THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Special Project

Special Project
From the 16th Annual Shorty Awards

Scream VI - Ghostface Kills TikTok

Winner in TikTok

Objectives

In Scream VI, Ghostface arrives in NYC for the first time in franchise history.

But to make franchise history of our own, we knew a killer entrance wouldn't be enough. How could we create a campaign of jumpscares, when everyone knew we were coming?

The answer: do what Ghostface does best, hiding him right behind fans on TikTok through authentic, subversive content and unmissable activations and engagements.

For Ghostface to infiltrate the platform, we needed to develop *ahem* executions that would hijack the app with self-aware, boundary-pushing content.

A few key strategies helped us ensure Ghostface killed his campaign:

  1. Embrace Ghostface’s trademark wit without losing sight of the fact that he is the last person you want to meet in a dark alley
  2. Embrace the idea that Ghostface can find you on every platform, in every content format — he’s wherever you are
  3. Leverage the full scope of Scream VI — its big city setting meant even bigger stakes, and an even bigger stage

Strategy and Execution

Our TikTok strategy? To slice through the noise and hook younger audiences with a deadly blend of authenticity, relevance and creativity. Through innovative partnerships, influencer collaborations, exclusive content and a viral Met Gala stunt, our TikTok campaign went on to slay all expectations.

MET GALA VIRAL STUNT

To prove fashion kills, Ghostface stalked Jenna Ortega with a fake appearance at the red carpet of the Met Gala. The video went viral on TikTok with over 10MM views in the first 24 hours and humorously hijacked the fashion-first event.

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

Inviting fans behind the blood-soaked curtain with exclusive content was crucial in stirring up excitement and keeping the terror alive throughout the campaign. From exclusive interviews with the cast to posting hilarious BTS snippets leveraging popular social holidays, we provided fans with an intimate glimpse into their favorite characters and the making of Scream VI.

TIKTOK ASMR LIVE

Scream films may be soaked in blood — but also meta-commentary. With this in mind, it was only fitting for Ghostface to break the fourth wall and take over the brand's TikTok for a one-of-a-kind livestream: a spine-chilling ASMR tour through the franchise’s most iconic moments, one relic at a time. Our broadcast wasn’t just full of easter eggs (yes, we even “gutted” a fish), but surprises, with authentic objects plucked from franchise history and even the current film's stars unexpectedly dueting in.

GHOSTFACE CALLS PARAMOUNT

Leveraging an original script and short clips from iconic Paramount films, we kicked off Paramount's Halloween campaign by slicing together a cross-IP "phone call" that allowed the smack-talking murderer to threaten the entire Paramount library. The spot did what the Scream films do best, stabbing right through the fourth wall, and earning recognition from TikTok in a "Publisher Success Spotlight."

INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

RING

With Ghostface moving to the Big Apple for Scream VI, we partnered with Amazon Ring to bring things right to the murderer's front door - literally. In partnership with the Ring team, we produced a custom spot on TikTok that paid Ghostface's apartment a visit for a humorous glimpse through his doorbell cam.

CALM

Could Ghostface's voice be... soothing? We collaborated with Calm to deliver a terrifying, ASMR-inspired "sleep story" narrated by Ghostface himself. Our original script drew TikTok fans into the deranged (and hilarious) mind of Ghostface, and into the scariest slumber of their lives.

AMONG US

Nobody understands villains and games better than Among Us, who re-introduced the Ghostface character skin in-game, plus shared a custom TikTok announce asset on social starring Ghostface himself.

INFLUENCERS

We invited 20 TikTok influencers to participate in a watch party — for grown-ups. We collaborated with Espolon Tequila to provide a killer cocktail menu and accompanying drinking game inspired by the franchise, ultimately reaching 46MM fans across all our influencer participants on social.

CUSTOM VIDEOS

To activate the release of Scream VI at home, our TikTok strategy embraced VFX and green screen techniques to produce original and immersive social assets that transported fans back into the heart of the Scream universe.

Results

The Scream VI TikTok campaign slayed all expectations, setting new benchmarks in engagement and reach. Leveraging strategic planning, innovative partnerships, exclusive content and a viral Met Gala stunt, the campaign achieved critical success, garnering 58MM+ organic views on the Scream TikTok and 10MM+ engagements. The account grew 1MM+ new followers in three months and currently stands as the biggest movie account on TikTok.

MET GALA STUNT

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

TIKTOK ASMR LIVE 

GHOSTFACE CALLS PARAMOUNT 

INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

INFLUENCERS

CUSTOM VIDEOS

After amassing a franchise-best $100M at the box office, Ghostface doubled down on disc and digital, going on to become one of the top horror titles of the year across all channels.

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Armed Mind, Paramount Pictures

Links

Entry Credits