How Social Media Analysis Conquered the New Zealand Market for GoT (A Brandwatch Case Study)

There’s no doubt that Game of Thrones has become a phenomenon over the years being shown to over 170 countries worldwide making it one of the most popular programmes. In anticipation of season 4, Sky and SoHo (the premium entertainment channel) teamed with DDB New Zealand to convert New Zealanders who had didn’t watch Game of Thrones and had dismissed the programme as ‘not for them’.

As mentioned by Brandwatch, DDB (with a relatively low budget) decided to experiment through Social Media which would be analysed using Brandwatch, a social data analysis software. Through this, DDB were able to listen on conversations shared on the online community and distinguished patterns and themes.

The topic of King Joffrey being the most hated character opened an opportunity for DDB and Sky to market and make a statement, ultimately attracting their current non-viewers. This involved creating a 7 meter of the King completed with a winch and rope around his neck. It was through live streaming that got millions exchanging their opinions through Social Media including using hashtag #bringdowntheking on Twitter which would slowly turn the winch and pull the rope over time, eventually topping King Joffrey (video).

The success of this marketing campaign could not have been created without Brandwatch’s approach to Social Data analysis. This example is one of many where large companies are using Social Media to analyse their chosen market. Another example includes Virgin Atlantic who asked digital agency, Qube to undertake a Sociability Review. If like me, you are interested by the work of Brandwatch, there are plenty more case studies available.

More means of exploring patterns and trends on fans or customers can be gathered through tools such as web analytics and network analytics as highlighted by Chen (2012) and using this to an organisations advantage in marketing their product or service. Even myself, for years I never watched Game of Thrones until recently where my friends has been discussind on Facebook and Twitter. It was through these Social Media conversations I was enticed to watch Game of Thrones and I can now fully admit that I am an avid fan of the TV show. All hail to the power of Social Media!

References:
Chen, H., Chiang, R. H., & Story, V. C. (2012). Business Intelligence and Analytics: from Big Data to Big Impact. MIS Quarterly, 36(4), 1165-1188.