HBO | Big Love Audio Mural Installations (Wall of Secrets) | 2009
Plug headphones into the people on the wall. / HBO "Big Love: Wall of Secrets"
Painted on a city wall, passersby had real headphone jacks embedded right in their heads. Plug in, and you'd hear that one person's own "secret" whispered in your ear.
The problem
HBO's drama "Big Love" follows a polygamous family, and the theme of Season 3 was "secrets." To mark the show's return in New York and Los Angeles, BBDO wanted a way to announce it that was more than just a poster.
The insight
If the heart of the show was about hidden things, why not make the ad experience about peeking in on them too? Turn a wall you just look at into a wall you go listen to. The idea was that a passerby choosing, on their own, to plug into that jack was itself what would pull them into the story.
The idea
On a giant mural painted with illustrations of people walking through the city, headphone jacks were embedded one by one. Plug in, and you'd hear that character's secret confession. A woman in love with her boss, a wife secretly drinking behind her husband's back, a man planning to leave his pregnant wife—the confessions ranged from trivial to shocking. A jack next to the logo also let people listen to a trailer for the new season.
What happened
The campaign ran in New York and Los Angeles in January 2009. It won Gold at Cannes Lions.
Afterthought
What I love is that moment when a wall you were just looking at suddenly turns into something you feel guilty for having "overheard." It's an ad, and yet it somehow makes you feel like you're secretly eavesdropping. Sneaky, in the best way.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2009
