Spaniards walk over manholes every day without thinking much about what’s beneath their feet. But Spanish agency, CYW, and Netflix has made them pay attention in an unexpected OOH campaign created with Telefónica/Movistar, biggest Spain’s flagship telecommunications brand, to promote the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.
The partners transformed real Telefónica access covers in 16 cities across Spain into portals to the Upside Down, the dark parallel dimension from Stranger Things that mirrors the real world and connects to it through hidden gateways beneath our feet – the idea brought the Stranger Things drawcard into real life – two worlds coexisting, permanently connected beneath the surface.
The urban intervention quickly took on a life of its own. Before any paid media went live, creators and high-reach social profiles began sharing the installations organically, with fans traveling with friends and family just to find and photograph them. Notably, smaller cities such as Valladolid and Zaragoza were among the first to amplify the action, reinforcing the impact of decentralizing cultural activations beyond Madrid and Barcelona.
The activation, The Best Connections Are Forever, is supported by a film directed by Spanish filmmaker, Rodrigo Cortés.
Within the first 24 hours, the activation was picked up organically by multiple news outlets and perhaps the most distinctive aspect highlighted by everyone is that these installations will remain forever in the streets of Spain; one of the manhole covers will even remain permanently installed at the entrance of Spain’s Congress of Deputies in Madrid.
