CorpComms Magazine

Blockbuster Contagion has yet to open in the UK, but its opening in Canada last week was promoted by the world's first bacterial crawling billboard.

Two giant Petri dishes, planted with a range of specially grown coloured bacteria, were placed in the window of an abandoned Toronto shop and, over five days, the mouldy advert grew to spell out the movie title CONTAGION. 

The world's first truly viral billboard was a fitting way to promote Contagion, starring Matt Damon and Kate Winslet, about a lethal pandemic that rapidly spreads and the desperate race to find a vaccine.

The growth of the viral ad was captured on film, and posted on YouTube.

The project was created by CURB Media, the self-styled 'natural media company', which was approached by Warner Bros. Founder Anthony Ganjou said: 'More and more brands are approaching CURB to help create viral content, although not quite this literally. Not only did Warner Bros. require bacteria, which grew over a specific time but colours and clearly defined shapes as well.'

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