What it had to solve
Instead of a traditional PR package, BLACKLIST needed a buzzworthy seeding activation that captured the gritty energy of the crime series, cut through digital noise, and maximised user-generated content ahead of the premiere.
The idea
A gamified seeding box: creators had to scan a QR code, decode a hidden clue inside a lead actor's audio message, and crack a combination lock to earn the binge kit.
How it works
Creators received a heavy-duty industrial document box, combination-locked and branded with the Rippers logo. Scanning the QR code triggered an exclusive audio message recorded by one of the lead actors, with a hidden clue buried inside; cracking the clue yielded the code. Lifestyle influencers with genuine ties to the show's world, including creators close to the main cast, filmed themselves working through the puzzle live. Inside: the show's iconic balaclava, a custom Tony's Chocolonely bar wrapped in official key art, snacks, and a 3-month Videoland subscription.
What it did
Agency-reported: 745,000+ impressions, a 40% share rate and 69 creators reached, with followers following entire multi-story puzzle sequences — the show launched with traction in its target community.
Background
To launch Rippers, an original crime series, agency BLACKLIST turned the standard media drop into a high-stakes interactive mission for a select group of creators. The goals were explicit: turn the show's tense crime narrative into a playable, shareable experience, drive massive organic buzz among urban men aged 18–34, and maximise user-generated content before the premiere.
The mechanics mirrored the genre. A heavy-duty industrial document box, combination-locked and branded with the Rippers logo, arrived at creators' doors. Scanning the QR code played an exclusive audio message recorded by one of the show's lead actors, with a hidden clue buried inside it — crack the clue, get the code, open the box. BLACKLIST targeted lifestyle influencers with genuine ties to the show's world, including creators close to the main cast, who filmed themselves working through the puzzle live for their followers.
Once cracked, the box rewarded them with the ultimate Rippers binge-watching kit: the balaclava worn in the show, a custom Tony's Chocolonely bar wrapped in official key art, snacks, and a three-month Videoland subscription. By the premiere, the agency reported 745,000+ impressions, a 40% share rate and 69 creators reached, with the will-they-crack-it suspense keeping followers through entire multi-story sequences.
Why it lands
The drop's difficulty is the content: a locked case and a buried clue generate suspense natively, without a script.
Casting influencers already close to the cast blurred the line between series and reality, making the seeding feel like part of the show's world.
The share rate — 40% of impressions shared, per the agency — suggests the audience value lay in watching the process, not just the prize.
What you can take
Make the press drop the plot: when creators must earn the content, the unboxing becomes a suspense story their followers finish watching.
Since then
The source records the launch activation and its agency-reported metrics; no longer-term results are mentioned.
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