The Killer Chatbot - Smaller and Smaller Circles | Clapboard Ad Archive

The Killer Chatbot campaign for Smaller and Smaller Circles, crafted by MullenLowe Group and launched in the Philippines in December 2017, stands as a distinctive fusion of film marketing and interactive digital storytelling within the media and entertainment sector. Centered on a chilling narrative of a serial killer targeting impoverished boys in a dumpsite, the campaign leveraged Facebook Messenger to deliver a life-and-death choose-your-own-adventure game that allowed users to inhabit the killer’s perspective and confront six divergent story outcomes, only one of which promised survival. This innovative use of digital media transformed passive movie promotion into an immersive experience, augmented by exclusive deleted scenes from the film that deepened audience engagement and blurred the line between the narrative world and user interaction. By inviting players to directly converse with the antagonist, the campaign created a visceral connection to the film’s harrowing subject matter, driving curiosity and emotional investment among Filipino Christmas movie-goers. The Killer Chatbot’s gameplay mechanic aligned seamlessly with the gaming industry, positioning the film within a contemporary entertainment ecosystem and demonstrating how interactive technology can amplify storytelling impact. The campaign achieved measurable success with nearly 4,000 unique users and a notable 33 percent repeat playthrough rate, alongside significant social media buzz reflected in shares and mentions, underscoring the effectiveness of its engagement strategy. What Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#6—Benefit Causes Story was evident in the way the campaign’s narrative benefit, survival, directly motivated player choices and underscored the film’s thematic stakes, reinforcing the product’s relevance through active participation rather than passive consumption. The Killer Chatbot campaign earns 69/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. This campaign matters because it demonstrates how merging interactive digital formats with cinematic storytelling can redefine audience engagement in film marketing, especially within markets where immersive experiences are emerging as key drivers of consumer attention.