At San Diego Comic-Con, where the world's biggest entertainment franchises compete for attention, HBO Max’s niche, R-rated series, Peacemaker, needed to generate Season 2 buzz. Peacemaker fans appreciate subversive humor, punk aesthetics, and characters who embrace being outsiders. We had to steal attention from brands with massive budgets and built-in fandoms by celebrating Peacemaker’s unique, outcast energy. Peacemaker has an iconic, hair-metal soundtrack. Like Peacemaker himself, hair metal is unapologetically loud, theatrical, and different. It transforms misfits into rock stars. At SDCC, where everyone dreams of being a hero, hair metal could make every fan dream of playing in Peacemaker’s band. We subverted the standard SDCC activation model—a quick walkthrough after a two-hour wait—and built a full-blown music festival, transforming the offsite into PEACEFEST: a three-day hair metal festival where outcasts are the headliners. PEACEFEST was the first Comic-Con activation to function as a legitimate music festival, delivering 45-minute concerts with live bands like Foxy Shazam (revealed as the Season 2 title track band). More than a show promotion, we gave under-appreciated hair metal bands the epic spotlight they’ve always deserved. We reimagined music festival-style brand activations as immersive character zones that rewarded exploration, including Harcourt's Knockout bar, a biker bar with free drinks, punching bags and dartboards where fans took aim at Season 1 villains, and Economos' Ops Station, where fans played Mortal Kombat as Peacemaker to win prizes. To create true FOMO, the venue played exclusive video content from star John Cena in full costume, welcoming fans with Peacemaker’s irreverent humor. Select fans were also invited to a hidden, sought-after meet-and-greet with Peacemaker’s sidekick, Eagly—a real, live eagle, in partnership with the American Eagle Association. Media hailed PEACEFEST as a standout, and the SDCC Unofficial Blog named it “Unofficial Champion of SDCC.” The highest compliment came from Peacemaker creator and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, who said, “I think we should bring [Peacefest] all around the world. I don’t think we should end it here.” THE NUMBERS: • 4,000+ attendees over three days • 45-minute average dwell time (nearly unprecedented for Comic-Con offsites) • 296 earned media mentions generating 1.19 billion impressions • 41.6K social engagements reaching 19.6 million views