People of the East and West, North and South have been eagerly preparing for this winter to come. Long awaited end of HBO's most watched TV Series Game of Thrones is near. The show aired in 2011 and soon The Song of Ice spread like Fire. Consumed by the hunger for the throne, the watchers have turned not just this show into a brand but an event that everyone celebrated in the past and will in the future. Under this undying circumstance of knowing what this GOT has to offer the watchers, a few brands marched along #ForTheThrone.
Hotstar being the online live streaming partner for GOT has proven their allegiance over the years. From the ‘Torrent Morghulis’ campaign that ran in the past years to the ‘Hodor to Spoilers’, ‘First to the Throne’ campaigns before the season premier connected with the audience on a large scale. More and more GOT viewers have subscribed to this OTT platform.
Johnnie Walker, a brand of Scotch whisky unveiled a limited-edition Scotch whisky called the White Walker. I had to struggle for almost 7-8 months to get my hands on it. The bottle when chilled or frosted, reveals a hidden design 'Winter is Here' on the side. With a stone embedded as the eye, the bottle is wrapped to give you the chills just like the experience beyond the wall.
Mountain Dew also launched a limited-edition Game of Thrones can inspired by Arya Stark's character. Just like the Johnnie Walker bottles reveal a message once chilled, these cans with a wrapped sleeve are white when kept warm, but once it turns cold, Arya’s kill list reveals itself. The company also added a teaser along with the launch, with a hashtag #ACanHasNoName. Valar Morghulis.
Oreo in its run for the throne, also teamed up with HBO to not just create limited edition cookies with stylised logos of House Lannister, House Stark, House Targaryen, and The Night King, but also went to the lengths of using approximately 2750 cookies to recreate the entire GOT title sequence where all the landscapes and forts are built with cookies. Oreo also led the campaign using the hashtag #GameofCookies.
Creating a makeup line inspired by Game of Thrones and brushes called 'Needle' and 'Longclaw' shaped as mini swords along with Lipsticks and highlighters packaged exclusively just before season 8, Urban Decay gets it right for the audience who do like having many faces.
With Game of Thrones new season and Easter around the corner, KOI Dessert Bar from Australia created their line of chocolate dessert eggs based on dragons Drogon & Viserion.
The most impressive brand engagement is by Shake Shack (Rholītso Rhakion’s), an American chain of burgers that introduced a limited-edition menu - 'Fire meets Ice' and a special way to order food in order to honour the GOT season 8. They are now serving The Dracarys Burger (Drakaro Parkliapos) and The Dragonglass Shake (Zīrtom Perzomy Rholītsos) and it will cost you nothing if you order in Valyrian, the fictional language from the show. You can learn the language from these pages that were stolen from the citadel.
The brand promises to deliver you the best ingredients and this is what they have to say.
The Dracarys Burger (Drakaro Parkliapos).
Double Monterey Jack cheeseburger topped with bacon and fiery Dracarys Sauce
This burger features a double Monterey Jack cheeseburger sourced from the finest head of cattle the Seven Kingdoms has to offer. The burger is first griddled by the fires of Drogon and Rhaegal, then topped with a fiery ShackSauce created from herbs and spices sourced from the conquered cities of Yunhai, Meeren and Astapor. The burger is then finished with slabs of bacon imported from Essos - a Dothraki delicacy. Caution: may be too hot for non-Targaryens.
The Dragonglass Shake (Zīrtom Perzomy Rholītsos)
Minted white chocolate custard topped with shards of Dragonglass
In keeping with our commitment to premium ingredients + thoughtful sourcing, the Dragonglass Shake is a prime example of the Wall-to-Table movement. Custard is frozen with packed snow harvested beyond the Wall and hand-churned by members of the Night’s Watch. Final prep occurs in Winterfell, where the shake is topped with shards of Dragonglass imported from the caves of Dragonstone. Please note supplies are limited as the Wall is currently undergoing major renovations.
The Dragonglass Shake will be available at Shacks nationwide (excluding stadiums, ballparks, transit centres and airports) throughout the final season while supplies last, and the Dracarys Burger will be available at select Shacks while supplies last!
With my attempt at Valyrian, I might not get a free burger but will definitely have a twisted tongue. Amazing communication brewing around the season 8 premiere. Personally, this one is my favourite.
While some brands tried to stay up the game, some did the walk of shame.
