#catchdrogon
HBO
Issue 39 | June 2016
Agency
360i
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer: Pierre Lipton Group Creative Director: Michael Nuzzo Creative Directors: Adam Gloo, Emily Sander Art Director: Doug Murray, Michael Dooley, John Ta Copywriter: Andrew Hunter Senior Producer: Amanda Kwan Account Director: Josh Lenze Account Supervisor: Audri Nakamura Associate Account Manager: Maria Grimaldi Senior Strategist: Caroline Tseng Social Publicist: Alden Millar Associate Social Publicist: Marty Zelenko
Production Team
VP Digital and Social Media: Sabrina Caluori, HBO Director Digital and Social Media: Jim Marsh, HBO Manager Digital and Social Media: Emily Giannusa, HBO Associate Manager Digital and Social Media: Michael Hoffman, HBO
Other Credits
Artist: Robert M. Ball
Date
April 2015
Background
After four seasons of record-breaking social media engagement, HBO’s Game of Thrones needed to rally the Realm and generate unprecedented excitement once again for the Season Five premiere.
Fans have come to expect a lot of the show. Game of Thrones has built one of the most avid, passionate fan bases in the world – a fan base that is likewise vocal in social media, and not afraid to share disapproval around the show, such as when the beloved character Rob Snow was killed off in the ‘Red Wedding’ episode. HBO needed something special to get fans talking, build anticipation, and drive record tune-in for the Season 5 premiere.
Idea
With Daenerys Targaryen’s most fierce dragon – Drogon – having gone missing toward the end of Season 4, HBO set out to galvanize Game of Thrones loyal fan base and audience of over 17 million strong with an interactive, cross-platform social game that would lead fans into the unknown and mythical world of dragons.
HBO knew that Game of Thrones fans would be eagerly awaiting the premiere. So, it used the hunt to turn anticipation into conversation, and activate its fan base. When premiere day arrived, HBO would activate a cross-platform promotion on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and through on-air bumpers during the Season Four marathon being aired leading up to the Season Five premiere.
The rules of the game were clear: set a trap, wait and catch. To get fans hunting, HBO encouraged fans to choose bait from its Giphy Bait Shop, or use their own original creations to try to snare the dragon. Then, once a fan posted a trap worthy of the elusive beast, Game of Thrones would reply to the Tweet with a GIF of Drogon and the timer would start. If the fan didn’t Retweet him quickly, Drogon’s tweet would be deleted and he would fly away to the next bait. To further drive competition, HBO partnered with influencers, cast members and other celebrities to inspire fans to create their own bait from scratch, upping the stakes. After the day-long hunt, the few fans who were lucky enough to #CatchDrogon were rewarded with swag and props from the show.
Results
In just 24 hours, #CatchDrogon generated over 1 billion total impressions, 6.6 million interactions and 74,000 tweets worldwide. It trended on Facebook and Twitter within 2 hours, attracting celebrities, brands, and the press to join the hunt and cover it in the news. Between the two platforms, the hunt increased Game of Thrones’ social fan base by over 150,000. The Season Five premiere became the highest rated episode in series history, beating the Season Four premiere by 20%.