Virgin Media O2 is taking Stranger Things onto the UK high street in a retail tie-up with Netflix that turns eight O2 stores into Hawkins-themed pop-ups through to January.
Stores in cities including Edinburgh, Manchester and London are being reworked with set pieces from the series, including Joyce Byers’ living room and the Byers family sofa under the alphabet wall. Fans can take part in an in-store quiz that triggers the lights, pick up the 1980s storyline via a retro landline phone and boombox, and play arcade classic Dig Dug. One display teases a Season 5 timeline via a vintage-style calendar.
Rob Orr, Chief Operations Officer, Virgin Media O2, said the collaboration is designed to combine “entertainment, connectivity and exclusive rewards” and give customers “the chance to step into Hawkins” ahead of the show’s final season.
The campaign runs alongside a wider push around the final season of Stranger Things, which Netflix will release in three parts. The first drop lands on 26 November, followed by further episodes on 25 December and a finale on New Year’s Eve. Virgin Media O2 is also staging ticketed advance screenings for customers, including a “UK Special Screening” in London and early previews of the first two episodes at cinemas in 11 locations two days ahead of the Netflix debut.
Access to prizes and screenings is being handled through Priority, the loyalty scheme for Virgin Media and O2 customers. The company is also promising tickets to a dedicated fan activation event in London.
The Netflix partnership follows a refresh of Virgin Media’s bundle line-up. Netflix’s ad-supported tier is now included at no extra cost in all Virgin Media TV bundles and in broadband-only deals from M500 and above, with O2 mobile benefits carried into Volt-branded offers.
