Fear Floats: HBO’s Global IT Campaign Goes Viral Across Asia
HBO Max flooded Asia with red balloons, turning landmarks from Singapore to Bangkok into eerie horror scenes.
HBO Max executed a red-balloon takeover across Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong ahead of the October 27 premiere of IT: Welcome to Derry.
The Asia effort, part of a global push that included New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, and Cappadocia, combined social media teasers and physical installations to promote the series. The series title is linked to the official trailer on YouTube.
Asia rollouts link social seeding with on‑street scares
Starting October 21, red balloons tied to the IT franchise appeared on social media and at city landmarks. The placements turned urban spaces into extensions of the series narrative. In Asia, efforts mirrored Western markets in timing and execution.
In Singapore, balloons were placed at sites known for hauntings, including the old Changi Hospital and the Yellow Tower at East Coast Park, alongside everyday locations. Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong saw local adaptations, such as abandoned cinemas and historic venues, to fit city context. In the Philippines, a live scare featured Pennywise on a building rooftop with balloons, supported by special effects.
Warner Bros. Discovery also transformed Singapore’s Orchard Road with digital bus shelter ads and night projections to simulate Derry, Maine, the series setting. On October 23, actors dressed as 1960s Derry residents roamed Orchard Road with red balloons.
“Given the iconic nature of the IT series, we understood the need for a high-impact activation in one of Singapore's most prominent locations, transforming an on-screen story into a physical experience that captivates and draws people into the narrative,” said Rochelle Chhaya, CEO of Hearts & Science Asia Pacific, which supported the activation on Orchard Road.
Streaming and advertising backdrop for 2025 budgets
The Asia-Pacific video streaming market is valued at US$33.32 billion in 2024, and is projected to grow at 22.6% annually through 2030. China holds 27% of the regional market share, according to the Asia-Pacific video streaming market analysis.
Singapore’s out‑of‑home (OOH) advertising market is valued at US$194.4 million in 2025, and is projected to reach US$262.7 million by 2030. Digital OOH represents 39% of 2024 revenue and is growing at 8.9% annually. The mix of digital screens and experiential placements along Orchard Road aligns with these spending patterns.
HBO Max parent company Warner Bros. Discovery ended the recent fiscal period with 125.5 million subscribers globally and targets 150 million by 2026.
Leighton Cosseboom
Background on HBO Max’s regional footprint
Earlier phases of HBO Max’s expansion included plans to go live in 14 Asia-Pacific territories as part of a broader international rollout toward about 100 markets. That phase was reported during its international expansion program in October.
The IT: Welcome to Derry stunt marks a coordinated content-led push to support brand presence across multiple Asian capitals.
Seven cross‑border planning takeaways for CMOs
- Timing as a narrative arc: Start seeding social content 5–7 days before your main event to build curiosity, then align your physical activations with the premiere or launch moment for maximum convergence.
- Regional synchronization for scale: Mirror campaigns across priority Asian markets while maintaining alignment with global rollout windows—simultaneity signals brand confidence and drives cross-market buzz.
- Localization with cultural precision: Anchor each activation in local lore or urban myths (like Singapore’s old Changi Hospital) to create resonance that goes beyond surface-level placement.
- OOH meets experiential: Combine digital OOH dominance (e.g., Orchard Road takeovers) with live street-level interactions to translate online awareness into physical immersion.
- Engineer shareable moments: Design at least one activation specifically for viral circulation; a rooftop stunt or live scare that becomes the visual shorthand of the campaign.
- Tie creative to market momentum: Frame campaigns as local expressions of global entertainment expansion.
- Ladder up to corporate growth goals: Integrate regional creative plans with enterprise objectives. Warner Bros. Discovery’s subscriber target shows how localized storytelling plays into global metrics.
Leighton Cosseboom
As the series premiered on October 27, additional regional marketing assets tied to the campaign continue to focus on city landmarks and high-traffic commuter zones.
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