Shipwrecked

Shipwrecked is a pirate themed immersive indoor mini-golf and arcade establishment in Brooklyn, that houses a golf course inside of a New York City subway car. Their revenue was concentrated in one place: min-golf. But Shipwrecked offered more than just the mini-golf experience: mini-escape rooms, the new Qbix 5D immersive gaming they added in the arcade, and hosting private events not just for kids, but adults. The challenge was to promote these multiple offerings inside an experience, without breaking the experience.

In a world of noise, the most powerful message is one that doesn't scream the loudest. In a capitalistic-driven world where we are oversaturated with constant stimuli in this attention grabbing economy, we are trained to tune out anything that looks or sounds like an ad. Instead we lean into things that feel like they belong — things that whisper to us, things that reward our attention reserved for ones clever enough to get it. New Yorkers especially have a big radar for authenticity, and can stiff the performative-try-hard BS from a mile away. We don’t have any tolerance for BS, but we do have a deep nostalgic relationship with the subway. An MTA poster is more than an ad. It’s wallpaper, momentarily relief of boredom, a safe haven to take refuge from meeting eyes with strangers. The ads integrate not only into our daily commute but culture itself.

NYC Subway Ad Poster series highlighting the three different offerings: Escape Rooms, QBIX, Events / Private Parties. The subway-car hole provides the perfect authentic anchor — real look-alike-MTA Ads displayed inside the immersive golf course. The solution uses subtle adult humor and interactive elements to make promotion feel native and playful, not salesy. This invites adults to appreciate the cleverness, expanding the venue’s appeal to different demographics without alienating families. The promotion is the experience.