Co-creation of value in the Game of Thrones Social Media Campaign

Anyone a fan of Games of Thrones? And did you know that social media played a large role in its advertising strategy for season 1? As I mentioned in my introduction, I love pop culture and entertainment. So today's blog post will be looking at how HBO used social media to co-create value with Game of Thrones fans and propel the success of the television show.

An Introduction

Game of Thrones is a TV show based on George RR Martin's high fantasy book series, A Song of Fire and Ice. As with most book to film/TV transitions, there were worries that the Game of Thrones series would be a huge flop - the books' highly enthusiastic followers were either going to love or reject the outcome and the general public might consider it too geeky or cheesy to follow. So HBO needed to reach out to its strong existing fan base and secure the attention of other potential audiences. To do this, they used a social media campaign.

The Social Media Campaign

Co-creation of Value with existing fans

1) HBO began their campaign a year before the show to target loyal fans of the series.

• They rolled out trailers online on: the HBO website and HBO Youtube channels.
• HBO then launched an official production blog 'The Making of Game of Thrones' for fans
• They also launched a twitter profile @gameofthrones, where fans could provide advice, feedback or comments on the production of the series.

In my opinion, HBO's use of social media to integrate fans' opinions about the series was a really smart move because it allowed the show to be co-produced with its consumers. This co-created value between the two parties: HBO was able to develop a more successful adaption of the series through using their audiences' knowledge. They were also able to attract more viewers as fans began spreading word of mouth to others. On the other hand, these social media channels increased value for fans of the series because they were able to shape the entertainment they wanted to watch. If you've ever read any of Vargo and Lusch's articles about Service Dominant Logic, this is the perfect example of co-created value, where both parties benefit from interaction through social media. Now onto the second stage of HBO's campaign...

Creating an experience for fans

2) Prior to the premier, HBO started launching official social media pages on Facebook etc.

• Here, they launched the Maester’s Path, a game that took place both online and offline. Fans collected weekly  Facebook clues to complete challenges in the real world. 
• Clues were linked to food truck stunts. Fans who collected clues would be able to meet at events and taste cuisine from Westeros, the land in which the series takes place.
• At WonderCon 2011, fans could also take pictures with an exact replica of the Iron Throne. These were featured on the official Facebook page in real time and created a media buzz.

I thought this was interesting because they immersed fans in a real-life experience of the world from the TV show, using social media as a platform to do this. If you remember Phillip Kotler's product theory, companies should differentiate products and services by adding value to them and shifting them up the levels from product to experience. I think this would be easy for products and services with retail outlets because companies can create a shopping experience for consumers using music, retail personnel and store presentation...but how would you do this for something like a TV show (as a product)? Social media has played a key role in developing experiences for consumers and more importantly, these experiences are co-created. Companies have instant feedback as to whether or not they are doing a good job, or a poor one! In this case, HBO was definitely not providing a poor experience for viewers

Interaction between audience and TV station

3) After the premiere, HBO engaged fans through a number of social media channels.  Finally, they launched 'The Battle for the Iron Throne' Facebook game to conclude the campaign. The results were pretty strong: The Game of Thrones Facebook page grew to 150K connections even before the show aired and the premiere generated an audience of 2.2MM viewers, which meant the series was immediately renewed for a second season.

Social media has been a great way to connect fans to each other and to HBO, even after this campaign. I remember the second last episode in the most recent season where a traumatic event occurred in the series - my Facebook newsfeed was SPAMMED with people expressing their devastation. There were statuses, memes and photos, which generated more hype as people commented and interacted with one another over their grief. I heard people even wrote on the HBO Facebook profile begging them not to slaughter off anymore people....

So if you're a fan of the series and you know which episode I'm talking about did you take to social media to share your angst? And did you experience any of this social media campaign as it was rolled out? Do you think they could have done anything better, or is this a good campaign by your standards? Leave a comment and let me know! Also, look below for some key points to take away.

Key points to take away from this post:

• Co-creation of value benefits both the company and the consumer in marketing, so it's a good idea for to initiate co-production or creation practices over social media platforms.
• Social media can help create both online and offline experiences, particularly for intangible products, such as TV shows, films, holidays...Worth leveraging in these industries!
• If used strategically, social media can co-create value, shape experiences and generate interaction with consumers, which can lead to more effective marketing and communications.