How Netflix hacked reality to launch Black Mirror
By Ella Horncastle on Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Netflix has pulled out all the stops for the launch of Black Mirror Season 7, rolling out an immersive marketing and PR campaign that blurs the line between fiction and reality – and has successfully duped the internet multiple times in the process.
With no spoilers, at the heart of the new season is the “Nubbin” – a fictional brain chip applied to the temples that transports users into alternate, futuristic dimensions. The device features in different ways across the standalone episodes, serving as a common thread throughout the series.
To promote the concept, a mysterious tech company named TCKR Systems began promoting a revolutionary brain chip to the public in early April through global billboard takeovers, and YouTube and slick social ads.
The campaign extended to a hyper-realistic website listing potential side effects and showcasing “Employee of the Month” updates, alongside corporate-style social content and even a fully fleshed-out LinkedIn profile featuring fake job listings – all adding a chilling layer of credibility.
Media outlets were drawn in further via “leaked” internal emails teasing the Nubbin’s imminent launch. These messages promised users the chance to relive memories and escape into states of ‘virtual consciousness’ – mirroring the themes of the show.
Adding to the surrealism, actors were planted in public spaces and on public transport to appear as if they were actively using the Nubbin. Their dazed, glassy-eyed, trance-like states sparked genuine concern and confusion from unsuspecting passers-by.
@currys Who needs a controller now? Introducing the #Nubbins by @TCKRSystems – exclusively at Currys 😎 #currys #viral
To round it off, fake Nubbin devices were seeded to influencers and presenters, many of whom posted unboxing and “first-look” videos online. Even Curry’s, the electronics retailer, got involved with a tongue-in-cheek TikTok collab, adding a tech retail twist to the dystopian narrative.
A true 360 campaign spanning real-world activations, social storytelling, influencer integration, and immersive world-building – all of which cleverly echoed the show’s core themes, pushed audiences to question the nature of reality and confront the pace of technological advancement.
