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Game of Thrones Marketing: Why This Show Is So Popular

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You’re probably aware that the premiere of the Game of Thrones final season has aired on HBO. Whether you’ve been watching it or not, it’s hard to ignore how big of a deal GoT has become. So far, it has attracted millions of viewers and won dozens of awards – and that’s no surprise. Why is Game of Thrones so popular? The TV show has an interesting and compelling storyline. On top of that, their marketing strategy is kind of genius. It is expertly and consistently tailored to reach broad audiences, cultivate viewer loyalty, and maintain high levels of engagement.

Why is Game of Thrones So Popular?

GoT Leverages the Power of Social Media

The use of social media on Game of Thrones is varied and well executed. Since the TV show’s first production, the marketing team at HBO network has continuously implemented effective social media campaigns. For instance, the TV show has its own Facebook page, twitter handle and YouTube channel to help increase the fan base, keep them engaged, and maintain interest.

To facilitate social media marketing, GoT has also executed another effective campaign; hashtag (#catchthethrone). The hashtag has allowed other brands, influential individuals and companies to ride on the show’s success wave and promote the series even further. As a result, the GoT has amassed a huge fan base and made the marketing of its final season effortless and seamless.

GoT Has a Production Blog

Aside from the social media campaign, GoT has put in place a production blog  – “Making Game of Thrones.” The blog’s sole intent is to help their audience keep tabs on everything that is happening behind the scenes at the series. It features event coverage, exclusive images, interviews with the cast and crew, and other superfan essentials. This has not only helped generate intrigue and suspense, but has increased excitement, conversation, interaction, and engagement among the audience.

GoT Creates Sharable Content

Whether on social media or their production blog, GoT content is well appropriated. Posts and links are strategic to maximize the ease of liking, commenting and sharing with others. The social media posts and YouTube videos, for instance, integrate memes, jokes and a plethora of other exciting materials. With the increased audience engagement, GoT has garnered more than 23 million likes on Facebook, 9.9 million on Instagram, 8.4 million followers on Twitter, and over 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube.

Consistency

Over the last seven seasons, GoT has released countless promotion photos, blog posts, trailers and videos on their social media channels and production blog. Their teasers and trailers are always painstakingly created to create excitement, buzz, and suspense. The result?  More than 33 million viewers remain glued on their screens every Sunday as the escapades of Game of Thrones season 8 unfold.

Increasing Accessibility

The GoT marketing team has made a continued effort to reach the global market. They have invested time and money in making sure that audiences in all continents access this epic drama in ways that suit them best. Besides dubbing it into different languages, they are now simulcasting the most recent seasons of the show across the globe.

Web Content Development

Hate or love it, Game of Thrones is currently one of the world’s most popular TV shows. If this level of achievement is something you’d want for your business, then you have to follow the same mantra of marketing; make and market your own wares better or somebody else will. The good news is, the team at Web Content Development is ready to help you achieve a similar feat. Contact us to learn more about our marketing strategies.  

How Disney Maintains Customer Loyalty

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One of the most powerful brands in the world, Disney, can be thought of as a tourist trap. They have been attracting customers and ‘wowing’ their fans since Walt Disney first imagined Mickey Mouse, and they still do. However, if you are like the majority of people out there, you might have no idea that Disneyland’s main customer base actually constitutes of locals who hold Annual Passes and come numerous times a year.

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Spotify Spotlight: What We Can Learn From Streaming

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Spotify has taken the world of podcasts to a whole new level with their launch of Spotlight. Spotlight is essentially a forum for podcasts with the addition of visual elements to each episode. But the addition of a visual component doesn’t end at just podcasts; Spotlight is reinventing audiobooks, news, podcasts and other audio content with the addition of photos, video and other visual elements. Below is an overview of what Spotify Spotlight is and what we can learn from the evolving world of streaming.

What is Spotify Spotlight?

Spotify Spotlight is the new multimedia platform created exclusively for Spotify users. The implementation of Spotlight won’t change the standard Spotify interface users are familiar with, but instead, it has enhanced it. Now, when streaming a podcast or an audiobook, users will see an added multimedia component. Move through episodes of a podcast or chapters of an audiobook. You may see visual elements such as photos, text or videos on the left side of the Spotify app screen. All the visual components displayed are contextual. They relate to the episode or chapter being streamed.

According to Spotify, the implementation of Spotlight is intended to “provide deeper insight to users favorite artists, playlists, books, publishers, and more by offering contextual visual elements”. Spotlight features media from:

  • Gimlet Media
  • Crooked Media
  • Cheddar
  • BuzzFeed
  • Original Spotify series such as:
    • RISE
    • Secret Genius
    • Spotify Singles sessions

Outside companies seemed eager to partner with Spotify on the launch of this new feature. Which gives the impression that this may be the determining factor that successfully separates Spotify from their competitors.

What Can We Learn From Streaming?

Spotify’s implementation of Spotlight may not seem like a big deal. But it’s really a huge leap for the music streaming sector. Adding in a visual component helps to connect pop-culture with once audio-only services. This brings in a whole new dynamic of advertising. As well as pop-culture, and influence to millions of people across the United States. Ben Smith, the editor in chief of BuzzFeed News, said in a statement.

“It feels like a generation ago that MTV news delivered the latest to a whole generation of music fans, but it’s not hard to imagine BuzzFeed News and Spotify doing the same thing in 2018”.

This comparison helps depict why so many partners are on board with Spotify’s new project and have eagerly agreed to produce programming for the Spotlight feature on Spotify. Smith adds,

“We’re incredibly excited to bring together our award-winning audio team, world-class journalism, and Spotify’s massive, dynamic platform to get listeners up to speed every morning”.

Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming service with over 70 million users worldwide. The implementation of this audio-visual component differentiates Spotify from competitors such as Apple Music. And puts Spotify into more direct competition with platforms such as YouTube.

Conclusion

As the future of the media and the news grows, so will these multi-media platforms. Implementing text, newsfeeds, photos, and videos into a platform that already has 70 million viewers is a successful and dynamic way to influence an entire generation and culture. So it’s no wonder to us that Spotlight quickly had so many outside companies eager to get on board with this project.

We are always intrigued by and following the changes and growth in our current multi-media platforms. For more information on how to reach a larger target audience or make personalized changes to your growing businesses marketing efforts reach out to us at info@webcontentdevelopment.com or (800) 316-9664.

 

Podcast Advertising 101

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While podcasts as a medium have been around for about twenty years or so, the past five years have really seen podcasts come into their own.  More and more Americans are regularly tuning into podcasts, and they’re not just flipping through like channels on the radio. Podcast listeners seek out quality content on specific topics.  They listen to the podcast in full and engage with it. This type of audience presents a unique opportunity for advertisers. If you are considering getting into podcast advertising but are not quite sure where to start, read on to learn the basics of podcast advertising.

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Super Bowl 2019 Marketing: Pepsi, NFL & Verizon Commercials

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You’ve probably seen the exciting and engaging Super Bowl commercials. No matter how much you hate ads, watching one for the first time will make you want to skip the game just to see the rest. The case is no different for casual NFL viewers and hardcore fans, they all wonder – “what’s a Super Bowl Sunday without the commercials?” In all the seriousness, that’s understandable!

In the just concluded Super Bowl 2019, Pepsi, NFL, and Verizon won big in their marketing strategies. Not only were their commercials captivating, but they also performed quite well across different social media channels during the big game, taking their sales through the roof. But why? Well, these brands had one little secret – they stuck to some pretty definitive business marketing strategies. Before we dive in too deep, let’s briefly look at how the three brands performed.

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