The Penguin marketing campaign sought to achieve two main objectives. Bring in the core audience, including theatrical viewers of the hit release of The Batman (2022), and also bring in new viewers, ultimately, to make The Penguin, Matt Reeve’s next chapter in The Batman saga, the show on everyone’s screens.
Our 360 creative strategy stemmed from our positioning, “The making of a kingpin Gotham didn’t see coming. Ultimately serving as our North Star for the campaign, The Penguin is a deep dive into the mind and backstory of one of the most iconic Batman villains, as we follow Colin Farrell’s transformation of unassuming crime boss Oz Cobb into villain Penguin. That creative strategy was the same lens in which we crafted our holistic, global promotions, activations and partnerships. All elements served the purpose of bringing fans into the world of Penguin’s Gotham, giving them immersive, engaging experiences to drive awareness and word of mouth around the show’s premiere. From our Iceberg Lounge activation at San Diego Comic-Con to turning NYC into Gotham on premiere week, our marketing efforts reached northwards of ~100M total social and press impressions between these big campaign moments, helping drive beyond projected viewership and growth.
Both a critical and commercial hit, the season ended on the highest of notes—with Episode 1 amassing 20M views and the final episode garnering 2.1M viewers. The series earned critical acclaim and exceptional ratings, with Colin Farrell winning his 4th Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Mini-Series, and a major winner at the 2025 Emmy Awards, securing nine total awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone) for Lead Actress in a Limited Series, and eight Creative Arts Emmys for its technical achievements in makeup, costumes, sound, and visual effects. Viewers were immersed into the story of Oz and the making of a monster, ultimately becoming evangelists of the brewing crime narrative throughout the entire season and eager to see what this leads to in the next chapter of Matt Reeves’ Batman saga. Globally, The Penguin remains the most-watched current HBO on Max debut season outside of House of The Dragon and The Last of Us. Like The Boss correctly predicted: they’re going to tell stories about him.
