Surrounded by synths

UK – The lines between reality and fantasy are blurred in Channel 4’s new ad campaign for Humans.

• The campaign is focused on a fake product recall of malfunctioning robots
• Channel 4 has created a Messenger bot on Facebook Messenger, which functions as a faulty synth, the show's term for human-like robots

Building on last year’s campaign, which brought the fictitious company Persona Synthetics to life with a faux Regent Street shop front, this year Channel 4 has launched tv and print ads based on the premise of a faulty synth recall.

The broadcaster has created the campaign to tie in with the series’ narrative, in which synths begin to demonstrate autonomy from their owners. Users can interact with a Facebook Messenger bot, while vans bearing Persona Synthetics branding have been dispatched around the country to create a fully immersive experience.

It is the first time that a Facebook Messenger bot has been used as part of a promotion for a television series. ‘This has shown what Messenger can be for the tv and broadcast industry in the UK, and has put Facebook at the heart of this ground-breaking partnership,’ says Nick Callaghan, agency partner at Facebook.