Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment was looking for a unique way to take a traditional presence at San Diego Comic-Con and enhance it to generate buzz for its release of Deadpool 2. This would require a creative idea that would be disruptive, press-worthy, and drive social engagement while providing a physical space for retail transactions all within a 20’ x 20’ booth space on the show floor.

Press coverage, social media postings, impressions, and sales were all important objectives of the program. Above all else, it was crucial that the activation be authentic for fans and stayed true to Deadpool’s irreverent and humorous tone.

Inspired by the irreverent tone of the Deadpool franchise and sequel, we created an idea that brought nostalgia and humor to the convention floor. What better way to do this than by hiring the Showbiz Pizza band! Pulling the actual animatronics out of retirement, we added a custom Deadpool jamming to Dolly Parton’s “9 To 5,” which was featured in the movie, and dressed all other band members in Deadpool’s X-Force attire.

As an off-site extension, we conceived the Deadpool Dream Suite. Taking over The San Diego Hard Rock Hotel’s most luxurious room, the space was transformed into Blind Al’s trashy-chic apartment. Full of Deadpool Easter Eggs like a framed photo of Betty White and dangling plush Wolverine, one lucky Comic-Con winner got the chance to spend an evening in the suite and press were given an exclusive look inside.

To announce and kick-off the home entertainment campaign, we provided a tongue in cheek approach to activations. Recognizing the audience’s (especially its Gen Z element) affinity towards the ironic, we accentuated Deadpool’s playfully cynical, irreverent attitude on stage. We engaged broader pop culture audiences with knock-off posters mimicking recognizably famous art from David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust, Andy Warhol’s Velvet Underground & Nico, Nirvana’s Smiley Classic and The Beatles’ Yeah Yeah Yeah album cover - each receiving a Deadpool twist.

The makeup of SDCC consists of a wide variety of ages and genders, all of whom have one thing in common - their love of pop culture. Whilst driving digital and Blu-ray pre-sales and creating a disruptive brand moment on the show floor, we maintained authenticity by doing what Deadpool would do - shamelessly yet humorously creating buzz and awareness for the upcoming home entertainment release of Deadpool 2.

Over a two-month period leading up to SDCC, the team assembled a stage for the animatronic performance alongside a custom POS station and redesigned artwork inspired by the movie. For the animatronic performance, The Jim Henson Company created a custom Deadpool character, which was programmed to perform Dolly Parton’s famous “9 to 5” song alongside animatronic band members. This fueled the viral buzz and disruption that Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment sought.

Buzz and pre-sales were maximized through auxiliary activations including a Dream Suite - a Deadpool inspired environment connected to a sweepstakes, wherein the winner got to stay the night in the suite.

Deadpool 2 At San Diego Comic-Con garnered the following results directly related to our convention floor booth experience:

Throughput: 10,030 Attendees

Badge Scans: 8,580

85% Engagement of SDCC goers who visited our booth.

3-5 min Dwell Time at our booth

Additionally, our overall Deadpool 2 presence paved the way for extensive editorial/social media coverage & impressions, as highlighted in the following stats:

Editorial & Social Breaks: 180

Editorial & Social Impressions: 31,041,418

We built up consumer excitement and awareness on a massive level, paving the way for Deadpool 2's home entertainment release to be a success for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.