With some co-branded experiences in the USA, agencies have free reign to incorporate characters, plotlines, and terminology associated with the partner brand. In our case of The Walking Dead Chop Shop, we were restricted to the name of the franchise only. Mentions of “The Walking Dead” were acceptable—however, we were not permitted to integrate specific characters from the AMC television show or the graphic novels. Leveraging actors associated with the show was also off limits. So we had to create a story-rich experience that both appealed to zombie fans and felt authentic to the Walking Dead universe without relying solely on established narratives.

In order to establish credibility with our die-hard target, we involved people that our audience admired. We collaborated with Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead comics and TV show, with one goal in mind: to bring the zombie survival app to life, for real-life fans, in real-life places.

We brought The Walking Dead Chop Shop app to the epicenter of zombie fandom: San Diego Comic-Con. A full scale Hyundai Zombie Survival Machine was created to engage fans. Visitors were alerted to the upcoming apocalypse with posters and trolley wraps that urged them to create their own car with tablets at the convention. We also recruited actors/”survivors” to roam the streets of San Diego handing out Hyundai survival materials. Finally, we built a contextual 30-second TV spot that aired in the Season 4 Premiere of The Walking Dead that persuaded 16 million viewers to download the app to survive.

The app has been downloaded 464,805 times to date, with users spending an average of 5 minutes in their first visit (compared to the industry average of 71 seconds). Additionally, 60% return to build a second vehicle.

As a result of the Chop Shop, traffic to Hyundai.com increased by 150% in 3 months. Hyundai saw an 8.3% increase in Brand Favorability and an 11.9% increase in purchase consideration. Elantra (12.6%), Santa Fe (12.1%), and Veloster (14.8%), the 3 models featured in the Chop Shop, also saw increases in purchase consideration.