Introduction
In September 2015, Game of Thrones became a part of history when it won 12 of 24 possible Emmy Awards. Among them, the top awards, such as the best drama series award and the best direction, deserve specific attention. There is no doubt that the results above are inseparably associated with high ratings in viewership. While many people are surprised by the popularity of this Home Box Office (HBO) series, others understand that its reputation in the whole world is a result of both the filming process and effective marketing strategy. Thus, Game of Thrones is an example of an integrated marketing strategy that has contributed significantly to the success of this series.
Highlights of HBO’s History
HBO was founded in 1972 and soon became the first television network that delivered its services via satellite. It took a few years for the company to account for almost 10 million subscribers in 1982. At first, HBO specialized in broadcasting various movies, but then, it started producing its own content and broadcasting sports and cultural events. In the 1990s, the company created its first series and comedy shows, including Sex and the City, The Larry Sanders Show, and others. An ad-free business model is another peculiar feature of HBO that has made it popular among numerous subscribers. Furthermore, it was in 2015 when the company launched “HBO Now,” a web-only subscription service. In other words, people did not need to have a cable subscription to watch HBO programming. Consequently, this company is considered a leading TV company that is famous both in the US and worldwide for its innovative decisions.
The Beginning of Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones was created as an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George Martin’s fantasy novels. These literary works impressed David Benioff and Daniel Weiss, and the two wanted to turn them into TV series. Martin agreed to let them adapt the books only when Benioff and Weiss managed to name John Snow’s mother. Then, they contacted HBO that decided to purchase the rights of the novels and deal with filming. The production process began in 2010, and Season 1 accounted for a staggering budget of $60 million. Separate episodes of the series were filmed in Northern Ireland, Iceland, Spain, the US, and other world countries, which contributed to the excellent scenery of the work. As a result, the show debuted on television in 2011.
Integrated Marketing Strategy and its Components
As has been mentioned, Game of Thrones is an example of an effective marketing strategy that has contributed significantly to the popularity of the show. The principal goal of such an approach is to make the audience engaged in the series and its continuation. Thus, the corresponding marketing efforts had begun long before 2011 and included public announcements, posters, and other materials. In general, the given strategy consisted of the digital marketing component, specific social media campaigns, and outdoor stunts.
Digital Marketing Component
HBO drew significant attention to digital marketing of the show under consideration. The users of such platforms as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr were engaged to find and share some information concerning the series. Each of these platforms could provide fans with exciting and unique content. For example, the Facebook page contained videos, quotes, visuals, and appropriate quizzes to heighten the interest to the show between seasons. Then, the Twitter page offered many GIFs, while the number of followers’ tweets increased significantly after every death or revelation in the series. Furthermore, the YouTube channel demonstrated extended interviews and behind the scenes videos to make the audience engaged in discussing various events in the world of Game of Thrones. In addition to that, the marketing component included multiple websites and blogs featuring the show.
Social Media Campaigns
Aside from providing numerous fans with relevant information, HBO also launched a few specific campaigns. Firstly, it refers to the Beautiful Death campaign that preceded the Season 4 premiere. It had started 30 days before the start of the season and included 30 illustrations to depict significant deaths from the previous episodes. Take the Throne was another campaign to encourage the fans to include the hashtag of #TakeTheThrone in their tweets. In 2014, letters and words from those tweets were used to create a digital Iron Throne. Furthermore, an online dragon hunt preceded the Season 5 premiere. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram users were asked to invent their own ways of how to catch a dragon. The Catch the Dragon campaign resulted in numerous physical prizes for the most creative fans.
Outdoor Stunts
Even though the series focused mainly on digital marketing, some outdoor promotions also contributed to its success. Firstly, those promotions included themed food trucks in Los Angeles and New York. Secondly, a massive dragon skull was installed on the Jurassic Coast in 2013. Finally, Bishops Square in London witnessed a 3D painting of the wall of ice. This information proves that various outdoor stunts were useful to allure Game of Thrones fans.
Marketing Results
Some staggering marketing results have already been mentioned, and the significant popularity of the series across the whole world is the most principal among them. Various components of the marketing strategy made people anticipate new episodes and discuss them on social media. As a result, it did not matter whether a season ended or was about to be broadcast because the fans always faces newsworthy events to start discussing John Snow, the Lannisters, and others.
Game of Thrones Multichannel Engagement
One can note that multichannel engagement was significant, which was proved according to Season 4. As statistical data demonstrate, the given show was significantly popular among the audience. Thus, it was the most used and discussed topic in forums, blogs, and news programs. Twitter was the only social platform where Game of Thrones ranked the second popular topic after The Walking Dead. However, even this second place made it impossible to deny the high engagement of the audience in the series.
Assessment of the Fans
According to HBO, people of 18-49 years old considered the series the most popular TV show. Game of Thrones Season 1 demonstrated a solid start with approximately 3.3 million viewers. In addition to that, the viewing audience grew with every following season reaching more than 8 million viewers in 2015 even despite constant criticism of violence and sex scenes. Consequently, the given popularity contributed to an increase in HBO’s viewership base and revenues.
Personal Opinion
The present information proves that Game of Thrones has had significant success in the whole world. HBO has managed to make numerous fans interested in the show from the very beginning till the end. As far as my personal opinion is concerned, the show does not need further seasons because they will find it challenging to meet the high expectations of the audience. Furthermore, the announcement of Game of Thrones’ final season is the element of a marketing campaign that results in even higher viewership rates and buzz on social media.