Netflix wanted to build hype for the return of Black Mirror in a way that felt true to its universe. The campaign had to blur the line between fact and fiction, just like the show. That meant as little friction as possible; no logos, disclaimers or #ads.

Every Black Mirror season asks one question: what if the technology we've come to rely on turns against us? To keep that tension alive off-screen, we needed to make fans experience the same unease the show creates on screen.

We focused on the Nubbin, a neural VR device built by the show’s fictional tech company TCKR Systems. Returning in new episodes Polygon and Eulogy, the Nubbin was already a cult symbol for fans and therefore the perfect bridge between fiction and reality. Our strategy was to stage its “launch” as if it were real, using micro-influencers to seed authentic, first-person glimpses of this impossible tech appearing across London.

In the days leading up to the release of the new season, social feeds started to fill with unbranded clips of people using the product in public. To drive the immersion even further, we had the actors wear white contact lenses, their eyes glazed over as a nod that fans would instantly recognise.

Each influencer was briefed to document these sightings as if they were witnessing something real. No explanation or context, just raw footage of a strange new product being tested in plain sight. The posts directed curious viewers to a cryptic @tckrsystems account, adding to the sense of intrigue.

Beyond social, OOH placements mirrored the minimalist aesthetic of Silicon Valley product launches, while podcasts and streamers dropped coded references to the tech. Every element of the campaign worked to ask one question: where is the line between fact and fiction?