Hulu came to us to help promote the third and final season of their inclusive and popular show Love, Victor. They challenged us to think outside the box on engagements that would show the LGBTQIA+ community how much their stories matter. We were tasked with giving the show the sendoff it deserved and making sure our idea brought the world of Love, Victor to the real communities and allies who were represented by its stories.
At the end of Love, Victor, the protagonist shares a kiss at the top of the Ferris Wheel, a direct homage to the series' IP material of Love, Simon, where the main character iconically comes out by waiting for his secret admirer to join him on the wheel.
This got us thinking how the Ferris wheel itself symbolizes the cycle of life. Going up, back down, and up again where the changes in height represent the changes in perspective about the world around us. The Ferris wheel inspires the idea that we should enjoy every moment of the journey and remember that no position is forever. When you're down, there's always a way back up.
That inspired us to literally bring the show's Ferris wheel to life during Pride month. We wanted to bring Love, Victor from coast to coast with a West and East coast Ferris wheel, and targeted high-traffic locations where we knew people would take photos or there was a historical significance to our selection. For example, our selection of the Capitol Wheel allowed those who rode it to overlook D.C., which has served as the location for landmark demonstrations around LGBT rights.
We were able to customize the Santa Monica Pier to have rainbow lights and even have LOVE VICTOR written out on the lights as they turned with the Ferris wheel. At the West Hollywood Pride festival, the Ferris wheel was also next to a locker wall where fans could write encouraging messages and pin them up.
We also brought the magic of the show to a place that is known for its magic: Disney. We worked with Disney to install a wrapped Ferris wheel pod at Disney Springs, where fans looked like they were sitting with characters Victor and Benji on the wheel.
In addition, we created mailers that were mini physical Ferris wheels. These came with Ferris wheel pods filled with snacks that nodded at everything from the background of the character's cultures to setpieces in the show, like the coffee shop where Victor and his crush, Benji, worked together. These were sent to members of the press and LGBTQIA+ influencers.
We skinned the iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris Wheel, had a Ferris Wheel at the inaugural West Hollywood Pride Festival, and skinned the Capitol Wheel in Maryland, which importantly has a view of D.C. Nearly 100,000 fans took a spin across three locations spanning each coast, and shared social content of themselves experiencing the activation.
In addition, Disney Springs installed a photo standee where attendees could "sit" next to Victor on a Ferris Wheel in Florida.
Our mailers went to 127 press members and influencers. Many of those posted their mini Ferris wheel to socials, which organically reached nearly 4.75 million combined followers of those who shared.
