Building (and defending) a brand that can lead to the iron throne
Game of Thrones characters dealt with adversity against their brand, revealing clear parallels to the customer journey. Defend your kingdom with these tips.
During season 7 of Game of Thrones back in 2017, HBO announced that the beloved show would not be returning until an undisclosed date in 2019. To many, it seemed like a risk to take such a long hiatus.
There was a fear that the show would lose steam and the fan base would dwindle, investing in something else that was readily available.
How to create FOMO
“Never forget what you are; the rest of the world will not.”
But that wasn’t the case with HBO’s Game of Thrones. HBO had confidence the product they were selling, and knew they wouldn’t have to beg people to come back to their show. Their brand not only remained relevant after a nearly two-year hiatus, but also increased their fan base and turned loyal fans into fanatics.
The old saying once again rang true: absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Though it comes to an end this spring after eight seasons, the way HBO built the brand provides lessons on staying relevant and building FOMO for your brand through investing in a vision, creating a digital buzz, and finding the right partners.
Follow your vision
“A lion does not concern himself with the opinion of sheep.”
In a world where audience interests change daily and so many competitors are emerging, the hardest part of coming back after a break is staying relevant. For true Game of Thrones fans, it really has felt like the long winter since GOT finalied in August of 2017. Yet, in about 20 months, hype for the brand hasn’t died down.
Though new episodes weren’t pushed out in 2018, HBO didn’t hesitate to share what was in the works. Taping of the final season received great media attention. HBO ensured audiences interests remained piqued by “leaking” exclusive images from the taping throughout 2018.
During this time, show frontrunner Kit Harrington (aka Jon Snow) and former GOT costar and real-life love, Rose Leslie, tied the knot. Their relationship was something that fans followed faithfully over the years, and when the cast and crew had the day off from taping to celebrate the wedding day, it was big news.
Shortly after the finale of season 7, HBO announced the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience, which premiered in 2016, led by Game of Thrones composer, Ramin Djawadi, would be expanding to a world tour in 2018.
In addition, for several years there was heavy speculation about possible prequels for the GOT series. During the hiatus, HBO announced a pilot was picked up.
HBO was able to keep their brand relevant by making it appear there was no absence at all. When they couldn’t push out anything new, they stayed in the forefront of their consumers’ minds by sharing their roadmap, vision, and events of interest.
Brands can’t rest on their laurels
“The day will come when you think you are safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth.”
It’s hard to believe, but many companies still don’t realize the importance of continuous investment in digital channels. Since the finale of season 7, a top google search is, “When is game of thrones season 8 premiering.” The interest in this didn’t die off as the winter wore on.
One avenue that HBO properly leveraged to keep audiences engaged was @GameofThrones social channels. In fact, it’s hard to believe that any other area worked harder than their social media team during the offseason. During every relevant holiday or big event, they posted gifs and clips from past seasons to build nostalgia and anticipation for their brand.
Through digital tactics, they created a crescendo of teasers leading up to the big event and season premiere in April. It started with a trailer revealing only that Game of Thrones would return in 2019. Then another showing it would return in April. Then, finally another revealing the April 14th, 2019 date.
During the hiatus, digital channels pushed the new hashtag #ForTheThrone, which quickly became a top trend on Twitter. This was accompanied by a campaign with celebrity support encouraging fans to re-watch seasons one to seven to be fully prepared for the season eight premiere. The campaign featured the likes of Kristin Chenoweth, Aaron Rogers, T-Pain, and Jimmy Kimmel.
Through digital channels, GOT also pushed coverage of their brand in the Comic Con Experience globally, while stars participated in the official Game of Thrones panels. All avenues finally led up to the big reveal, the official season 8 trailer.
The trailer premiered on March 5th 2019, and it took only moments for enthusiasts to start analyzing every detail.
HBO was able to create FOMO for their brand by heavily investing in the digital channels where their core audience spends most of their time.
Channeling Jon Snow: Building your kingdom with digital commerce
In the Game of Thrones, Jon Snow survives and wins by being resourceful. Brands can learn a lot about outsmarting competition via GOT.
Finding the right partners to create FOMO
“The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives.”
There’s not much to recall from Super Bowl 53, but what was memorable was Bud Light’s new commercial that ended up being an ad for season 8 of Game of Thrones.
HBO turned one of the most-watched television events in America into an opportunity to partner with Bud Light, creating hype for the upcoming season. Super Bowl ads are expensive, and the partnership offered a way for both companies to share expenses and get the most bang for their buck. This tactic made customers more eager for an official trailer for the final season of GOT, which wouldn’t be revealed for another month.
Recently, HBO partnered with the American Red Cross to promote their brand while supporting a good cause. In their “Bleed for the Throne” campaign, HBO used the slogan “join the fight for the living”, encouraging fans to donate blood and funds.
In addition, their partnership with the online fundraising platform, Omaze, raffled an experience to Meet the Game of Thrones Cast at the final season premiere, with the proceeds supporting Autism research. This raffle was selected almost a year in advance of the premiere of season eight.
Most recently, show frontrunner Emile Clarke (aka Daenerys Targaryen) raffled the opportunity to watch the season premiere with her and attend an after-party in New York City. The proceeds supported physical rehabilitation programs.
These partnerships developed positive hype for the brand and opened other areas of investment, while demonstrating the GOT brand was purpose-driven.
HBO was able to create FOMO for GOT by investing in their vision, creating digital buzz, and finding the right partners. After 20 months, lifelong fans and new additions are eagerly anticipating winter, which arrives April 14th.
