What We Did
- Social Strategy + Ideation
- Social Campaign + Engagement
- Digital Content + Collabs
- Graphic Content
- Video Content
- Copywriting
- Influencer Partnerships
GHOSTFACE HAUNTS HIS HONEST TRAILER
How do you take a franchise that's known for being meta and push it to the next level? By inviting Ghostface himself to drop in and haunt his very own Honest Trailers review of the film. Working with Roger Jackson, the legendary voice actor of Ghostface, and partnering directly with the Honest Trailers editorial team, we crafted next-level meta-review — and fans loved it!
GHOSTFACE LEFT YOU A VOICEMAIL
Ghosface wasn't about to let his comeback go unnoticed by his contemporaries. Helping catalyze the campaign across Paramount's ecosystem of properties, we scripted authentic voicemail messages for Roger Jackson, Ghostface's voice actor, to record. We then "left" these voicemails for other Paramount horror IP villains via their films' social handles, inviting some back-and-forth chatter between the iconic villains — and their fanbases.
THE SOUNDS OF A KILLER
One of Ghostface's biggest strengths is that anyone can be behind the mask — anyone. And while that usually ends up meaning a long-lost relative or your closest friend is secretly Ghostface, it can also mean your favorite ASMRtist has taken up the murderous mantle. We partnered with popular content creator ASMR Surge to take immerse fans into sonic world of Ghostface as he sharpens and tests his signature weapon of choice.
THE ULTIMATE SCREAM
Just how many screams are in a series called "Scream"? Turns out... a lot. We audited the entire franchise for its most memorable screams and put the most epic ones head-to-head in a March Madness-inspired Ultimate Scream Bracket. The resulting content campaign allowed fans to vote and debate on the most iconic moments in the franchise, helping activate interest in the new film, and the characters who were coming back into the fold.
"WOULD YOU SURVIVE?" AR LENS
Nothing says Scream like Ghostface lurking just behind you... Teaming up with the masked killer, we brought this concept to interactive life by way of an AR Lens in which fans scanned their faces to learn the likelihood of whether or not they could survive a Scream film. After scanning fans' faces, a variety of responses awaited— and in some cases, a jumpscare!
RECOUNTING THE KILLS
To pay homage to the franchise's legacy, and also to help new fans get caught up on the complex lore of the films, we put together a character "family tree" across all of the Scream films, showing how each character is related to each other, who died and who lived, and who previously wore the iconic mask. Not only did this help reactivate core fans, it got casual audiences primed for the new film's latest chapter — and its newest Ghostface.
THE BODYCOUNT:
Ghostface likes an audience, and he got one. Scream fans new and old helped make the film a breakout hit:
- 1.9 MILLION VIEWS OF THE ULTIMATE SCREAM BRACKET
- 850 THOUSAND VOTES IN THE ULTIMATE SCREAM BRACKET
- 630 THOUSAND VIEWS OF THE SCREAM HONEST TRAILER
- 100 THOUSAND VIEWS OF THE GHOSTFACE ASMR VIDEO
- #1 AT HOME ACROSS DIGITAL SALES AND RENTALS AT LAUNCH
- #1 ON BLU-RAY DOMESTICALLY AT LAUNCH
- TOP 20 TITLE FOR 8 WEEKS POST-RELEASE
