Lumon propaganda got a lot more immersive: Grand Central Station’s Severance Pop-Up
Apple TV’s latest innovative promotional stunt “severs” the connection between viewers and the narrative world, taking advantage of the liminal space that is NYC’s Grand Central Station to promote Severance Season 2.
On January 14, commuters passing through Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall were met with a striking sight: a glass cube, entrapping actors from Apple TV’s Severance, portraying their “severed” characters in an eerily lifelike office setup. This interactive pop-up installation, complete with Mark (Adam Scott) vacuuming an office rug in character, offered fans a taste of Lumon Industries’ sterile, disorienting world—an incredibly successful promotional event marking a significant shift in Apple TV’s approach to marketing.
For a streaming platform known for its high-quality original content, Apple TV has often faced criticism for its relatively muted promotional efforts. The streaming platform has churned out some rather incredible and pretty popular shows in the past few years, yet it seems as though most of the fanfare surrounding the shows arises from organic buzz rather than the company’s active advertising efforts.
Shows like Sunny and Schmigadoon!, despite being beloved by fans, ended prematurely due to low viewership numbers, which arguably may have been caused by the lack of robust marketing pushes necessary to sustain long-term visibility. Apple TV’s social media brand drastically differs from the likes of other streaming giants like Netflix, who significantly engage with online communities, try more outlandish and innovative marketing strategies, and have a dedicated social media presence.
While a lot of Apple TV’s shows don’t translate that well to the likes of meme culture, the lack of a direct connection to a fanbase (whether through social media or in-person engagement) significantly hinders the show’s potential to gain traction. Discourse surrounding shows is inherently social, and when you neglect the social element, the show risks being excluded from the broader conversation.
This installation signals a step up for Apple TV as it competes in an increasingly saturated streaming landscape. Immersive experiences like this blur the lines between reality and fiction, delighting long-term fans and drawing in potential new viewers. By inviting fans to engage with the show’s themes and characters on a tangible level, Apple TV fosters a deeper emotional connection, which translates directly into audience loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion (as made evident by the immense amount of discourse surrounding this particular stunt on social media platforms). If the Severance pop-up is any indication, Apple TV might finally be recognizing the power of fan-focused advertising to not just cement their fanbase, but more importantly on-ramp new subscribers and get more eyes on their shows.
