7 Valuable Marketing Lessons from Game of Thrones Series
The most talked about series in 2019.
7 Valuable Marketing Lessons from Game of Thrones Series
Game of Thrones has finally ended with their last episode for the final season aired on 20th May 2019. Here are 7 valuable marketing lessons from Game of Thrones series has thought us.
Before that, this fantasy TV series which comprise of 8 seasons was created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss and was based on George R. R. Martin’s bestselling series of novels, A Song of Ice and Fire.
Although the ending drives fans crazy with some demand for a remake of the whole Season 8, Game of Thrones is by far the most watched TV series with over 100 million viewers around the globe, excluding online viewers.
And not to mention, it is the most expensive TV shows ever made according to fortune.com, with costs for the final season reaching $15 million per episode.
The hype and excitement for the last season can be seen around the world and Kuala Lumpur didn’t miss the heat. Speculations passing around the internet with fans theories on the last season are really making us all feel the “Winter” is coming.
Blood, Brutality and Breasts to Make the Top Notch Combination to Attract Viewers
Inducing film nudity, grimness and bloodiness, the kind of naughtiness which captures the audience’s attention.
But, how did they become so popular when initially, the novel adaptation viewers were only the book readers? One thing you’ll learn from Game of Thrones is that the combination of Blood, Brutality, and Breasts make Game of Thrones the most watched TV series with millions of viewers worldwide.
The TV series gains its popularity somewhere between Season 3 and Season 4 when producers inject elements of nudity into the franchise, results in attracting 5 million viewers a week according to Ken Tucker via BBC.
Apart from sexuality, Game of Thrones represents brutality through its sword-and-sandals storyline which provides a form of escapism to its viewers and theoretically the reason the series gains its reputation and became HBO’s most popular show ever.
The fantasy element which is not tied to any history line and drives people away from reality is an attraction that increases the reputation of the series, which works incredibly well.
Word of Mouth Speculation, Teasers and Digitalize Marketing Drives the Fans Crazy
Fans are sharing content from Games of Thrones which propelled their awareness further.
Adding to the fantasy elements are the speculations and teasers passing around the internet, which are basically like free advertising to the TV series. Fans are making their own theories, and Westeros themed memes all over the internet adhered the marketing of Game of Thrones, which results in a massive gain of viewers over each season.
It is the norm of today’s generation to jump into the bandwagon, and not to miss out on everything they see on the internet.
Online marketing makes the best marketing ever in light of the fact that it has the ability to reach unlimited audiences, and the pressure not to like something everyone like is real.
We’ve to admit the Game of Throne franchise is far different from other previous successful movies franchise like Harry Potter and Star Wars and this is all because of the internet.
The sensation and heat of the TV series can be seen happening worldwide and all is done via the internet and does not rely solely on the old-fashioned advertising.
The way HBO does in building the TV series reputation via various social media platform is seen as a contributing factor to their digital presence. They’re riding the wave of marketing evolution and embark on the online platform is the way to go.
HBO Asia Hyped the Last Season by Taking a Dragon for a Stroll around Klang Valley
The Night King and Viserion are on a stroll. Photo by Choo Choi May via Malay Mail Online.
And the way they integrate the offline and online world is just perfect and makes them even more sensational. HBO Asia brings a Viserion from Game of Thrones for a stroll around Klang Valley for fans to take their selfies and post on the social media, to stand a chance to win exciting prizes.
The full utilization of the online and offline advertising platform are working ridiculously great for the TV series.
All we can see are fans going insane with the physical appearance of the fantasy characters and posting their selfies with the Dragon on their social media, is another form of advertising for Game of Thrones.
The brand awareness the series are gaining is really phenomenal and all is just done by creating excitement.
The Iron Throne is coming to KL and Fans are ready in their Westeros-Themed Cosplays
The fancy cosplay and the iron throne. Photo by Gem Yen.
The final season premiere happening at TGV Cinemas in 1 Utama displays the phenomenon Iron Throne and fans are arriving in their Westeros-Themed cosplays.
Part of their offline marketing strategy, the appearance of the iconic Iron Throne in major cities around the globe is said to be one of the brilliant selling approach, which HBO admit to spending a fortune to make it happen.
They’re investing to spread the brand awareness and they’re gaining so much reputation over their effort.
The Coffee Cup Mishap Drives the Internet Crazy and the Producers Crazier
Whatever the brand was, the coffee cup incident cost major free publicity for Starbucks.
However, in the midst of the sensation and the airing of the last season, a coffee cup showed up in Episode 4 during a scene of Daenerys Targaryen.
The coffee cup, which is said to resemble the famous Starbucks cup, appeared on a table and obviously out of the context of the entire background of the TV series. How did this happen?
Some movie makers and producers commented on the mishap as an impossible mistake, in view that before an episode was released; it has to go through a series of editing and reviewing.
So, are the Makers of Game of Thrones couldn’t care less about the coffee cup? HBO apparently removes the coffee cup from the episode for the streaming version, but still, the fans are talking about the incident.
On the bright side, the coffee cup had actually resulted in approximately $2.3 billion worth of free advertising for Starbucks, according to CNBC News Portal.
Although later on, the producers announced that the cup was not from Starbucks, still, the amount of reputation and free advertising Starbucks gain were irreversible.
Water Bottle Spotted in the Last Episode for the Final Season – Another Mishap or Intentional?
Intentionally or not, fans are still talking about it.
And after the coffee cup, during the last episode for the last season, another mishap happened. Fans were more upset than ever.
This time, two plastic water bottles showed up, half hidden behind the feet of Samwell Tarly’s and another appeared behind Ser Davos’ chair.
Although the water bottles weren’t as obvious as the coffee cup, the incident draws the fans attention towards the TV series maker as the mistake represent lack of detail editing. The final work wasn’t polished enough to be deemed as the best TV series of the century.
Another series of critics passed throughout the internet, and this time, people start doubting the incident to be accidental but were truly intentional to ensure they make sensational headlines.
Purposely or not, the water bottles were not supposed to be in the scene, and fans are truly buzzing over the incident.
Bigger Audiences Attract Big Brands for Collaboration
Big brands are collaborating with the series. Photo by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®.
The number of viewers and fans are drawing the attention of big brands like Adidas, Oreo, Urban Decay, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf®, and Spotify to collaborate with the TV series franchise.
Although eight years ago the franchise is not really attracting big brands to collaborate with them, it is a totally different picture today.
For instance, Adidas is collaborating with Game of Thrones in producing a series of men running shoes under the commercial name of “ULTRA BOOST X GAME OF THRONES SHOES”.
The shoes were made according to the colours and details of the noble families and warring factions of the Seven Kingdoms from the TV series, which is one of the hyped and fast selling merchandise.
On the other hand, Urban Decay, a famous makeup brand is introducing a Game of Thrones makeup series which features the fantasy element from the famous TV series.
If one coffee cup could result in $2.3 billion worth of free advertising for Starbucks, imagine the amount of profit, these brand collaborations are making.
Conclusion
Marketing can create a huge impact on brands if it’s done right.
We’ve to admit that Game of Thrones is not only giving impacts to its fans and viewers but how marketing is being done in this digitalized era as well. Through these 7 valuable marketing lessons from Game of Thrones series, we can learn how to utilise a viral content for publicity.
Old fashioned marketing through TV, radio and print advertising are not granting brand awareness as much as embarking the online platform. If you want to go big, the internet is the way to go.
