HBO’s Marketing Campaign Valued At $100M+ – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: For all of the noise about David Zaslav’s quest to search out $3 billion in cost-saving initiatives on the newly merged Warner Bros Discovery, what stays necessary to the brand new CEO is to spend on content material the place these {dollars} repay.

And the place is that? Why, on the launch of HBO’s close to $200M Recreation of Thrones spinoff sequence, Home of the Dragon, premiering this Sunday on each the linear pay-TV channel and streaming service HBO Max. Sources inform Deadline that HBO’s largest advertising and marketing marketing campaign ever is valued at over $100M in media spend (that’s a combo of advert spot worth and onerous money shelled out). That’s a theatrical tentpole-sized advertising and marketing finances by all accounts, not some thrifty, Netflix-type push to subscribers on its menu. And as Zaslav identified right this moment in his congratulatory memo to staffers (obtained by Deadline) earlier than Home of the Dragon‘s debut, it’s already paid off with the sequence marketing campaign having “reached almost 130 million folks within the US alone,” whereas additionally repping a united entrance throughout a majority of manufacturers within the Warner Bros Discovery empire to tubthump this new present.

In chatting with Deadline, Pia Barlow, EVP of HBO Originals Advertising and marketing, stated the m.o. of the Home of the Dragon advertising and marketing marketing campaign was to “impress each new and present followers,” that demo being women and men, 18-54.

“The Home of the Dragon marketing campaign is actually about producing massive, broad consciousness and curiosity all through the summer season, however to additionally be sure that we’re signaling to present followers in addition to new followers alike that this can be a new Recreation of Thrones story coming to HBO Max,” Barlow provides.

“It has additionally been thrilling to see groups throughout the corporate work collaboratively with the HBO staff in what has been an unprecedented cross-promotional marketing campaign. And we’ve achieved all of this in just some brief months, clearly displaying what we are able to accomplish when our networks, streaming platforms, digital and social channels all work collectively in help of 1 shared precedence,” Zaslav emphasised this AM. He outlined the conglom’s plan to micro goal viewers in a advertising and marketing push that has spanned social media, outside, digital, conventional TV spots and splashy promotions on such distribution companions like Xfinity cable (the place there’s a HOTD vacation spot on their X1 and Flex video platforms) and Roku, which additionally produced a particular episode of their content material buzz present, The Roku Rundown.

If the Home of Targaryen is wealthy in dragons, then Warner Bros Discovery has a humiliation of riches in the case of advert house, with HOTD getting pumped throughout such channels, per promoting stat org iSpot, as TBS (20.9%), Discovery (9.1%), TNT (7.7%), CNN (7.4%) and Meals Community (6.6%). For those who have been watching HGTV, you’d catch a fire-breathing dragon popping up within the backside of the display screen throughout your favourite present in a banner to advertise the Ryan J. Condal co-created sequence. iSpot additionally reviews that 99.1% of HBO’s promo TV advert impressions since July 20 got here from HOTD. 

One other notable point out within the teamwork for HOTD amongst Warner Bros Discovery channels was the unique take a look at the Martin sequence on the debut evening of Discovery’s Shark Week on Sunday, July 24. Need extra cross-promotion? How concerning the members of TNT’s All Elite Wrestling staff sitting on the brand new GOT throne from HOTD on the San Diego Comedian-Con expertise (learn down).

Regarding the future success of HBO Max, Zaslav has made it clear that it’s within the catalog of sequence and marquee Warner Bros theatrical titles hitting the service 45 days after they’re in cinemas. Warner Bros Discovery bean counters see zero upside to distributing motion pictures on to HBO Max just like the earlier WarnerMedia regime underneath Jason Kilar. It’s an amazing waste of cash, and their availability in theaters and houses concurrently diminishes their patina, in addition to their resonance in subsequent ancillary home windows.

To not point out there’s analysis on the market to show that frosh subscribers come for a film, then bail on the service. It’s the weekly drop of a scorching episodic sequence similar to HOTD which retains subs locked in. To not point out, windowed theatrical movies on HBO Max click on higher than day-and-date. We’ve heard that the primary weekend of Implausible Beasts: The Secrets and techniques of Dumbledore on HBO Max after its 45 days in theaters ($95M home field workplace) drove shut to twenty% of the site visitors to the OTT service, whereas within the pic’s first week, it was liable for a 3rd of HBO Max’s site visitors.

As well as, third-party streaming measurement org Samba TV reported that the primary week of The Batman on HBO Max (after its 45-day theatrical run) pulled in 4.1 million households, besting the primary week of such day-and-date Warner motion pictures as The Suicide Squad (3.5M), Surprise Lady 1984 (3.2M), The Matrix Resurrections (3.2M) and Dune (2.3M).

