• by Larissa Faw , June 17, 2014

TNT and creative agency Mono have taken over Grand Central Terminal in New York City to promote the new drama series "The Last Ship." 

The series - premiering Sunday, June 22 at 9 p.m.- takes viewers into a future world where a global pandemic has wiped out 80% of the population.  In the campaign to promote the series TNT and Mono have created a visually arresting experience that uses bold, gritty imagery of gas masks; the stark colors of red and black; and messaging like “Find the cure, rule the world” and “The virus isn’t the only enemy.” 

In total, over 130 tactically positioned posters, banners and other installations are displayed throughout the terminal. And the stairs are painted 20% black and 80% red to illustrate the 20% survival rate depicted in The Last Ship.

"Providing commuters in NYC with an easy option to sanitize as they come through Grand Central seemed like a natural fit," says Joe King, Group Account Director, Mono. "It’s a busy, bustling environment and we are giving people a “sanitize and survive” moment in their day. This promotion amplifies one of the key drivers in our show—the virus."

"The Last Ship" experience also incorporates a brand partnership with Purell that features strategically placed Purell dispensers throughout Grand Central. The dispensers are meant to encourage commuters to interact with the display while they disinfect.

"From the beginning we wanted to make the show feel as real as possible. We explored a variety of elaborate solutions, but ultimately landed on something very simple: a co-branded sanitation station," says King. "It's an opportunity for a new survivalist drama to have some real-world value." 

Indeed, this exhibit is designed to be hard for the 750,000 daily visitors to ignore. "The landscape to launch shows is highly competitive," says King. "This audience is constantly looking for the latest big show. We needed to do something different to make The Last Ship stand out."

This is a new relationship for mono and TNT. The agency previously worked with AMC to launch Breaking Bad in 2008. "Even though that work was primarily online," says King. "This launch is similar in that we wanted to tap into the intense drama and emotions of the show to evoke a visceral reaction and drive anticipation to tune-in."