Black Tears
Advertising | Creative Direction
An experiential launch activation for one of Netflix's biggest global titles.
The Summoning (Challenge):
For Season 2, Netflix wanted something massive: an activation loud enough to take over both the internet and real life. Something people will surely talk about.
For Season 2, Netflix wanted something massive: an activation loud enough to take over both the internet and real life. Something people will surely talk about.
The Omen (Creative Spark):
After rounds of brainstorming, nothing was piercing through. It was raining that day and I decided to step outside to smoke and clear my head. While staring at the rainwater flowing through the gutter, I noticed dark, iridescent grease patterns spreading across the surface. It reminded me of Wednesday's black tears. Eureka!
After rounds of brainstorming, nothing was piercing through. It was raining that day and I decided to step outside to smoke and clear my head. While staring at the rainwater flowing through the gutter, I noticed dark, iridescent grease patterns spreading across the surface. It reminded me of Wednesday's black tears. Eureka!
The Tension (Insight):
Wednesday Addams amidst a well-known romantic place already felt wrong in the best way possible. The Venice Grand Canal in BGC is known for dates, gondola rides, and picture-perfect moments. Exactly a kind of place Wednesday would hate. How do we leave Wednesday’s mark on a place built around romance? By using one of the series’ most recognizable visual signatures—her black tears—into a full spatial takeover.
Wednesday Addams amidst a well-known romantic place already felt wrong in the best way possible. The Venice Grand Canal in BGC is known for dates, gondola rides, and picture-perfect moments. Exactly a kind of place Wednesday would hate. How do we leave Wednesday’s mark on a place built around romance? By using one of the series’ most recognizable visual signatures—her black tears—into a full spatial takeover.
The Curse (Idea):
In the series, Wednesday cries black tears whenever she overuses her psychic abilities. Instead of keeping that visual on screen, the idea was to let her tears spill into the real world, flooding the Venice Grand Canal with black water staining the place with her eerie presence. A literal spreading of woe.
In the series, Wednesday cries black tears whenever she overuses her psychic abilities. Instead of keeping that visual on screen, the idea was to let her tears spill into the real world, flooding the Venice Grand Canal with black water staining the place with her eerie presence. A literal spreading of woe.
The Ritual (Execution):
Goodbye, Friday the 13th. Hello, Wednesday the 13th!
A billboard-scale installation of Wednesday was mounted within the Venice Grand Canal, designed to release environmentally-safe black dye from her eyes into the canal during key moments of the activation.
The timing of the launch was intentionally aligned with Wednesday the 13th—a subtle nod to the superstition of Friday the 13th, reimagined through the world of Wednesday.
As the water spread, the canal gradually transformed into a dark, cinematic extension of the series. Visitors experienced the installation from every angle: bridges, walkways, and even gondola rides passing through the darkened canal.
The Revelation (Results):
The installation quickly drew crowds across the Venice Grand Canal, turning curious passersby into audiences, documenters, and participants. People stopped, filmed, shared, and experienced the activation in real time, helping the campaign spread organically across social media. The campaign generated over 145K engagements. Wednesday remained Netflix’s #1 show for three consecutive weeks. The work was later recognized as finalist for Outdoor Lotus: Ambient Special Build at ADFEST 2026.
