Showtime Spills Red Blood in Fountains to Hype Dexter

Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain and water features created in other cities will run red Sept. 27 in a stunt to draw attention to season two of Showtime’s serial killer drama Dexter.

The network and its agency, Pop2Life -- Creative Marketing & Promotion will use existing or custom-built fountains in 14 cities, each running water dyed red and cordoned off with branded tape.

For instance, in Times Square in Manhattan, a 15-foot-tall fountain was installed overnight so it would be functional by rush hour. Street teams in Dexter lab coats passed out free DVDs and other Showtime premiums.

The Chicago gambit is the finale of the day, where it’s 1.5 million gallons will be colored red and illuminated with lights.

Other cities targeted for the stunt are Los Angeles (Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave.); Philadelphia's Love Park fountain; Washington D.C.'s Union Station; Faneuil Hall in Boston; Smith and Clay streets in Houston; the Shops at Sunset Place in Miami; the Denver Pavilions; Keiner Plaza in St. Louis; PPG Place in Pittsburgh; Paris Hotel in Las Vegas; the Capital Commons in Indianapolis and Desert Ridge Marketplace in Phoenix.