• by Danielle Oster , July 11, 2024

Actor Danny Trejo has a history of fighting zombies onscreen, having starred in “Zombie Hunter” and “Rise of the Zombies.” So he’s an obvious fit for a campaign centered around getting in shape to fend off the undead.

Immersive gaming platform Sandbox VR -- which currently operates in 49 locations globally, and claims to attract more than 100,000 players monthly for its location-based games --  tapped the actor for a campaign promoting Sandbox Content Studios’ zombie-killing games series: 2017 's Deadwood Mansion and its sequel, 2022 release Deadwood Valley.

In the video at the center of the campaign, Trejo, shown working out at home, calls on viewers to find a better reason to get into shape this summer than beach outings -- to get “Zombod” in preparation for the zombie apocalypse.

The challenge in question is a promotion from Sandbox VR offering bonuses to players of the games, including discounts on gameplay and free weapon upgrades -- which according to Sandbox come courtesy of Trejo himself.

Video content will run across social media channels, and the campaign will also include “Zombod Rules” challenges and promotional giveaways on Instagram, and a zombie beach workout. In-store activations include posers featuring Trejo Get your Zombod Ready” decals, videos, and promotions.

The timing of the campaign, which rolled out earlier this month and will run throughout the remainder of the summer, seems positioned to entice gamers to escape the heat with visits to cool Sandbox VR locations, and the ad starring Trejo notes the “balmy” apocalypse of “sunscreen zombies.”

“As the temperatures soar outside, customers are invited into our cooled locations to be challenged and thrilled together. Guests tell us working together to accomplish a goal while experiencing a new reality makes them feel more connected than when they entered,” Sandbox VR senior vice president, global marketing Nicole Dixon said in a statement. “And what else brings people together like saving humans from a man-eating menace?”