The Superbowl Ad collaboration between HBO and Budweiser was a drunken mistake. Budweiser was not less that Stannis Baratheon sacrificing his own daughter again #ForTheThrone. By killing its mascot 'Bud Knight', Budweiser did make a lot of fans unhappy. I hope Budweiser has a red lady of their own to get him back to life.
Adidas created a line of GOT shoes dedicating 6 different shoes to 6 different houses. It would have been exciting to the consumers if they came with some features or traits from these kingdoms rather than just looking like normal shoes snapped with the sigils from the favourite houses.
More and more brand allegiances are sworn to the promised king. Brands should never forget as quoted by Tyrion Lannister - “Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you.”
References: https://www.shakeshack.com/2019/04/11/fire-meets-ice-try-our-limited-edition-game-of-thrones-menu/
Image Courtesy: HBO
Partner
With 15+ years of spatial design experience, Sveta leads the team that helps extend brands to three-dimensional spaces. She has the ability to visualise intangible attributes such as brand positioning and translate them to materials, finishes and furniture in every space. Her belief is simple – ‘every detail in retail design has to reflect the brand.’ Over the years she has worked with some of the biggest brands in the hospitality and retail industry. At ABND, she is pivotal in projects that require branded interior design, retail design, way-finding and signage systems. Sveta is as defined and disciplined in dance as she is in her work!
March 1, 2018
The pioneer of liberal education in India, Pune based FLAME University is creating waves in liberating young minds. Over the years, the institution has built a reputation for itself that is significant enough to reckon with. Built on the methodology of psychologist Howard Gardner’s ‘multiple intelligence,’ there is a renewed focus on interdisciplinary learning. A vast array of options lies for students as there are over 250 unique major-minor combinations to choose from here. While you can major in subjects like Economics, Psychology, International Studies, Environmental Studies and Journalism, you can also graduate in Dance, Music, Theatre and Design. At FLAME, you could also do a BSc in Applied Mathematics and BBA degrees in Finance, Marketing, Communications Management, HRM, Operations and Entrepreneurship.
At a time when private players are still not trusted in the field of higher education, FLAME University is still a clear preference for young minds, owing to its unique approach. The string of collaborations it has made makes it an institution of excellence which stands out. Renowned foreign universities including Nuffield College, York University of Canada, and Wellesley College, Babson Collaborative and other institutes of repute have tied up with FLAME University.
At ABND, FLAME University was given a rejuvenated identity. Several competing institutions offered Liberal Education as part of the curriculum as well. In an attempt to set themselves apart from the clutter, FLAME University needed to rebrand themselves by giving Liberal Education a new way of expression we proposed for them – ‘Diversity of the Mind.’ To know more on how this reputed institute was envisioned anew and given a dynamic visual identity. To know more Click Here
Founder-Partner
Kunal says, “I’ve no specific talent, I’m merely inquisitive.” While his past experiences include product design, retail branding, packaging and design for manufacturing his true passion lies in branding and strategy. He’s the go-to person whenever the crafting needs finesse or the creation needs a fresh perspective. A certain sixth sense guides him in business and branding, honing the skill through experience. Kunal is also a guest lecturer and visiting faculty at a college in Mumbai, teaching branding to young bright minds.
February 27, 2018
Coming into view, the emerging logistics company, Grab, have recently received heavy government investment backing from Small Industries Development Bank of India’s wholly owned subsidiary, SIDBI Venture Capital Limited. Pratish Sanghvi, the co-founder of Grab, said that this funding of $1.5million is detrimental to their growth as the company is currently working on a crowdsourcing distribution model. SIDBI has joined a list of their big investors including Aramex, Zomato, Sixth Sense Ventures and Oliphans Capital. In spite of the hyperlocal delivery space being overcrowded, Grab was a prominent player for SIDBI to consider because of its sector-agnostic approach and its high chances of being EBITDA positive.
