We transformed the Morris ad columns on the Champs-Elysées into giant hourglasses filled with white powder, counting down the 72 hours before the world release of the new episodes. The entire idea was based on the assumption that people would spontaneously take pictures and comment on whether it was appropriate and ethical or not.

After building the giant hourglasses in a specialized factory we installed them overnight on 3 key spots of the Avenue, then filled them with the white powder in sufficient quantity to trickle until the D-day.

On Sept. 1st, the last grams were live streamed on Facebook. At nine on the dot, as soon as they trickled out, the first episode of Narcos 3 became available online.

International media got hooked and generated intense debates on social media. All this online buzz allowed us to reach more than 1.8 million people on the last 3 days before the release.

When Netflix announced the Narcos 3 release date, fans got really excited, so it was decided to make them wait in a Narcos-way, using the serendipity of social media to conduct a promotional campaign replacing paid advertising formats to communicate on the exact time when the new episodes would be online. The effect of this campaign 100% replaced the traditional media approach and performed better than previous campaigns for the same show.

Parisians and tourists passing by the Champs-Elysées Avenue discovered one morning the 3 ad columns transformed into hourglasses, they were generally impressed, and some of them found it borderline and voiced publicly their concerns, asking the city officials to take action or the authorities to press charges. However, the general public and the Narcos fans were thrilled and shared the White Countdown story with their friends.

To promote Netflix original series Narcos 3 launch on September 1st, 9AM, Netflix asked us to imagine something that would help fans wait in a Narcos way while fostering interaction on social networks. Rather than a traditional communication campaign across media, Netflix generally chose to let the word of mouth operate in the final moments before the launch of the new season of an already popular program.