Prime Video’s campaign for The Boys breaks the fourth wall

AUCKLAND, Today: Prime Video’s irreverent superhero series The Boys has left its mark on the streets of Auckland with an “unmissable” out-of-home advertising execution promoting the launch of its third season.

IPG’s Rufus Australia and out-of-home specialist agency Billie have partnered with Phantom Billstickers to bring to life an activated billboard featuring Kiwi actor Karl Urban (who plays Billy Butcher in the hit show) shooting laser beams from his eyes and seemingly wrecking a car.

Phantom sales director Kirsten Lowry said: “This installation is a rare example of creative outdoor advertising breaking the fourth wall.

“Seeing it in person, it’s completely plausible that something superpowered has been unleashed on the streets of Auckland. 

“The billboard, large format street posters, LED lighting effects and a burnt-out car work simultaneously together to create a theatrical experience that explodes off the wall into reality.  

“Prime Video wanted a campaign to set the night alive. The ideation and production was devised by Phantom, Billie Media and Rufus.”

“Unsurprisingly, it’s proved a hit with passers-by, who have been stopping to snap photos and share to their social media followers.

“Prime Video wanted a campaign that set the night alive and the ideation and production was devised by Phantom, Billie Media led the overarching outdoor media execution with Rufus {Montreal & New York] being Prime Video’s lead agency globally.

“Phantom’s in-house creative capability provides ambitious advertisers with a platform to do something different from the usual mass-market launch.

“Prime Video, Billie Media and Rufus understood how to harness the scale & power of our network. They gave us the creative freedom to bring this to life and we are extremely proud of how it has turned out. The Boys fans across the country are fizzing about the activation,” says Lowry.

Billie Media co-founder Ben Poole said: “This purpose-built execution is a true showcase of the power of outdoor advertising.

“This purpose-built execution is a true showcase of the power of outdoor advertising.”

“It has been the centrepiece of The Boys outdoor campaign in Auckland and it’s grabbed the attention of commuters, generated a huge amount of buzz online and ultimately got people talking about the new season of the show.

“The Boys execution is a great example of the opportunity that exists within this real-world channel to stand-out while also creating a unique ability to live in the online world.

“Seeing the interest from the public as they pass the site, to the social sharing online, and passionate discussions within online communities has been amazing.”

The Boys is streaming on Prime Video with episodes debuting weekly through to the season finale on Friday 8 July.

In case you were wondering …
Wikipedia: “The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this wall, the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot.”

• 0800phantom.co.nz
• billiemedia.co.nz