Why Your Public Relations Strategy Should Look Like Game of Thrones

It’s no wonder why Game of Thrones has garnered 24 Emmy Nominations. The epic, intensely human journey of Westeros’ main characters has taken avid viewers from the triumphs of soaring dragons to the depths of heartbreaking deaths. The series is ‘groundbreaking’ by many definitions, and yet its overarching premise is quite simple: mimic humanity in the truest sense.

Although the series is ‘writing the book’ on new-age entertainment, it also shows us some incredible insights into effective public relations. Here’s why your public relations strategy should look like Game of Thrones (GoT):

1. Shock and Awe

What GoT does better than any other series is eliminate assumptions. Nobody is safe; no plot line is sacred. The twists and turns are rarely ever predictable, and yet at the end of each scene, the entire situation makes logical sense. Compare that with an effective cause-marketing campaign: your brand can surprise its audience by pairing with a seemingly unrelated organization, and tie it into your mission in an unavoidably logical way. The result: something actually newsworthythat people will talk about.

2. Consistency

The show doesn’t reserve its wily plot for end-of-season blowouts; rather, each episode consistently delights viewers with emotionally impactful sessions of what-the-heck-is-going-on? With so much intrigue on such a consistent basis, people can’t look away for a moment. Compare that with the average PR strategy: occasionally do something newsworthy and then retreat back into the turtle shell while the next bright idea gets developed. With a consistent and surprising PR strategy, your audience won’t be able to quit its addiction.

3. Humanity

This is the big one. Brands who make a consistent PR effort rarely take the time to do anything newsworthy, instead opting to focus on process and product rather than people. We are obsessed with GoT because we see ourselves in each of its characters. The show is so intensely human that we, as audience members, experience every human emotion in the span of just one hour alongside characters whom we have grown to know and love. When brands tell intensely human stories and impact real people, then and only then does the word ‘viral’ enter the realm of possibility (see: WestJet). [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIEIvi2MuEk]

Speaking of possibilities, is it possible that Jon Snow will return (this author hopes so)? Perhaps, perhaps not. But, it is entirely possible for your brand to learn from this venerable series by successfully bringing shock, consistency, and humanity to its public relations efforts.

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• Game of Thrones
• PR
• Public Relations
• Strategy