When Relativity Media decided that geeks were vital to the success of Immortals, their biggest film to date, they challenged us to engage their target audience in a genuine way by designing and executing the most ambitious integrated content strategy in the studio’s history.

With less than 12 months to promote the film, we reverse-engineered the brand into an original 120-page graphic novel designed to reward fans with a more informed POV of the world. Rather than a direct (aka redundant) adaptation, we expanded upon key characters and events of the film while using stunning artwork to celebrate the director’s unique vision.

Recruiting award-winning publisher Archaia and an A-list creative team, the visibility and credibility of Immortals skyrocketed within the Comic-Con community. Leveraging such powerful ambassadors within this crucial demographic, we then used the book as an organic springboard for an integrated marketing campaign laying siege upon the fanboy nation:

• Hardcover graphic novel sold across 3 countries and 500+ retailers, plus digital distribution across all computers, tablets, and smartphones.

• “Become Immortal” social media contest. Identifying two gods absent in the film, we hosted a Facebook casting call co-sponsored by Fandango, which invited fans to apply for the roles of Apollo and Artemis in 500 words or less. The prize? Being forever immortalized in the universe with their likenesses as the inspiration for two gods heavily featured in the comic. Among thousands of entries, 10 finalists submitted video auditions, from which Tarsem picked our two winners and awarded them free trips to San Diego Comic-Con for a round of panels, press roundtables, and VIP after parties. With Fandango’s 1M+ readers, strong press coverage, and film star Kellan Lutz (Twilight) recording a viral video to promote the contest, Become Immortal became one of Relativity’s most successful digital campaigns.

• Docu-series on the book’s creative process. One episode of the five-part, 22-minute series premiered once a day over the course of a week, each debuting on a different news source (USA Today, MTV, LA Times, io9, or Comic Book Resources). Fans found passwords embedded in each clip, which unlocked an exclusive preview of an original painting anyone could win.

• iOS fan community app that served as a digital reader and centralized location for all news and materials involving Immortals and its cast and crew.

• National convention tour hitting 13 expos in 8 months, with panels, signings, and photo-ops with the book’s creative team and the stars of the film, not to mention Tarsem himself during exclusive signings on the floor.

• National touring art gallery that engaged Tarsem’s art house base.

With a huge national presence at major fan conventions and an aggressive integrated marketing campaign, we helped Relativity to position their film at the forefront of pop culture and forge a direct, constant, and genuine connection with fanboys everywhere.

Catapulting Immortals into the spotlight, the book premiered in October at New York Comic-Con during the peak of the film’s marketing. The book’s first 5,000 copies sold out in just three days. By the film’s debut on 11/11/11, the book had already sold 20,000 copies as one of Archaia’s breakout successes that year.

After fostering so much buzz and goodwill with the right community, fanboys marched to the theaters for a record-breaking opening weekend, debuting as #1 at the box office worldwide. With numerous critics attributing fanboys to its big success, Immortals ultimately earned $220 million in the box office, becoming Relativity Media’s most successful theatrical release in its history.