Ahead of the debut of The Nun II – in which it pulled in $32.6 million, enough for it to top the box office – Warner Bros. launched viral marketing that will put nuns (like, the bad kind) in just about any location imaginable with the goal of scaring people minding their own business. Now at what point is a nun going to get shot by somebody unpacking their groceries?
As per Warner Bros., who has teamed with Triple Play for this promotional tactic for The Nun II, “Through social platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and Facebook, we’re taking our audience on an unforgettable journey as we unveil these chilling videos. It’s all about showcasing nuns mysteriously appearing in the most unexpected places.” As for why they have taken this approach, they continued, “Our aim is to offer a taste of the unexplained, the supernatural, and the downright creepy. The goal of this is to invite our audiences into the world of Valak and get a feel for the scare that’s in store for them when they watch this film.”
This campaign for The Nun II can’t help but conjure up the creepy clown sightings of 2016, which New Claim claimed were not part of viral marketing for IT, although many still believe it was and it just got out of hand fast. Really, though, some of the videos that have emerged showing the effectiveness of the campaign do fit with the current internet trend of scare-pranks, so it’s quite a good way to get people hyped for the movie. Such an approach also seems common for The Nun movies, as the first entry even got in some trouble with YouTube, who pulled one ad because it “[violated] our shocking content policy.”
The Nun II is the ninth movie in The Conjuring Universe, which began a decade ago with its namesake entry before also introducing direct sequels to that movie and a sub-series in Annabelle.
What do you think about viral marketing campaigns such as the one for The Nun? Is this sort of tactic necessary or is it just a fun way to drum up some publicity? Give us your take in the comments section below.
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