The HOTD marketing campaign kicked off with two teaser trailers launched on Oct. 5, 2021 (17.1M YouTube views) and Could 5, 2022 (14M YT views). However then the advertising and marketing mojo kicked into excessive gear heading into San Diego Comedian-Con, which noticed a walk-up trailer drop (July 20, 18.8M YT view), the Corridor H panel with the forged, Condal, and an prolonged trailer; the DracARys dragon-egg hatching app, and The Home of the Dragon: Dragon’s Den reside expertise; the latter pulling in 4k attendees who walked via the sequence’ fort world adorned with actors in cosplay. All of those efforts proceed to shine for HBO’s social media; SDCC being “the present that retains on giving,” says Barlow, yielding 102M impressions and 128K new followers on the Home of the Dragon and Recreation of Thrones social channels.

Says Barlow about HOTD’s massive footprint at Comedian-Con, “The timing couldn’t have been extra excellent. It was proper in our launch window, and since it was the primary time we have been going to be again really in full pressure after a couple of years, we knew that there was going to be this pent-up demand and pleasure from followers, and we’ve had fairly important presence previously with Recreation of Thrones at Comedian-Con. So, there was nearly an expectation that we additionally wished to ensure we have been fulfilling for followers.”

Social media analytics agency RelishMix clocked how loud the amount was for HOTD, saying HBO “took an strong natural strategy to partaking followers of the GOT franchise social community of 44.1M — as early as casting in preproduction to partaking them with new social channels for HOTD, now constructed throughout Fb Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.” Add in HBO Max’s followers and the social media universe attain for the brand new Westeros World sequence stands at near 313M.

“Materials hasn’t been flooded, however selectively posted, with solely 12 movies on Fb at 11.1M views and fewer on YouTube with 134.2M views, all cross-posted on earned channels,” says RelishMix of their newest report back to Deadline. “The Comedian-con bulletins and reside panel spiked a wave of supplies leading-up to the streaming premiere weekend.”

Additionally taking place this Sunday on the day of the premiere is a brand new Snapchat selfie + world going through AR lens which is able to run all through the course of the primary season. AR builders who’re members of Snap’s world Lens Community are constructing customized Landmarker AR experiences of their native markets, which embody AR renderings of the HOTD dragons as they take over world landmarks. The Landmarker lenses can be unlockable through the Lens Carousel when Snapchatters are close to a notable location. The lens can be accessible in such territories as Australia, components of Europe, India, the Center East and Northern Africa, North America, and extra. The customized Landmarker AR experiences will launch in Chennai, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Prague and Rio de Janeiro this Sunday.

Among the many promo companions for HOTD, there’s Bose, which had their sound system featured all through the Dragon’s Den at SDCC, and Duolingo, which kicked off on July 19, with followers studying Excessive Valyrian forward of the HOTD premiere. The app’s TikTok viral mascot made an look on the HOTD Comedian-Con activation, the place he reminded attendees to finish their classes with life-size push notifications and indicators with dragon instructions in Excessive Valyrian.

As well as, among the many promo companions, there’s a month-long pop-up expertise for the sequence on the Pure Historical past Museum of LA from Aug. 5-Sept. 7. Impressed by the displays one may see exploring the relics and traditions of real-life regimes similar to historic Rome or historic Egypt, the HOTD exhibit options props, costumes, and specially-designed shows to spotlight the historical past of Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestors.

It could be an understatement to say that the stakes are excessive right here within the rollout of Home of the Dragon, not solely from a future GOT improvement franchise angle, but in addition with regard to rankings. The ultimate season of Recreation of Thrones left massive footwear for Home of the Dragon to fill, and that was earlier than HBO had the ability of HBO Max. GOT in its ultimate season averaged 46M per episode domestically, and RelishMix notes there’s chatter on social media of those that are “nonetheless not happy with the ending.” Euphoria Season 2 episodes, by comparability, which had the added benefit of HBO Max, averaged 19.5M viewers every throughout all platforms.

Nonetheless, RelishMix notes social chatter the place there’s an “pleasure for the brand new journey again in time 200-years earlier than GOT — from protecting dragon lovers who insist that ‘no dragons have been damage within the making of the present’ and really feel that they’re the core of story — to Matt Smith tremendous followers who’re on the sting — to HBO followers who relish the historical past of high quality programming.”

A rankings windfall for HOTD will little question be one of many early wins for Zaslav’s administration model, which appears to be like to interrupt down the partitions between all Warner Bros Discovery manufacturers and amp up their synergies to the nth diploma.

Beamed Zaslav within the conclusion of his firm e-mail right this moment, “We’re dedicated to constructing one staff with one mission – the third of three strategic priorities I highlighted in our latest earnings name – and the efforts in help of the launch of Home of the Dragon are a fantastic indication of how sturdy we’re and what we are able to do once we work collectively.”