Active Octopus Creative Agency
Sarasota, Fl
The Ringling Ghost
Client: Ringling College of Art & Design – BFA Film Department
Category: Strategic & Integrated Campaigns | 143c. Digital Marketing Campaign
About Project
The Ringling Ghost campaign was created to give the Ringling College BFA Film Department its first defined digital identity. With no budget, no marketing team, and no institutional support, one faculty member partnered with BFA sophomores and juniors to build a brand platform through storytelling rather than traditional advertising.
We expanded an 80-year campus ghost legend into a full narrative framework and produced a 23-minute mockumentary that naturally showcased student spaces, culture, and production capacity. A coordinated, multi-stage rollout followed. Cryptic Instagram posters and a 20-second teaser trailer drove viewers to a dedicated microsite (theringlingghost.com), which featured a countdown to the YouTube watch-party premiere and “investigation” materials that introduced the fictional figure Ewan Gillies and deepened the lore.
At the scheduled premiere, the film launched alongside additional student work to immediately populate the department’s new YouTube channel and establish an ongoing content identity. Within the first 60 days, the campaign generated 35,000+ organic views, thousands of watch-hours, and a stable recurring-viewer pattern, all achieved with zero spend. The project now anchors long-term identity-building efforts for the Film Department.
Case Study: https://www.activeoctopus.com/brand-strategy-consultant-sarasota
Credits
Creative Direction & Writing: Matt Gissing (Active Octopus)
Executed by: Ringling College BFA Film Students (Sophomores & Juniors)
Client: Ringling College of Art & Design - BFA Film Department
