messenger of fear
We Create Unforgettable Story for Bestselling Author
About Messenger of Fear
Messenger of Fear is a bestselling YA horror series by American author Michael Grant.
It tells the story of teenager, Mara who wakes with amnesia and discovers she is to become the apprentice of The Messenger of Fear, an immortal young man who punishes evildoers with a wicked game. Win, and they go free. Lose, and they live out their greatest fear for eternity.
Our work
Our agency is built on stories, so when Electric Monkey appointed us to promote bestselling author, Michael Grant’s Messenger of Fear, we unleashed storytelling tools as powerful, scary and engaging as the book.
Alongside the bread and butter PR of book reviews, interviews, teasers and book tour promotion, we kicked the campaign off by holding a nationwide search for a real-life Messenger of Fear actor to join us on the campaign, which secured national coverage.
We then enlisted couture designer, Jess Eaton to create his costume, using details from the book. These included hand cast skull buttons and accessories made from ethically sourced roadkill. This generated a wave of top tier fashion editorial.
Next, our team secured a partnership with Thorpe Park, for Michael Grant to curate his own, unique scare experience based on the book, with a cast of 13 actors in a terrifying maze for the themepark’s celebrated Fright Nights experience. This created a powerful new peg for fresh press, discussing the collaboration and book.
It also resulted in powerful celebrity endorsement from stars including Cara Delevingne and Olly Murs, who attended the VIP launch and braved Michael Grant’s scare maze.
While working with the themepark, we filmed a video stunt, which saw assorted thrillseekers plus the Messenger of Fear actor attempting to read passages from the book while riding one of the scariest rollercoasters. This was seeded across a host of sites and shared thousands of times across social platforms.
And we surprised children staying at Thorpe Park’s Shark Hotel with a camp fire reading of the book by Michael Grant himself.
We concluded the campaign with a VIP dinner book launch at Beach Blanket Babylon, attended by top tier journalists, tastemakers and Michael Grant and featuring a newsworthy, edible book and hand cake made by food artists, Conjurers Kitchen.
Campaign highlights:
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Arranging for Michael Grant to create his own 13-character Thorpe Park ride inspired by the book
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Securing celebrity endorsement from stars including Cara Delevingne and Olly Murs
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A filmed stunt, reading the book on one of the scariest rollercoasters
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Holding a nationwide search to find a real-life Messenger of Fear, who joined us for the campaign
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Enlisting designer Jess Eaton to create his stunning costume for fashion press
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Holding a VIP dinner book launch at Beach Blanket Babylon, featuring a newsworthy cake by food artists Conjurers Kitchen.
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Michael Grant surprising children at the Shark Hotel with a camp fire reading of the book
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Head over to Electric Monkey at Harper Collins here
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