San Diego-based experiential marketing firm GDX Studios reports it assisted Syfy and USA Network, two cable television channels owned by NBCUniversal Media, with a street team at the recent New York Comic-Con to promote “Chucky,” a horror-and-comedy TV show about a toy doll with a wild past and evil side.
A GDX spokesperson told Times of San Diego the street team wore Chucky-inspired outfits and held “Watch Chucky” signs as they recruited new fans with eerie chants and premiums at the Comic-Con event held Oct. 12-15 at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
“At GDX Studios, we don’t just handle the pop culture phenomenon that is San Diego Comic-Con, we also are asked to help clients connect with fans at each year’s New York Comic-Con” said Cathy Garcia, director of client services. “We had an overwhelming response to our ‘Chucky Army’ with many Chucky cosplayers participating in our parades and chants. Fans from 5 to 55 proudly expressed their love for the Chucky, their friend to the end.”
“Chucky” is based on the “Child’s Play” movie franchise created in 1988 by Don Mancini. The TV show debuted Oct. 12, 2021, followed by season No. 2 that began airing Oct. 5, 2022, and season No. 3 that premiered Oct. 4 of this year. The cult-favorite show airs on Wednesday nights. Episodes are available the next day streaming on Peacock.
Jack in the Box Adds Horror Short to Halloween Advertising
San Diego-based fast-food hamburger chain Jack in the Box has added an eight-minute horror short to its Halloween-related digital advertising.
Titled “Feeding Time,” the Halloween thriller was created by Hollywood writers and promotes the return of the brand’s Monster Tacos.
The script begins with two young trick-or-treaters on Halloween night before pivoting to three spooky-masked teens who steal their candy. The teens are then pursued through foggy streets and a graveyard by a Free Angry Monster Tacos truck that plays a warped version of familiar jack-in-the-box music and hides monstrous tentacles.
The movie includes a cameo from Jack, the chain’s mascot, who sings “Steal My Sunshine” before driving away from the scary truck. Eventually, the truck catches the teens and provides the kids with free tacos and their stolen candy.
The short was written by Marcus Dunstan, Asha Michelle Wilson, Patrick Melton and Kara Lee Corthron. The four have previously worked on several films, including “American Horror Story: 1984,” “Servant,” “You” and “Saw.” Dunstan directed “Feeding Time.” The concept came from Small Girls PR with execution handled by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA.
“Jack in the Box has resisted the much more common route of leveraging Halloween for a few simple visual cues and gags in order to seem timely,” Jeff O’Keefe, creative director at agency partner TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, said in a statement. “Instead, we’ve taken inspiration from culture, and sought to offer up an authentic piece of culture ourselves, respecting fans’ intelligence and catering to their desires while also seamlessly including our product.”
A Jack in the Box spokesperson told Times of San Diego that “Feeding Time” has attracted nearly 100,000 views on YouTube, Tik Tok and other owned social media channels. The short also was shown this past weekend in movie theaters prior to trailers and feature films, the spokesperson said.
PRSA Honors Public Relations Professionals at Bernays Awards
The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego was named PR Team of the Year at the 2023 Edward L. Bernays Mark of Excellence Awards presented by the Public Relations Society of America San Diego-Imperial Counties Chapter.
More than 70 awards were presented at the awards event held Oct. 26 at the San Diego State University Alumni Center. A complete list of winners is available at prsadic.org.
Additional special award winners included: Sandy Young, J. Walcher Communications, PR Professional of the Year; Karlene Sanchez, Katz & Associates, New Professional of the Year; William Lopez, Alternative Strategies, Eva Irving Community Service Award; Christynne Lili Wrene Wood, Diogenes Award for candor when dealing with the news media. Wood, a transgender woman, was targeted by Santee YMCA members for taking a shower in the women’s locker room.
The awards are named after Edward L. Bernays, who launched the field of public relations in the 1920s. Often called the “father of public relations,” Bernays’ history-making campaigns explain why people eat bacon with eggs, women smoke cigarettes and bank managers join civic groups. He is regarded as one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. Bernays died in 1995 at age 103.
SDSU’s Journalism and Media Studies To Discuss AI
San Diego State University’s School of Journalism & Media Studies Department will host a free presentation on the transformational impact of Artificial Intelligence from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, at the KPBS studios on the San Diego State University campus, 5200 Campanile Drive.
Speakers will include Kevin Jorgensen, senior training and development specialist, General Dynamics NASSCO; Steve Breen, nationally syndicated and Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist formerly with The San Diego Union-Tribune; Noah Arceneaux, professor, School of Journalism & Media Studies; and Tom Fudge, science and technology reporter, KPBS.
Topics will include AI’s impact on media industries, including AI and misinformation, the latest AI tools and how AI’s automated writing capabilities pose a threat to journalists.
The public is invited to attend. Registration is requested. Complimentary parking instructions will be emailed to registered participants. For information, contact the JMS office at 619-594-5450 or send an email to Temple Northup, JMS professor and director, at tnorthup@sdsu.edu.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
