Twenty years ago, Blockbuster was a billion-dollar franchise with eighty-four thousand employees and nine thousand retail locations. Today, there's only a single one left. The last standing mom-and-pop store wanted to remind people that they were indeed [still] open for business.

Blockbuster would need to activate its die-hard audience of cinema buffs who might join them in-store but generate enough awareness that the general public might purchase merchandise from their online store.

Letting people know the brand needed their patronage would be key, and a huge brand awareness play would show fantastic results. But how could a brand reach a huge audience on a small retail shop’s budget?

A hyperlocal media plan that generated so much hype, speculation and intrigue that the general public couldn’t help but notice.

Like the cockroaches that inherit the end of the earth after us — the world's Last Blockbuster will be standing long after we're gone. And they remained that way by outwitting, outlasting, and outsmarting their competitors.

So while the world's biggest brands launched 30” TV spots during the Super Bowl, we released our commercial at the physical store on VHS, inviting the rest of the world to tune in via their Instagram channel.

We spread the word to local, national, and international media outlets, who all couldn’t believe that in 2023, a commercial was being released on VHS. Consumers were flooded with memories of visiting their local video store or even their first job working at one. It tapped into memory and connected people back with the brand in 2023.

We live in a time where streaming is king, and cord-cutting is “the” behavior for on-the-go entertainment. We knew we had an opportunity to go big by going hyperlocal with an audience that craves the nostalgia of physical media in an increasingly digital world.

The World’s Last Blockbuster is becoming the Mecca of analog entertainment and is fueling fandom and admiration from people all over the world. Embracing that, we decided to release our commercial in-store, during the Super Bowl, at a game watch party.

In this David and Goliath story, we positioned the last Blockbuster not only as a stalwart of analog media, but also of mainstreet america. And in taking on the biggest brands in the country we proved that one little mom and pop shop could succeed in an increasingly digital and corporate world.

Blockbuster shot their commercial on-site in Bend, Oregon using a robot cockroach purchased off the internet for $19.95. VFX were applied to make various locations around town appear post-apocalyptic and the film was transferred to an $6 VHS tape.

In the week preceding the Super Bowl key images from the film were shared on instagram and TikTok leading to speculation from fans online and inquiries from the local, national and even international press.

On the day of the Super Bowl, the VHS tape was streamed live from the store and made available for rent. After the game a digital copy was shared with fans and press.

The conversation around Blockbuster & the World’s Last Store blew up across mainstream media outlets, garnering over 2 Billion Media Impressions in over 100+ placements; all accomplished with $0 spent.

The film would play on dozens of local and national news organizations, ultimately reaching 9X the audience of the actual Super Bowl and appearing in multiple game-day best-of lists despite never airing on television.

In re-launching this iconic brand with a "Super Bowl" commercial on VHS, the store would see a 1700% lift in online sales. Foot traffic, merchandise and rental orders would increase so much the store had to double its staff to fulfill orders on one of the busiest weeks in the store’s history.