The Last Of Us

The ask:
HBO Asia wanted to create hype for The Last Of Us - its new series based on the award-winning game franchise. The series stars Game Of Thrones actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The campaign will have to carry the Global campaign messaging: ‘when you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light’, which references the tagline of the Fireflies.

The solution:
To create hype for the show in Southeast Asia, we created content that not only targeted loyal fans of the game, but also Game Of Thrones fans. The content was also given a relatable twist to help drive the Global campaign messaging in an interesting way for new audiences looking for a new series to watch. To differentiate the series from others like it, the content also focused on key themes of hope, light, humanity, and ones relationships with fellow survivors.

CREATORS OF THE POST-APOCALYPSE

Since most game-to-series adaptations get a bad rep for not being true to the game, we created hype around the show by shouting out that the original game creator as well as the award-winning director of Chernobyl will be at the helm.

POST-APOCALYPSE ALERT

To immerse our audience in the post-apocalyptic world of The Last Of Us, we took over the HBO feed with emergency alerts, giving new audiences a little bit of information about the series, while exciting the game’s fans with Easter eggs.

TRUST OR PASS SERIES

In a post-apocalyptic world, ‘finding light’ also means finding hope and retaining your humanity. To bring out these strong themes, we created a series using scenes from the show, polling our audience if they would ‘trust or pass’ in these grey area situations.

THE LAST OF US SURVIVAL GUIDE SERIES

When every corner could be hiding an infected, a crazed troupe of cannibals, or other smugglers, survival becomes your top priority. To immerse the audience further into the world of the show, we created timely survival guides based on key plot points in each episode.

They can be practical and intense…

…Or a little more human with a dash of humour.

ZOMBIE SURVIVAL WORKOUT SERIES

Surviving a post-apocalyptic world is tough work. To help our audience get ready, we created a series of workout plans inspired by scenarios one might face in the world of The Last Of Us.

PRESS TO REACT SERIES

Since The Last Of Us series is very much inspired by the storyline of the game franchise, we created an opportunity for audience on social to interact with the scenes on the show as if they were playing the game. This taps into the nostalgia of loyal fans of the game, while allowing new audiences interact in a fun and easy way.

BUILD A HIDEOUT

In the game, and the show, survivors have formed hideouts to seek refuge from the infected and other dangers around them. To bring people into this post-apocalyptic world in a relatable, Asian way, we launch polls to get them to build their ideal hideout with us.

We then gather the data, and bring their hideout to life on social.

JOEL THE ASIAN DAD SERIES

Joel is like Ellie’s father figure in this broken, post-apocalyptic world. But… what if he was an Asian father? To breathe new life to Joel’s #daddy moments in a relatable way, we created “Asian Dad subtitles” for specific key scenes.

CREDITS

Creative Group Head (Copy): Nisha Sarfuddin
Senior Art Director: Woon C.
Art Director: Wai Yi Lau
Copywriter: Hazwan Norly, Geraldine Ho