DEXTER

Alternate Reality Game

Problem: Showtime needed to launch Dexter Season 5 in a way that matched the show itself. Dark, intelligent, and completely unlike anything else on television. A standard campaign wasn't going to cut it.

Solution: We didn't make an ad. We built a world. A vigilante serial huntress was stalking the Infinity Killer, leaving a breadcrumb trail of cryptic clues across the internet and the real world. Fans decoded riddles, hacked hidden sites, uncovered secret content, and followed the story into live events where fiction and reality deliberately blurred. It was one of the first campaigns to use crowdsourced crime solving as a storytelling device, with fans collectively hunting a killer months before the Boston Marathon bombing made that concept known to the entire world.

How: Transmedia campaign spanning video, print, digital, social, experiential, and full alternate reality game production. The Serial Huntress became a piece of living Dexter lore, archived by devoted fans who chronicled every puzzle and every hidden kill room. The campaign helped deliver the highest rated season premiere in Showtime's history.

Recognition: Primetime Emmy Award. Webby Award, People's Voice Winner. One Show Interactive Finalist. SXSW Interactive Finalist. LA Weekly Best Street Marketing Campaign.

CLIENT: Showtime

AGENCY: Modernista!

CCO’s: Gary Keopke, Lance Jensen

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Xavier Teo

ART DIRECTION: Tony Frusciante

GRAPHIC DESIGN: Tony Frusciante

Copy: Lorelei Brandoveschi

Diagram of a computer with numerous labeled components including cases, switches, and a desktop, depicted in red and black.

Promotional image for Dexter GameOn and SCVNR, featuring a close-up of Dexter Morgan's face with a blood trickle on his cheek, and text about the game, download buttons for iPhone and Android, and a countdown for unlocking exclusive content.

A poster featuring a red, blood-dripping spoon with a warning tape reading "SCENE DO NOT CROSS" at the top. The bottom has repeating text "DEXTER" indicating the TV show Dexter.

Line of people waiting outside a building on a city sidewalk, some holding merchandise bags, with a group of young men in the foreground, one placing a sign on a table, and police caution tape in the scene.

Broken and melted chair in a room filled with distorted mirrors reflecting furniture, with a pool of dark liquid on the floor.

A person lying on a table with blood splattered on their chest and face, surrounded by mirrors reflecting their image in a dark environment.

Group of people observing a science exhibit with a Tesla coil in a museum or science center.

Group of five men standing and chatting in a dimly lit restaurant, with a laptop and cameras on a table in front of them.

Close-up of a person wearing a red wristband with the word 'DUTER' and a lanyard, with sunglasses labeled 'SLEP SURFERY' hanging near the neck.

Two iPhones displaying a sleep interpretation app called Sleep Superbly, with options to search by dreams, search by meanings, and view requested interpretations.

Screenshot of a website homepage called Sleep Superbly promoting sleep therapy, featuring a woman in business attire with a dark blue and black background.

Website homepage titled 'Serial Huntress: Justice by All.' Features a video player with a woman standing in front of a dark background and a brief on the 'Infinity Killer' case. Contains links to blog, dossier, forum, connect, about, and social media icons.

A newspaper clipping with a black-bordered box containing a message titled 'YOUR FATE, MY FORTUNE.' The message expresses gratitude to someone who has been a personal hero and mentions meeting a few years ago, emphasizing their closeness and heroism. The page number at the bottom left reads 'PAGE 66,' and there's a red oval highlight surrounding the message.

YouTube channel page titled 'rip your heart out now's Channel' with a video thumbnail showing the phrase 'RIP YOUR HEART OUT' on a sign, and other video thumbnails including 'Rip Your Heart Out Contest Winner' and 'Favor from F8'.

A white cardboard box decorated with a red ribbon and bow, next to a smaller box with a postcard displaying an image of a crime scene with blood and crime scene tape.

Screenshot of a virtual trivia game show with contestants on webcam, a list of trivia winners and rounds on the right side, and a host and referee in a room on the left.

Decorative red and white patterned paper pyramid

Website homepage with a red and black theme, featuring close-up images of a man and a woman, a countdown timer, and sections labeled 'Kill Infinity' and 'Kill Dee' with military equipment images and social media links.

Close-up of a person's face illuminated with blue and pink lighting, with neutral expression.

UPDATE: December 2020

Ten years removed from when this work was completed, while working at Boston-based agency Modernista!, the Dexter ARG is finding a resurgence. With the announcement of a limited reboot of the Dexter show, fan hunger for Dexter-related projects has increased. The following videos are compiled from the notes, videos, and experiences from fans who still love this alternate reality game today.

Group of people lying inside a maze-like structure made of cardboard with black and orange stripes, on a wooden floor, looking up at the camera.