San Diego Comic-Con 2025: A Blueprint for Building Hype, Elevating Engagement, and Prolonging ImpactSan Diego Comic-Con 2025: A Blueprint for Building Hype, Elevating Engagement, and Prolonging Impact
San Diego Comic-Con 2025 demonstrates how major events can effectively build pre-event hype, elevate on-site engagement, and extend post-event impact through strategic activations, partnerships, and merchandise—offering valuable lessons for experiential marketers and event planners alike.
August 4, 2025
San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) is one of the most influential fan conventions in the world, maxing out the 2.6 million square-foot San Diego Convention Center’s 135,000-attendee capacity. This year’s event took place July 24-27 and despite being consumer-focused by nature, SDCC is a case study for experiential experts, corporate planners, and trade show organizers alike seeking to build hype pre-event, elevate engagement on-site, and prolong impact post-event.
Build Hype
Teasing limited-edition merchandise, surprise appearances, and exclusive access are at the core of generating buzz. The San Diego Convention Center itself piggybacks on the anticipation of SDCC each year by releasing a special-edition batch of just 7,500 chocolate bars in unique flavors.
“We have been making the craft chocolate bars since 2016,” said Maren Dougherty, the executive director of marketing and communications at the San Diego Convention Center Corporation. It’s become so much of a tradition that “we frequently hear from attendees who keep the wrappers as a souvenir of their time in San Diego,” she said.
Courtesy of San Diego Convention Center
Ahead of Comic-Con, the convention center announced the lineup of flavors for its craft bars: Flying Saucer (milk chocolate with coffee beans, toffee, and brownie brittle); Home Run Bar (dark chocolate with pretzels, pecans, and sea salt potato chips); Pop Star Party (white chocolate with strawberry cream and puffed rice); and Saga of the S'mores (milk chocolate with toasted marshmallows and graham crackers).
Fandom’s SDCC party also generated hype by announcing that The All-American Rejects would be headlining its event, which took place on the first night on the convention at FLOAT at the Hard Rock Hotel.
In addition, nearby taqueria City Tacos added to the anticipation with a ‘Twas the Night Before Comic-Con Trivia Night on July 23. The eatery’s 10,000-square-foot outdoor footprint was transformed into a Comic-Con wonderland for the to-do, promising “nerdy knowledge, epic costumes, and tasty prizes.”
Fellow Gaslamp Quarter restaurant Barleymash was converted into a mock Blockbuster just in time for SDCC, drawing on all the nostalgia of the retired video store. Just downstairs, Ginger’s played host to Comic-Con Kickoff Karaoke. The themed events not only fueled the city’s excitement for the four-day event but also showcased how the convention serves as a powerful economic engine for downtown San Diego’s bars and restaurants.
Elevate Engagement
Sure, SDCC is ripe with the hottest franchises, including Marvel, Star Wars, and beyond. But the real ROI lies not just in promoting and showcasing IP but also in celebrating their loyal fandom culture. How? By making attendees feel like insiders.
Take Google Play “Rewards Lab,” which didn't just promote the recently released Marvel Studios film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps—it transformed passersby into the heroes themselves. Visitors stepped onto an oversized conveyor belt and entered themed pods where they could stretch like Mister Fantastic, bend light like the Invisible Woman, or smash through digital obstacles like The Thing.
Inside the convention center, California-based experiential agency AKJOHNSTON (AKJ) brought Marvel’s First Family to life with a reimagined exhibitor space that felt more like a tribute than a trade show booth. Fans explored a museum-style display of costumes, walked through a replica of Yancy Street, and posed with the family’s robotic sidekick, H.E.R.B.I.E., which “added in-world realism to the booth,” said AKJ founder and CEO Austin Johnston.
Another case study: Shudder’s presentation of “Clown in a Cornfield—The Experience” at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, which transported guests into the plot of the upcoming AMC+ film. First, they walked the town square during the Founders Day parade, which gave way to a corn maze. Once through, the Shudder Survivors Party celebrated those who endured with photo ops, games, and exclusive giveaways.
In the spirit of getting attendees in on the action, Peacock's Twisted Metal Bumper Battle crashed into THE LOT just in time for Comic-Con and dared adventurous fans of the television series to climb into a bumper car of their choice—which were modeled after the show’s iconic vehicles—and participate in a demolition derby reenactment.
“While the tournament narrative is our anchor, we also wanted to make sure we created a robust experience, where fans can spend meaningful time with us,” shared Jodi Arden, the vice president of events, activations, talent, and influencer engagement at Peacock.
“So to further immerse fans in the world of Twisted Metal, we layered in photo ops, displays of vehicles from the actual production, immersive characters, and a few surprise moments. These elements worked together to create a cohesive, story-driven environment that both honors the IP and puts the fan at the center,” she added.
In addition, STARZ showed original Spartacus fans at SDCC an exclusive trailer of Spartacus: House of Ashur, premiering this winter. Then, the brand treated Outlander devotees to a retrospective with stars Sam Heughan, Sophie Skelton, and Richard Rankin, followed immediately by a first look at Outlander: Blood of my Blood, coming Aug. 8. Between sessions, vocalist Raya Yarbrough, behind Outlander’s original theme song, performed live. The moment transformed into a singalong—a shared ritual that’s at the heart of what fandom is all about.
Prolong Impact
SDCC is a masterclass in extending impact, and merchandise plays a central role.
Canva, for instance, made for a natural partner at Marvel’s Print Shop (also produced by AKJ) located within its indoor expo space. Its message: “If you can dream it, you can design it.”
The Print Shop spotlighted Canva’s new Marvel-branded templates while simultaneously giving attendees something tangible to take home. A custom-designed, Marvel-themed piece of merch both reinforced the brand’s capabilities on-site and extended SDCC’s impact by serving as a personalized reminder of the experience post-event.
And at the “Rewards Lab,” participants’ efforts earned real-world rewards thanks to Google’s partnership with Monopoly GO! It was a prime example of cross-channel continuity. Exclusive Fantastic Four Fan Packs, enamel pins, signed comics, and even Citizen watches were awarded to Google Play Points members who stopped by the interactive space.
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