When it comes to engaging entertainment buffs, incorporating experiential easter eggs into fan activations has become non-negotiable. Not every attendee will notice or understand a brand’s subtle references to its IP, but the superfans most certainly will—and they’re actively seeking them out. Following are seven ideas for playing hide and seek.
1. HOTLINES
For its Percy Jackson Experience at San Diego Comic-Con, Disney posted a phone number to a corkboard inside the themed diner activation, and on wild postings around San Diego’s Gaslamp District, that functioned as a secret touchpoint. Those who called it heard a recording from the character Grover, who shared the coordinates of his location, a key aspect of the season-two plot. (Agency: 15|40)
2. CELEBRITY CAMEOS
There was no run-of-the-mill voice actor that narrated Paramount+ and Fever’s Dexter: The Experience. Rather, the actor who plays Dexter, Michael C. Hall, did the voiceover, giving fans the feeling that the character was speaking directly to them. (Agencies: Creative Studio; The Experience Agency)
3. IN-WORLD F&B
At SDCC, FX installed a branded vending machine in its footprint that was stocked with a custom in-world beverage from “Alien: Earth,” Hyper Fizz, which was available exclusively at Comic-Con through a collab with Chain.
(FX Agencies: Creative Riff, Civic; BBC Agencies: Studios Global Events, Two Eighteen)
4. COSTUMES
Subtle details added to costumes, or the costumes themselves, can serve as a wink and a nod. At DirecTV and Bravo’s Plot Twist event, brand ambassadors representing “Below Deck” donned replicas of the crew’s on-screen uniform, or “Whites,” a detail that fans noticed. (Agency: Noun Agency)
5. EXPLORABLE FILES
Easter eggs hidden in newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, hand-written notes and similar items can be set up for fans to rifle through. At Dexter: The Experience, in Nurse Mary’s kill room, fans could explore a binder of newspaper clippings of all of the character’s murder victims. And in BBC’s “Doctor Who” Black Archive activation, filing cabinets were filled with franchise-related details to pore over.
6. DÉCOR CHANGES
For the first few days of Marvel’s SDCC exhibit, “Fantastic Four” flags hung from second-floor windows on Yancy Street. But on the final day, the brand switched them to Latverian flags, signaling that Dr. Doom, who hails from the fictional country, will play a key role in future films. (Agency: AKJOHNSTON Group)
7. DIGITAL EXTENSIONS
Within Paramount+’s The Lodge activation at SDCC, a vignette dedicated to “Dexter: Resurrection” included a QR code that was framed and mounted to the wall. Those who scanned it were led to a 3D virtual walkthrough of Dexter’s vault and its sinister contents. (Agency: 15|40)
Photo credits: Michel Guyon/DF Studio; DirecTV
Related:
- Checklist: 10 Tactics for Building Blockbuster-Worthy Entertainment Experiences
- Cover Story: Inside the Meteoric Rise of Immersive Entertainment Experiences
This story appeared in the Fall 2025 issue
