Scream TV

There is no substitute for experience, particularly in the world of thrills. Telling people about the hit U.S. show Supernatural, new to Scream TV, wasn’t enough. To truly understand how thrilling it was, people needed to feel it, to experience the suspenseful and shocking content. In short: do something, not say something.

Toronto-based Corus Entertainment picked up the new show as part of its strategy to reach a goal of increasing Scream TV (now renamed Dusk) subscriptions by 45%. But the network had a shoestring marketing budget. To create the experience of Supernatural, Zig had to unleash something that would gain momentum without the benefit of a lot of paid media behind it.

This meant a completely new communication medium: the inside of people’s heads. In an advertising first, Zig employed an “ultrasonic sound cannon” that uses special frequencies to directly target someone in a crowd so only that person can hear it. Unsuspecting people walking through the sound beam heard spooky growls, whispers and laughter, scaring them out of their wits – until the ruse was exposed. The fright was backed up with guerrilla signage and an accompanying street team, who congratulated the victims on their first supernatural experience.

Buzz spread across video sharing sites, blogs, and fan sites. Immediately following the stunt, there was a 30% subscription increase. And thousands of people across Toronto got to directly experience a Supernatural thrill before they even tuned into the show.