The massive disappointment of series 8 left us thinking about how marketing strategies shouldn’t be created and executed in the same way. Game of Thrones had it all going on heading into the final series, the army of the dead were finally through the wall, Cersei had elephants, John Snow was having relations with his auntie and there was finally a sense that everything which had been building for 7 series was finally about to go down. Alas not. So here are a few of our favourite disappointments from series 8, along with a few tips on how to avoid similar disappointments in your marketing strategies.
Have Some Imagination
Firstly, what was the point of that horse? Arya was still in King’s Landing at the start of the next episode, with a noticeable lack of horse, where did she go? Where did the horse go? Maybe they will explain it all in the next series. After she popped up unmarked at the back post to stab the Night King we kind of expected that she may go on to do something else significant, but no, of course not, that would make sense.
Now, we don’t know about you, but when we saw that lack of imagination we didn’t just see a young woman stood next to an eventually irrelevant horse, we saw a poor content marketing strategy. Content marketing has many uses, but its primary function is connecting the dots between ideas and strategies. It is a way to consistently, and maybe even beautifully, proliferate an unswerving and engaging message across platforms, blogs, web pages, you name it. A good content marketing strategy is the absolute antithesis of that god damn horse and its role in an already frustrating storyline.
Easy Deaths
Nobody should ever die as part of or as a result of a digital marketing strategy…but if they were going to, then we’d do it right! There was a poetic justice in the way that Cersei died, with her kingdom literally crumbling around and onto her. But come on, that was far too quick and easy for the most consistently hateable character on the show. In a lot of ways, Cersei being let off with such an easy and painless death is similar to a poorly researched and executed Google Ads campaign. You may also think that in many ways it isn’t, but that’s an issue for a different day.
Nobody likes a copout and that death certainly was one. The link to Google Ads is arguably tenuous at best; some may even argue that the two have about as much in common as the writing patterns of the earlier and later Game of Thrones episodes. However, when enough time and effort isn’t put into something, people can become disenfranchised and will generally lose interest in whatever that something is. Google Ads are one of the easiest facets of digital marketing to get wrong and when business owners simply fire out improperly researched and executed adverts, they won’t receive the business and interest they desire. Lazy ideas and oversimplified applications, such as that link between Cersei’s death and Google Ads, never work well in marketing.
Character Development Rivalled Only by Thomas the Tank Engine
Though the storyline generally left a bitter taste in the mouth, there was one particular aspect which stood out as overwhelmingly ridiculously poorly written. This of course was Daenerys’ character development. Following 7 series of being the cute and caring ‘breaker of chains’ seeking to make the world a better place, Daenerys proceeded to lose her proverbial marbles and go full Targaryen on King’s Landing. Though this was in some way set up by the losses she suffered in previous episodes, not enough time was dedicated to this dramatic reinvention of her character. Characters in a series or film should never be determined by the plot but the other way round.
Instead, and like many other aspects of the storyline, this character development was rushed, unimpressive and fell flat as a result; the same outcome is often arrived at when one doesn’t carefully calculate their website design. Much like character development, a website design must be well thought out, perfectly executed and never rushed. If not then everyone will be very angry and sign a very long petition for you to rebuild your website.
Brand Marketing/ Bran Starketing
Brandon Stark was crowned king is last night’s episode, whilst Sansa became Queen in the North. Two of the most insufferable and arrogant characters in the show have ended up with all of the power, great. Due to Bran’s tendency to inexplicably go off with the fairies in pretty critical moments and Sansa’s inability to listen to anybody, about anything, we think there is good cause to suspect that they will both be pretty horrendous rulers. These characters have both endured some incredibly difficult physical and mental struggles throughout the seasons, and arguably have done well to overcome these trials and tribulations, but it was something of a disappointment to see them both crowned in the closing moments of the series.
In the same way that a monarch is the face of a kingdom, branding is the face of a business. Also Bran, Branding, Bran-ding, Brand Marketing, Bran Starketing, it just works. When it comes to a coherent and successful marketing strategy, branding plays a crucial role. It tells your story, sets your tone of voice and provides a visual image of your brand which people will remember. Branding is the visual façade which companies build to attract customers, don’t let yours be disappointing, unimaginative and generally irritating.
What Now?
The greatest shortfall of Game of Thrones series 8 was that it was far too rushed and failed to compound all of the storylines which had developed over the previous 7 series. Instead, we got a haphazard and oversimplified ending which attempted to wrap up various individual storylines as swiftly as possible. As a result, characters acted out of character and plot lines and prophecies were simply forgotten about. Here are some of the forgotten highlights; Bran disappearing during the Battle of Winterfell, Arya and the horse and how there were so many Unsullied and Dothraki in episode 6 after they had been majoritively slaughtered outside Winterfell, strange.
Series 8 was so poorly received as it failed to tie up the loose ends left by the first 7 series, of which there was a great deal. The whole thing felt rushed and failed to take everything into consideration. This in many ways is like an amateur marketing strategy. When a marketing strategy lacks imagination and calculation it will often fall short of the desired effect the business wants to have on prospective customers. If you’d like to speak to a marketing agency who tie up loose ends, consider every aspect and advocate a much harsher death for Cersei, then get in touch today.
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