Turning Kill Dick Into a Cultural Rollout
When author Luke Goebel approached vici studio, the initial request was simple: create a website for an upcoming book release.
What began as a website project, quickly evolved into something much larger.
Recognizing the opportunity to build anticipation before launch, Founder & Creative Director Victoria Nilbrink developed the creative strategy, visual ecosystem, and social-first campaign that transformed the release of Kill Dick into a multi-platform experience spanning social media, press, experiential moments, merchandise, digital storytelling, and community engagement.
The goal wasn't simply to launch a novel. It was to create a world people wanted to step into.
Generated Interactions Engagement
237%
GROWTH PERFORMANCE
24K+
WEEKLY CONTENT PERFORMANCE (PEAK)
85%
VIEWS FROM NEW AUDIENCE
95% of engagement came from non-followers, demonstrating the campaign's ability to reach and resonate with entirely new audiences beyond the existing community.
The results? Jaw-dropping
CAMPAIGN IMPACT
17K+
VIEWS
10K+
ENGAGEMENT
95%
NON-FOLLOWERS
numbers don’t lie
The social launch campaign generated over 17,000 views and 10,000+ interactions within 30 days, with more than 85% of views and 95% of engagement coming from non-followers.
Through a combination of cinematic storytelling, motion graphics, editorial design, and culturally relevant content, the campaign successfully introduced the book to new audiences beyond its existing community.
Content performance increased by over 237% week-over-week, helping transform a traditional book launch into a highly shareable social experience.
This wasn’t about promoting a book.
It was about creating something people could discover.
Victoria Nilbrink built a visual identity and content ecosystem that encouraged conversation before release.
The campaign leaned into:
Mystery
Cultural relevance
Storytelling
Community participation
Social-first engagement
The objective was simple: create curiosity first.
Let the work speak for itself and the audience discover it. And that’s exactly what happened.
The Creative Ecosystem
What started as a website quickly became something much bigger. I built an ecosystem:
An editorial-first website (not a traditional book site)
A social world rooted in tone, mood, and narrative
A street-level campaign across Los Angeles, New York, and Miami
Press amplification that felt earned, not pushed
A cohesive visual identity system across every touchpoint
Everything was designed to feel like one unfolding story.
The Shift: From Promotion → Immersion
A lot of campaigns focus on promotion—this was about immersion.
Instead of pushing ads, my creative pulled people in.
Instead of explaining everything, I created curiosity.
The goal was curiosity before clarity.
It needed to feel discovered, not marketed.
And that’s when I knew things were changing—
When it stopped feeling like a launch…and started feeling like something people were finding on their own.
Why This Approach Works
This model borrows more from fashion, film, and art direction than traditional publishing.
It’s not about saturation.
It’s about intention.
In a world overloaded with ads and endless scrolling,
people are craving something different:
Mystery
Emotion
Connection
Story
We’re no longer marketing to consumers.
We’re speaking to people.
What I saw
I noticed engagement driven primarily by non-followers—which meant the story was moving beyond its existing audience.
People weren't simply liking the content. They were asking questions. Sharing it. Sending it to friends. Starting conversations. The LA Times even did an article on my the creative behind Kill Dick—not once did the article talk about the book but called out the unconventional marketing behind it.
Curiosity had become engagement.
Engagement had become word of mouth.
And suddenly, everyone was asking the same question:
"What is Kill Dick?"
Friends texted me. Industry peers reached out. Even my parents started getting calls from people asking about the project.
That's when I knew the campaign was no longer living on a screen.
It was living in conversation.
CAMPAIGN IMPACT
17K+
VIEWS
10K+
ENGAGEMENT
95%
NON-FOLLOWERS
Takeaway
This isn't just about books.
It's about how people connect with stories.
For years, marketing has focused on visibility—more impressions, more content, more noise. But attention alone isn't enough anymore.
People aren't looking for more things to consume.
They're looking for something to feel.
Something to talk about.
Something to belong to.
When we first started, we were on the ground in New York—handing out books, talking to strangers, listening to reactions.
One thing became clear:
People didn't just want information.
They wanted immersion. They didn't want to be marketed to. They wanted to be part of the story. And that's the shift.
The most effective campaigns aren't built around products.
They're built around people.
When we stop treating audiences like consumers and start seeing them as human beings, something changes.
The work moves beyond the screen.
It enters conversations.
Communities.
Culture.
That's where the magic happens.
— Victoria Nilbrink
Creative Director & Founder, VICI Studio
