How CBC & Primark Claimed the Iron Throne
Written by Zach Berger, PR & Digital Manager
Daenerys Targaryen may have waited a long time to attain the Iron Throne, but she was hardly the only one. This spring, a small army of Bostonians waited in line outside the Primark store at Downtown Crossing for up to three hours to get their chance to feel like Westerosi royalty and sit upon the throne. If you’ve ever been to New England in April, you know it requires true bravery just to step outside – and these people didn’t even have dragons (okay, fine, one kicka** little girl did).
The Campaign
In the weeks leading up to the premiere of the final season of the super-mega-ultra-smash-hit HBO show, Game of Thrones, CerconeBrownCompany and Primark launched a campaign to stir up excitement surrounding the Primark GoT collection and in-store Iron Throne event. The goal was to not only encourage consumers to purchase Primark GoT apparel and home décor, but to entice a larger Boston-based audience and bring new customers to the store.
CBC rose to the occasion with a strategy worthy of a truly integrated agency; it combined a touch of PR, a dash of influencer marketing, a pinch of creative design, and a hefty dose of the highest quality teamwork.
At-Home Influencer Viewing Parties
Leading up to the season premiere, CBC also worked with a crew of fashion and lifestyle influencers to promote Primark’s Game of Thrones collection.
The influencers each posted Instagram stories of them visiting their local Primark store to purchase items from the collection to set up a Game of Thrones-themed viewing party. After they were set up with some killer Primark GoT schwag, they all shared pictures on Instagram showing off the actual viewing parties, resulting in some awesome engagement with their audiences.
Event Promotion
Through their partnership with HBO, Primark was able to get the real Iron Throne from Game of Thrones into their Downtown Crossing store for two days. CBC drove a comprehensive awareness campaign that included a nice mix of social engagement, local media coverage, and in-store signage to spread the word throughout the Boston community.
The result? Nearly 2,500 hardcore, GoT-loving Bostonians turned out to seize their opportunity to sit in the Iron Throne. Local news teams turned up to capture the Throne-frenzy, and dozens of customers participated in the social contest in the hopes of winning some free GoT gear.
CBC didn’t just crush the communications work either; we also executed a variety of event logistics including loading the Throne into the store in the dead of night while Boston slept. Members from across the agency turned out to coordinate the GIF booth and help customers capture their moment with the Throne – and on a Saturday, to boot.
From designing the store’s promotional banners, to setting up stanchions and managing the excited, restless crowd, CBC truly showed its dedication to its clients. There was no task too big or small, and our team jumped to pull its weight wherever it could.
The results speak for themselves: the excellent social campaign and media coverage achieved over 22 million potential impressions and prompted a staggering turnout. The event, which was free to the public, drove exceptional sales and kicked off the Primark GoT line with a bang.
Overall, the campaign was a smashing success as customers old and new alike experienced Primark in a way that they will not soon forget. Now my watch has ended and, if you’ll excuse me, I need to attempt to move on and find a way to fill the Game of Thrones-sized void in my life.
Interested in launching an integrated campaign for your brand? CBC can help – let’s chat!
