Situation

Global TV was preparing to launch Touch, the new Kiefer Sutherland drama centered on human connection, synchronicity, and the invisible threads linking people across the globe. The premiere was set to debut simultaneously in over 100 countries. We needed a culturally resonant way to bring the show’s core theme to life and spark national conversation in Canada.

Task

Create a disruptive, human-focused marketing idea that would:

• Drive mass awareness and tune-in for the Canadian premiere
• Translate the show’s central narrative - connection through “skipped” phones into a real-world experience
• Generate earned media and social conversation
• Engage Canadians emotionally while showcasing the global scale of the series
  
  

Action

I led the team to design and execute a national phone-skipping stunt that put connection at the center of the launch.

We took 75 cell phones, programmed them with a clear mission, and released them into the hands of Canadians. Each device included:

• A simple instruction on the back:
  “Take a photo of something that touches you - then pass the phone along.”
  GPS tracking to follow where the phones travelled
• An automatic donation mechanic: for every photo taken, we donated $0.10 to Make-A-Wish Canada
• A content upload link that allowed us to aggregate the photos into a real-time digital mosaic of human connection

As phones moved from person to person, they generated stories and a visual map of how Canadians connect, travel, share, and impact one another. The stunt embodied the entire essence of Touch in behaviour, not just advertising.

Phones eventually landed across Canada and around the world, including one in Australia and another in the UK - reinforcing the global-connection premise behind the series.

Results

Brand & Business Impact

• 2 million Canadians tuned in to the premiere
• 28% of viewership correlated directly to our phone-skipping activation
• Drove significant earned media and national buzz around the series launch

Cultural Impact

• Phones travelled internationally, turning everyday people into storytellers
• The stunt brought the “interconnected humanity” theme of Touch to life in a tangible, emotional way
• Generated thousands of user-captured moments, each contributing to Make-A-Wish Canada
• Became one of Global TV’s most memorable experiential launches of the decade