* Of course, spoilers ahead !*
Dracarys.
One word uttered by Daenerys’ closest aide led to the destruction of an entire city. And thousands of innocents.
It was glorious. The Mad Queen in her element.
While I enjoyed watching the episode, I also kept thinking there was something not right about it. Was it wrong of me to expect a brutal death for Cersei? But instead she died, surrounded by love. For the penultimate episode of the greatest show on earth, the reception by it’s most loyal viewers was lukewarm.
Despite that, the show garners so much fan following, winning dozens of awards and pulling in millions of viewers every week. But this fantasy show is more than just red witches and blind teenaged assassins, it is actually quite insightful of human nature.
Marketers know how to hook your audience to your product, by understanding their targeted buyer persona.
Let’s breakdown some of the helpful marketing tips that Game of Thrones taught us in it’s 8 year long history.
You better have a distinctive logo
Look at the Targaryen’s banner, with it’s three-headed dragon. Or House Lannister, with a golden lion. Distinctive, right?
Now compare that with the Greyjoy’s banner…for all their tough talk, their coat of arms is an upside down octopus thing. Oh, my bad, it’s supposed to be a kraken.
Anyway, the point is, when your logo is well done, it commands attention and respect. When it’s done poorly, everyone chuckles behind your back.
Because it’s just hard to take an octopus seriously.
Never underestimate the power of a good strategy
Tyrion Lannister, with an obvious physical disadvantage managed to survive 8 seasons of blood & gore. That is because this character has an upper hand his competitors lack — a strong strategic perspective and a vision for long-term goals. Granted his thought process has been taking a hit in the last couple of episodes, but the lesson remains.
In the “brand” world, it is equally important to have long term sustainable strategy to survive.
That means understanding the core essence of your brand, your most loyal users, your non-users & of course the consumers you want to most attract to your brand.
You cannot plan ahead for everything
In business, you never know what’s going to happen, and this is explored every episode in Game of Thrones. The good guys aren’t guaranteed to win, and the bad guys won’t necessarily die a slow and painful death. In fact, in the Game of Thrones universe, the bad guys often triumph and the good guys often have a pretty bad day.
“Marketing is full of twists and turns, and sometimes things don’t turn out as expected.”
Maybe developing your buyer personas showed you that you’ve been marketing to the wrong demographic or a social media post was not well-received by your followers. Whatever it is, be prepared to regroup and reevaluate your inbound marketing strategy whenever necessary.
Don’t be afraid to abandon your most well thought out plans
“That is the way we’ve always done it” will destroy your brand. Arya Stark has challenged every norm that was placed on a “lady”. She managed to overcome all odds. Only because she decided she was not going to follow a set path.
“if something needs to be removed from your strategy to move forward, do it”
Let people talk about you
Organic conversations about your brand or services can be a marketer’s best friend. Daenerys has spent her entire life in exile, yet celebrated warriors like Jorah Mormont and Ser Barristan leave their lives to join her cause. Varys and Tyrion, a rival Lannister, agree to take up her claim to the throne without ever meeting her. She has thousands flock to follow her based on her notoriety alone. Now that is a solid reputation any brand would love to have!
Win over your crowds with consistency
While the characters who are quick to follow the latest trend or leader have struggled to achieve their goals (I’m looking at you, Littlefinger and Margaery), those who have stayed true to one consistent message are those who have achieved the highest level of success.
What marketers can learn from this example is that audiences appreciate a consistent message, especially when the communicator can deliver on their promises.
“Consistency is the way content marketing uses an editorial approach to build trust with the audience.”
Winter is Finally Here
While you can’t plan ahead for everything, you CAN develop a solid inbound marketing strategy based on research and knowledge.
“The best brands always innovate, stay active, and plan for the future.”
Like winter’s long-awaited arrival, finally we are starting to see this predicted shift in the marketing sphere become a reality — evidenced by the demise of many traditional media outlets that have been forced to close due to a dramatic drop in advertising revenue. More and more, the marketing and advertising industry is realising they need to communicate to consumers in the way they want to receive information, and those who take this approach are more effective than others.
Finally, don’t get too comfortable. Despite all this, we still don’t know who is going to end up on the throne. Or even if the throne survived the massacre of last night’s episode. This is an exceptional lesson for companies competing for market share. Made it to number one? Great! But you aren’t done. Your competitors won’t stop trying to usurp your spot up top, so you can’t let go of your marketing efforts once you’re doing well.
Verace is a market research agency headquartered in Bangalore. It was established in 2007 with a clear idea to deliver superior consumer insights which will be effectively used to garner extra market share and also improve the market position.