Global Television is taking shoppers at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre back in time in an explosive experiential marketing execution promoting the Oct. 3 premiere of its science-fiction drama Timeless.
The Corus Entertainment network has partnered with the Toronto technology company MetaVRse to create a 15-foot wide by 17-foot high replica of the show’s time machine at the Toronto mall.
When shoppers enter the “360 photo time machine,” they gather around a 360-degree camera that uses multiple lenses to capture a single spherical image of the group. The execution then uses green-screen editing techniques to place the group in Lakehurst, NJ on May 6, 1937 – the day of the infamous Hindenburg disaster, which is a key part of the series’ first episode. The resulting image can then be shared as a 360-degree image across desktop, mobile and virtual reality viewers.
Jim Johnson, vice-president of marketing for Corus Entertainment, said that the program is intended to appeal reach viewers beyond the sci-fi fantasy fans who are expected to comprise the core audience for Timeless.
“Since time travel is a key component of the show, we wanted to give it its own character in our marketing tactics in order to reach new and existing Global viewers in an innovative way,” said Johnson.
He said that the campaign’s goal is to position Timeless as a “must-see” series in Global’s new fall schedule. “To do that, we wanted the activation to reach new audiences in a unique, innovative and authentic way – an outside-of-the-box idea that’s never been done before to complement our traditional marketing strategies for the series.”
Timeless follows an unlikely team travelling through time in pursuit of a criminal (ER’s Goran Visnjic) who has stolen a time machine with the intention of altering the past. It debuts at 10 p.m. on Monday.
While Johnson expects the show’s historical nature to appeal to Global’s core audience of adults 25-54, he said that the modern storytelling and a young and recognizable cast that includes Abigail Spencer (Suits, Rectify) and Matt Lanter (90201) provides an opportunity to attract a younger 18-34 audience.
The execution is being complemented by what Johnson called a “robust” marketing plan that includes out-of-home (bus king board, transit shelters and digital boards), radio, and Corus Entertainment assets.
