The show takes place in a world where a sentient AI named Mrs. Davis has taken over society. Simone, the main character, is a nun who has made it her mission to destroy the AI.

Given the show’s unique premise, the creative strategy for the series was to evoke one simple response from potential viewers: “What the f%$# is Mrs Davis?”.

So to build hype for Simone’s mission and capitalize on timely AI buzz, the insight was to supplement more traditional campaign elements (e.g. key art and a trailer) with more disruptive ways for people to experience for themselves the world of the show.

This insight, along with the show’s premiere date (4/20) and themes that sit at the intersection between technology and entertainment, led to the development a 4-day activation that brought the show to life at Austin’s SXSW festival.

Paid media was centered around disruptive tech-related activations to increase intrigue and word-of-mouth. Audiences outside of SXSW (aligned with the marketing cohorts that had been previously identified) were targeted via paid social, CTV/device, cinema, programmatic, and out-of-home. Those efforts were intended to amplify the on-the-ground stunt, capitalize on momentum, and increase conversation (all in advance of a launch campaign utilizing video, audio, site direct, high-impact outdoor, digital takeovers, and more). There were also specific tactics by partner that aligned with the intrigue/disruption approach of broader media, e.g. custom rideshare partnerships, trailer breakdowns on video platforms like Twitch, and branded experiences on Alexa.

An AV teaser introduced viewers to the way the AI speaks to its adherents – in-ear headsets.

A series of custom liners on TikTok pointed to the release of the teaser.

A custom interactive landing page with chat functionality gave a window into the AI’s personality and tone.

At SXSW, 20 nuns appeared that attendees could talk to, getting their take on Mrs. Davis. The nuns were all over Austin, from singing at a piano bar to riding a mechanical bull.

People were encouraged to snap photos, post on social, and tag @Peacock for a chance to win in-ear headsets.

The quest officially ended with the world premiere of “Mrs. Davis” at an Austin theater. The official trailer and key art release were then timed to the screening.

On Peacock, the Mrs Davis teaser reached 10x as many accounts in its first month as the next closest show tease. There were over a million views of the trailer right after its release, and press buzz included headlines like: “Both the show and these stunts encapsulated what truly felt like the spirit of this year’s SXSW.” (The Daily Beast) and ‘Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez’s Nun Sci-Fi Drama Gets the Weirdest Trailer of the Year’ (IndieWire).

The trailer drove more than 30M views across social platforms.

Attribution to Peacock post-SXSW rose to a level well above Peacock’s S1 Original Series average.

Intent to watch among targeted cohorts all showed significant week-over-week growth.