Contact: Straphangers Enter the Wild West
Taking a detour to work one morning, I boarded a subway car made to look like an 1870s Western-style saloon, although no alcohol was served and I was crammed inside the car like a sardine. I rode on one of three shuttle trains that ferry commuters and tourists alike between Grand Central Terminal and Times Square.
To promote the second season of hbo's "Deadwood," the interior of one shuttle train was designed to resemble the show's Gem saloon. The seats resembled old leather seats; the ceiling featured a chandelier wrap; the sides of the train looked like plank wood paneling; and the places where advertising usually runs featured promotions with "Deadwood's" airdate and time. Eerily life-like, Al Swearengen, the saloon manager in the series, appeared on each door connecting the three-car train.
The campaign sprung from a modest idea, according to David DeSocio, u.s. director of strategic marketing at omd and the agency's Ignition unit. "In a brainstorm session one of the members of the omd strategy group had the idea of making the interior of the subway doors look like a saloon door, which spurred the larger idea of wrapping the entire interior of the car."
Having the idea was one thing, getting it off the ground became another. The "Deadwood" campaign marked the first time that the interior of a subway car was wrapped. Extensive approvals were needed to bring the effort to life.
DeSocio says that once the idea evolved, it went to Viacom, which worked on getting approval from the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (mta). It took four months for the approval process, but eventually the campaign was green-lighted. "The idea was that if the audience was connected to the different elements that make up the show, they would find a connection with the show in general and tune-in," says DeSocio.
In addition to the subway campaign, three cities were treated to a modern-day gold rush. Gold nuggets engraved with the "Deadwood" logo and a number were scattered throughout Philadelphia, New York City, and San Francisco. Lucky scavengers could go online, enter their number, and see if they won "Deadwood: The Complete First Season" dvd box sets or $450 cash, the value of the nugget's weight in gold. M AC
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