Netflix wanted to get fans excited about the final season of the political thriller House of Cards, but there was a problem. After Kevin Spacey was fired for misconduct, the show’s most iconic character —Frank Underwood—was killed off.

In the lead up to the series launch, we created a series of stunts that blurred the lines between the world of the show and our own, then waited for the internet to find them.

First we buried Frank Underwood with a real, permanent grave inside a cemetery in Gaffney, South Carolina (just like the show), giving fans a whole new way to mourn the iconic character’s death.

Then we introduced America to its first female president with a series of stunts including a real porcelain commemorative plate complete with its own late-night infomercial.

Netflix wanted to get current and lapsed House of Cards fans (35+ with a male skew) excited and rewatching in time for the final season 6 binge. This was also the first season since Kevin Spacey was fired for misconduct, so the work needed to revolve around Claire’s new role as President.

Instead of ignoring the fact that an iconic character was killed off, we embraced it and created a real, permanent grave for the show’s fictional president. Frank’s grave was erected in Gaffney, South Carolina and then we waited for the internet and local news to find it.

We then introduced America to its new female president via a real commemorative plate that we launched with a late-night infomercial during The Colbert Report. When fans called the number, they were rewarded with a free, limited-edition porcelain plate.

Over the following weeks, we also erected a statue of Claire in her home town and released an article in the Harvard Crimson (the character’s former college), both of which were found and instantly shared online amongst fans and news sites.

The campaign garnered 442,076,925 earned media impressions and a journalist reach of over 100k. The most shared article came from Complex, with 233 shares.