HBO Max floats red balloons across Asia to promote IT: Welcome to Derry
HBO Max’s Asia stunt blends physical horror and digital buzz ahead of IT: Welcome to Derry premiere
Ahead of the October 27 release of IT: Welcome to Derry, HBO Max has taken horror marketing to eerie new heights. The platform has launched a global red balloon stunt to tease the return of Pennywise the Clown, blending digital mystery with real-world spectacle.
This article breaks down how HBO Max deployed the creepy campaign across Asia, what made it effective, and what marketers can learn from this immersive, multi-channel approach to franchise marketing.
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Here’s a table of contents for quick access:
- The campaign: red balloons with a minimalist message
- Asia gets the full Pennywise treatment
- What marketers should take away from HBO Max’s strategy
Patrecia Meliana
The campaign: red balloons with a minimalist message
The “Red Balloon Takeover” kicked off on October 21, when social media users began spotting single red balloons in haunting environments. These visuals appeared with no branding, no logos, and no text. The mystery drove speculation, shares, and fan theories almost instantly.
Within hours, the campaign left the digital realm and entered the real world. Red balloons began popping up in global cities including New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, and Paris. Each sighting was deliberate and cinematic, evoking the tension and nostalgia of the original IT films without overtly selling the series.
The simplicity of the balloon imagery made the campaign easy to replicate across markets, while its ambiguity encouraged user-generated content and social virality.
Asia gets the full Pennywise treatment
In Asia, HBO Max went all-in. The campaign spanned Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong, with each market receiving its own mix of virtual visuals and physical installations.
In Singapore, red balloons hovered over eerie landmarks like the abandoned Changi Hospital and the infamous Yellow Tower at East Coast Park. They also showed up in everyday locations—HDB blocks, bus stops, overhead bridges—creating a spooky contrast between the ordinary and the supernatural.
In Manila, the campaign escalated with a full-scale scare. Pennywise appeared atop a shopping mall building surrounded by fog and flickering lights, clutching a cluster of balloons. The moment was documented in an Instagram reel that quickly gained traction online.
Across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Thailand, HBO Max followed a similar blueprint. Balloons were staged in historically rich or emotionally resonant areas such as abandoned cinemas, forts, beaches, and malls. These culturally grounded touches helped the campaign resonate across borders while staying rooted in local context.
The week before the series launch, HBO Max also transformed Orchard Road in Singapore into a haunted version of Derry, Maine. The area featured digital projections, costumed actors dubbed “ITWTD wanderers,” and a sinister MRT linkway tunnel experience for commuters.
What marketers should take away from HBO Maxs strategy
HBO Max’s campaign shows what’s possible when marketing crosses the boundary between storytelling and lived experience. Here are four key takeaways for brand teams planning immersive rollouts:
1. Simplicity scales across borders
The red balloon is instantly recognizable, culturally neutral, and low-cost. This made it easy to adapt across markets without translation or localization friction.
2. Blend online discovery with offline activation
The campaign didn't rely solely on paid media or influencer content. Instead, it created an unfolding experience that began online and crescendoed in the physical world, giving fans multiple entry points to engage.
3. Context is king
By choosing iconic or emotionally charged local sites, HBO Max grounded its campaign in real-world stories. This increased relevance and gave fans reasons to share beyond the fact that a new series was launching.
4. Branding can wait
Holding back overt branding helped the stunt feel more like a mystery than a promotion. This created intrigue and allowed audiences to feel like participants rather than targets.
With IT: Welcome to Derry, HBO Max didn’t just promote a show. It reanimated a cultural icon using one symbol, a few key locations, and strong timing.
For marketers, it’s a reminder that campaigns do not need to shout to be heard. Sometimes, a floating balloon in the right place at the right time can do all the talking.
