According to Variety, AMC is sending zombie extras out on Wednesday to promote The Walking Dead: Dead City and infest many of New York’s popular restaurants. The restaurants that are part of the program include Hot Dog King, Joe’s Pizza, H&H Bagels, and Katz’s Deli.
Dead City is the first of three spin-offs that will air following the end of the original The Walking Dead series. Kim Granito, the head of marketing for AMC, said, “We are obviously looking to raise awareness out there, and we think there’s an opportunity to bring in people who have fallen off over time and new viewers as well. One of the key points of differentiation with the new programs is that they are in pretty notable locations.”
Granito says that Dead City has the advantage of the major metropolis and iconic landmark that is New York City. While other Walking Dead characters have gone to major cities briefly, in Dead City, New York City is a permanent setting. Previous seasons of The Walking Dead had to rely on their characters and premise to pull viewers. However, Granito is hoping that New York City will pull in more viewers.
Like Dead City’s recognizable New York, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is also relying on a famous setting. In Daryl Dixon, the titular character arrives in Paris and joins a group of survivors there.
AMC also plans to have promotional packaging at the aforementioned restaurants, including bagel bags and pizza boxes. Billboards advertising Dead City will be set in busy areas like times square and New York City bus stations. Promotions will also crop up on the Roku streaming service and Vizio TVs.
Dead City, which is set to be six episodes, will premiere on June 18th at 9 p.m. However, it will be available on AMC+ on Thursday, June 15th.