Providing hyperlocal and intracity logistics services to businesses including restaurants, food tech platforms, pharmacies and banks, Grab was once only doing food deliveries, being known as Grab-A- Grub. ABND had worked on the brand’s identity when they wanted to expand from being a food delivery startup to an all-encompassing hyperlocal logistics company. Changing from Grab-A- Grub to Grab, their rebranding made for a more sharper and agile brand. To know more Click Here
February 22, 2018
Thursdays at ABND just got chocolaty! Each of us brought our favourite chocolate to office. There was a huge goblet brimming over with chocolates of all kinds, apart from our favourite ones too. In a game of passing the parcel, the rubik’s cube filling in for the parcel in the last moment, the chocolates were exchanged amongst the chocoholics! What you got to pick in the lottery became your chocolate.The twist in the story came with the fact that the last person to pick her own chocolate in the lottery, got a chance to win the entire Goblet of Chocolates! Poornima won the Goblet. Following that we quirked it up by trading some of our chocolates with the Goblet Queen. It was a fun trade off. There were some toothaches after, but it was a happy sugar rush.
February 19, 2018
After back to back workshops and presentations through the weeks, the team felt like taking a break under the sun. Around the coffee table, there were some games and some lively chatter. While we had started the day all pumped up with a presentation for brand identity that went down well with the client, we ended the day on a light note at a coffee shop. From acting out the weirdest of movie names like ‘Matru ki Bijli ka Mandola’ and ‘Chameli ki shaadi’, we had great fun breaking down apparently simple ones too, when playing dumb charade. All of us had a crazy good time guessing interesting symbols and rhyming words when dissecting and decoding the films. We, at ABND, love our breaks as much as we enjoy the action!
Associate-Strategy
An experimenter at heart, Nikita’s experiences in interior design, sculpture design, advertising and branding has made her flexible to new ideas and new spaces. Nikita is a certified scuba diver. She has her own website, showcasing beautiful illustrations and paintings. Her art speaks of her love for animals and her admiration for the creatures of the sea. She loves to travel around the world and brainstorm on challenges.
Associate-Strategy
Stringing up the world with words, Sumanjari is driven by creativity, but with a purpose. Munching at her table always, she can (over)think but not on an empty stomach. She loves her coffee bittersweet and her strategies well researched. Academically inclined, she has written research papers on a wide range of topics from religion and music to branding to euthanasia. Sumanjari values spending time with her students, lecturing at a college by the weekends apart from her engagement at ABND.
Head-Creative
With a strong influence in the Applied Arts, our happy-go-lucky green haired creative lead has been a constant in team ABND right from its founding years. She is always humming a tune or two and livening up the pulse of the workspace. Ekta’s optimism and openness to new ideas fuels her creative best. Quirking it up in her attire, food and art, Ekta’s innovative at heart. She has a childish impulse of surprising others. Her love for bikes and nature deserves a special mention!
Founder-Partner
Priyanka Sachdev Shahra is a design thinker and serial entrepreneur. Her passions lie in bringing meaningful projects to life. Priyanka’s experience with entrepreneurship begun in 2010, when she cofounded ABND with Kunal Vora. Always having strongly felt for what’s environmentally and socially sustainable, she set up One With Earth in 2014 as a vehicle to support such projects. She has also been involved in an interesting venture which is a first of its kind in Singapore, an online swapping platform called Swapaholic. Priyanka manages the Singapore office of ABND.
Associate-Creative
A woman of less words and more action, this designer on the dot likes to keep it short and sweet. Having mastered in design in college, Poornima is driven by discipline and style. Zumba is a favourite pastime and she is also passionate for the cause of saving stray animals. Simplicity is what defines her spirit, whether she is designing or talking.
Associate-Creative
Debugging and resolving errors, Hitesh is the techie in the house responsible for digital and web strategies. A smooth operator, he is persistent in problem-solving. He is very passionate about solving the Rubik’s cube and we can see him at it often. We can tell that at school he must have been immersed in his science projects, which led him further to study information technology. In sports too it’s always the technique which fascinates him. The music in his ears is always loud enough for the entire office to hear!
Associate-Creative
With several years of experience in Interior Design, Deepu is the go to guy for detailing each space to the T. He lives Mies Van Der Rohe’s quote “god is in the detail”. His experience helps the team visualize design concepts from a detailed point of view, mapping it on to real spaces. A quiet and simple soul, we can always see Deepu working at his desk with complete concentration. A workaholic at heart, he is also a cricket buff and a harmonium player. He likes sticking to a rule book but won’t mind swinging to a catchy rhythm when he’s off work.
Administrator
Organized and to the point, our administrator likes keeping the house in order. Florie also has varied talents in cooking, sewing and embroidering. Diligence drives us as a team and so does it drive the person who holds the pack together. Florie is fond of country music and likes reading murder mysteries.