Brace yourselves, “Game of Thrones” fans: the wait for the HBO hit series’ fifth season is almost over, with the premiere slated for Sunday night.
But you aren’t the only ones preparing for your Sunday nights to get bloody and sexy again. HBO itself is luring its fans and tapping into their excitement, asking them to catch Daenerys Targaryen’s missing dragon Drogon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by capturing a GIF of his using the hashtag #CatchDrogon.
Moreover, like last year, several brands, platforms and publishers spinning their own puns and references — this time, several days in advance.
Here’s how some brands are preparing for #ThronesDay.
Hootsuite
Gearing up for next week’s episode of #GameofThrones? You’ve never seen Westeros like this: https://t.co/UuFDEooz4b pic.twitter.com/w5YhG6tab4
— Hootsuite (@hootsuite) April 5, 2015
The social media management platform went all out, creating its own rendition of the Game of Thrones’ theme song and replacing the kingdoms of Westeros with the “social kingdoms” of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn. Some sleek marketing there, Hootsuite. But negative points for recycling it from last year. Disqus
#GameOfThrones Comments As Told by Cute Animals https://t.co/pXoLM76efS pic.twitter.com/oimRo4vjWf — Disqus (@disqus) April 9, 2015
Disqus hedged its bets: While GoT is the current flavor on the Internet, puppies and kittens are evergreen. And so the commenting system merged the two.
Someecards
Too close. https://t.co/NAeRPMd4b2 (via @SamPasternack) #NationalSiblingsDay #GameOfThrones pic.twitter.com/ymbwQqaOCt
— someecards (@someecards) April 10, 2015
Living up to its reputation for making tongue-in-cheek e-cards, Someecards celebrated the series’ return and “National Siblings Day” on Friday poking fun at the incestuous relationship between siblings Cercei and Jamie Lannister on the show.
Comedy Central
.@GameOfThrones: It’s their s**t. #GoT https://t.co/apdvGQkrGk
— Key & Peele (@KeyAndPeele) April 9, 2015
The channel enlisted its famous comedians Key & Peele to hilariously recap the fourth season of Game of Thrones.
MTV
The #GameOfThrones characters… as peanuts. Thank you, @stevecasino1: https://t.co/pwNVAClob3 pic.twitter.com/t2lnZCcNlt
— MTV (@MTV) April 10, 2015
Game of Thrones can get pretty nuts and MTV illustrated that very well, roping in Steve Casino — a painter of nuts in real life — to carve out the defining moments of season four.
Brewery Ommegang
Send a raven! Today’s the day! Our @Game of Thrones-inspired #ThreeEyedRavenSaison is on sale. https://t.co/zU7sMvVmCT pic.twitter.com/SzMG9x6kd6 — Brewery Ommegang (@BreweryOmmegang) April 6, 2015
This brewery loved the series so much, it crafted an entire new brew of ale inspired by it. Let’s hope it sets their fans’ beer glasses clinking as they watch the latest season.
Sesame Street
The Game of Chairs determines who will be king or queen of Jesteros. Who will take the crown? https://t.co/vgrsz1gUxs — Sesame Street (@sesamestreet) April 6, 2015
In this parody of Game of Thrones, the fictional setting of the show “Westeros” becomes “Jesteros” and Sesame Street battles it out for chairs instead of thrones.
More in Marketing
At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Mastercard joins a pack of consumer brands flocking to Formula One
For marketers looking to align their brands with F1’s expanded appeal to audiences, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is providing a slip road into the sport.
Why PepsiCo and EA are expanding their partnership into mobile: A Q&A with PepsiCo vp of global sports and entertainment partnerships Adam Warner
The planned, multi-year nature of PepsiCo’s integration into “EA Sports FC” reflects that both PepsiCo and Electronic Arts are playing the long game as they look to step up the presence of ads inside and beyond EA’s portfolio of sports titles.
Key takeaways from Digiday’s 2024 Gaming Advertising Forum
Now that gaming has gone from a buzzword to a regular presence in brands’ media mix, marketers are more closely scrutinizing the value and ROI of their investments in this channel — and the platforms are rising to the challenge. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from this week’s Gaming Advertising Forum.