HBO and its partner agencies engaged the media marketplace to develop several high impact and first-to-market promotions that brought the communications to life. Recreating the style and mood of a speakeasy, street-level “Countdown to Prohibition” bus shelters were installed in select markets. These innovative, first to market outdoor units featured branded benches supported by Prohibition-era wooden casks, and customized liquid displays that decreased in volume over time as the Boardwalk Empire premiere approached. QR codes were featured on the display and when scanned offered a password granting you a free drink and the address of the Prohibition Happy Hour taking place locally that week. Additionally the QR code offered a link to an exclusive video clip.

The Speakeasy Promotion gathered over 2,300 total interactions from QR scans, mobile web page hits and WAP site views, and generated a significant amount of press and buzz. Over 1,700 consumers attended the happy hours and we garnered over 1.6M media impressions.The series debut of BOARDWALK EMPIRE drew a 10.1/14 household rating and 4.8 million viewers – the best start for an HBO series since the 2004 premiere of Deadwood (which followed The Sopranos) and the top-rated scripted show across all broadcast and cable for the week of September 13.