We’re now two episodes into the sixth season of Game of Thrones, the ridiculously popular fantasy series filled with dragons, magic, and a guy called Jon Snow who has never presented Channel 4 News.
If you haven’t bothered tuning in then we probably don’t need to utter words like ‘missing out’- someone has no doubt done that already. Put simply, the vast majority of people seem to relish in this orgy of swordplay, partial nudity and absolute escapism, meaning pub conversations currently veer between Leicester winning the title on Monday and the real meaning behind those visions Bran Stark had of his elder relatives playing as children in Winterfell.
Naturally, then, this phenomenon has given rise to a multitude of PR stunts designed to promote both the programme and surrounding fan culture. Like brave explorers stepping out into the great unknown of some mythical land, we decided to spend some time researching the best, and this is our most humble offering, so best ready your steel.
Rave of Thrones
As unlikely as it sounds, on Easter weekend 2016 Rave of Thrones arrived in London for a gargantuan party amid the event’s world tour. This involves actors from the series performing DJ sets to a packed audience dressed as characters from the story, in a venue full of rooms themed on famous locations featured in the show. It sold out, was one of the most covered events in the music press over that Bank Holiday, and achieved its goal of building hype ahead of the new season.
Dragons In Dorset
Not quite the biggest find of all time, nevertheless fossil fans on Britain’s Jurassic Coast were given a surprise when they ‘stumbled’ across a giant dragon skull on a beach near Lyme Regis. 200 stories ran in the media, spreading the overall message- TV service Blinkbox had secured the rights to offer customers on-demand episodes of Game of Thrones.
Toppling King Joffrey
SoHo, the broadcaster responsible for Game of Thrones in New Zealand, came up with a truly ingenious idea for its promotion of series four. A statue of one of the programme’s most hated characters, King Joffrey, was erected in the country’s busiest public square, with rope attached. Each time someone used #bringdowntheking the rope was pulled, eventually toppling the monolith after 875,000 mentions on Twitter.
Real World Action
How do you offer fans the opportunity to jump into something as otherworldly as Game of Thrones? First, commission 3D street artists Joe & Max to paint The Wall- a sheer facade of ice rising up for what seems like forever, as was scaled by Jon Snow (again, not the Channel 4 News presenter). Then allow the public to take photos of themselves holding on for dear life, and tweet those images using #ScaleTheWall.
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