Hawkins Heli-Tours by Izaak Flanders for MicrosoftWho liked - Hawkins Heli-Tours by Izaak Flanders for Microsoft

Izaak Flanders Creative Director

ABOUT

Challenge
Microsoft Flight Simulator has steadily built an iconic reputation as the world's leading hyper-realistic flying simulator. Stranger things has, for the past decade, crafted its own cult-following of STans (Stranger Things Fans) across the globe. As the holidays of 2026 neared, Boo was tasked with bringing these two very different worlds together for the release of a truly special Stranger Things x Microsoft Flight Simulator DLC.

Solution
We jumped off of the uncovered insight that for fans who've grown up with Stranger Things, Hawkins isn't just a backdrop, it's home. A 'home' that had never been re-created for them to actually explore, until now. The first ever full-digital twin of Hawkins. So rather than promoting the DLC as a conventional tie in, Boo launched an extravagant hidden-in-pain sight recruitment campaign for the Hawkins crew to find brave pilots to take to the skies - all fronted by an in-universe travel agency in Hawkins.  Developed in close collaboration with the Duffer Brothers, Studio lead Jorg Neumann, Netflix Music labs and Director-duo the Lynch Brothers, Boo developed a 360 campaign to bring a cheesy 80s travel agency to fans in-line with the launch of the final series. Covering multiple channels the campaign featured everything from a dedicated and operational travel agency phone line, an of-the-era compuserve webpage, limited edition merch to an ear-worm of a jingle, IRL heli-tours agency build and a 90s Audio-visual that felt plucked straight out of the era.