June 21, 2023
Although AMC Networks’ The Walking Dead flagship series may have aired its final episode last year, the zombie universe is anything but finished, with several spinoffs on the way, reports Adweek.
On Wednesday, June 14, one of those spinoffs, The Walking Dead: Dead City—which was set to premiere on Sunday, June 18—ramped up a real-world promotion to bring old and new fans to the fictional universe.
With Dead City set in a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, The Walking Dead and AMC Networks partnered with iconic New York establishments this week to promote the upcoming spinoff. Promotions kicked off in Midtown at a Dead City-themed coffee cart that gave away free coffee and cartoon sleeves designed by The New Yorker to customers.
Additionally, at H&H Bagels on the Upper West Side, the first 200 customers got a free limited-time bagel: the Walker Wake-Up.
At Joe’s Pizza in Times Square, the first 200 fans got two free slices and a merch giveaway, with a similar deal at the New York Hot Dog King Cart on the Upper East Side.
And with Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan reprising their characters of Maggie and Negan in the new series, the pair showed up at Katz’s Deli, where Adweek was on hand to see the festivities.At the iconic location on the Lower East Side, known for its pastrami on rye and that one famous scene in When Harry Met Sally, fans got pastrami sandwiches, coleslaw, and merchandise. (Hey, we’ll have what they’re having!) Several of the show’s walkers were spotted eating the New York staple. And Cohan and Morgan’s appearance led to confusion and delight among customers and tourists.
AMC representatives told Adweek that the two busiest locations were Joe’s and Katz’s Deli—and that fans started lining up early in the morning for the 3 p.m. activation.
Research contact: @Adweek
