Winter is Here
April 15, 2019People 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
