Brief

Foxtel has been the official broadcaster of Game of Thrones in Australia for the last seven seasons. The premiere of the final season presented an opportunity to capitalise on the global hype surrounding the show, create a buzz around their brand in the lead up to Game of Thrones, and remind Australians that they were the only place where you could watch the final season.

Activity

Game of Thrones isn’t just one of the most popular shows of all time, it’s also one of the deadliest, with more than 100,000 Kings, Queens, Giants and mythical beasts having lost their lives since it began. These deaths have had an incredible impact on fans, who react with delight and despair in equal measure. Recognising this, we tapped into an audience insight in a way no one had before, and built a ‘final resting place’, to promote the final season. The Grave of Thrones, a 2,000 sqm cemetery was erected in Sydney’s Centennial Park, where fans were invited to come and pay their respects to those who had died over seven seasons.

Grave of Thrones featured an extraordinary collection of gravestones, including two grand family mausoleums housing the deceased members of House Stark and House Baratheon and the headstones of some of Game of Thrones’ most infamous characters, including Joffrey Lannister, Ramsay Bolton, Hodor, Khal Drogo, Tywin Lannister, Littlefinger and Olenna Tyrell.

Media would be saturated with show speculation four days prior to launch, so the activation was designed to cut-through with a new story that increased Foxtel’s relevance and love with drama lovers, whilst reinforcing that Foxtel is only way to watch.

Mango and DDB managed a VIP preview event and the activation as it opened to the public over three days, captured video photo and video and drove publicity.

Media coverage was global, with over 350 pieces and a potential reach of more than 200 million. Over 30,000 visited to pay their respects and shared their experience on social media. Foxtel viewership rose 17%, social sentiment was 97% positive and ‘Foxtel’ searches tripled during the activation.