‘Candy Crush’ Ad Beams Above New York City Via 500 Drones
Images via 169684434 © Alpar Benedek | Dreamstime.com and Candy Crush Saga’s Instagram Stories
A rush of sugar shot to the New York City skyline in the form of some 500 drones on Thursday evening to celebrate the 10th anniversary of mobile hit game Candy Crush Saga.
A mobile advertisement like no other, the LED light display took the shapes of the ‘Play’ button, characters, and puzzle pieces, which danced in the sky in choreography mirroring the experience of swiping the candy in the game.
For its birthday, the brand wanted to “turn the sky into the largest screen on the planet,” described the game’s chief marketing officer Fernanda Romano (via Gothamist).
The saccharine lightshow was executed by Pixis, which has wedged itself in the advertising and event spaces with its elaborate drone displays, and lasted for 10 minutes.
The stunt took off from New Jersey’s Liberty State Park to keep within state lines. The state’s parks usually disallow the deployment of drones, but Candy Crush secured a permit, as well as obtained a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration, to host the event in federal airspace.
The performance was designed to be visible by passersby within a mile radius of Battery Park. As cheerful as the candy-accented visuals were, they also left a bitter taste in the mouths of some eco-conscious residents, who argued that the drones contributed to visual pollution and would have confused the birds, given that it’s migration season.
Dustin Partridge, director of conservation and science at NYC Audubon, told Gothamist that it was a good thing it was dark outside, as the Hudson “is an important flyway for birds.”
CandyCrush’s NYC drone show off of Battery Park was fairly underwhelming and distant. Drones taking off and landing were the coolest part.
— Andrew Nathanson (@andrewnathanson) November 4, 2022
Cool technology, dumb execution. Drone shows need music, too.
C+ pic.twitter.com/saKekDHXTA
A heart is created by 500 drones over the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center during an advertising promotion for Candy Crush in New York City, Thursday evening #newyork #newyorkcity #nyc @agreatbigcity @pixisdrones #candycrush pic.twitter.com/YrRtVaMid2
— Gary Hershorn (@GaryHershorn) November 4, 2022
[via Gothamist and New York Post, images via various sources]
