The series “Game of Thrones” is returning to HBO on March 31st and the social media team behind the show has been busy. Facebook is riddled with this season’s new theme, the shadow of a soaring dragon. As a huge Game of Thrones fan, I have found these well-placed Facebook ads extremely effective at getting me excited for the new season.
If you take a look at the pictures being added to Facebook, you can see imagery of the dragon shadow all over the world. One plastered to the side of a HBO headquarters building along with multiple images on the side of double-decker buses. These images show viewers on Facebook that people are excited for the new season all over the globe.
One of my favorite ads they present is the dragon shadow taking a full-page ad on a newspaper. Along with these very creative visual advertisements, the marketing team has been adding the link to the brand new season 3 trailer for the show, giving fans the ability to see what new adventures await them in a month. If you decide to look at the show’s Facebook page, they provide you with tons of art based on the characters and scenes from the books and the show, all of which is very impressive and really immerses the viewer into the Game of Thrones universe. Under many of the photos and art on the page are questions for the fans, such as “who is your favorite Game of Thrones Character?” Asking fans to even submit some of their own Game of Thrones artwork. The page also entices you to “like” their page by offering you exclusive Facebook fan rewards in their online social game.
Game of Thrones on Facebook really hit the nail on the head when it came to providing its fans with consistent content and the ability for fans to bring some of their own passion for the books and the series to the table.
Chuck- Love the post. I totally am with you on Game of Thrones, such an awesome show. I still haven’t found time to read the books, but I hear they’re even better (hard to believe with how well the show is produced). I also noticed their engaging activity on Facebook in the months leading to the premiere. I even saw a FB app that allowed users to log in and play Game of Thrones as a role player video game. I think their use of content and them blurring the lines between content and advertising has really been successful for them.