HBO mounting Game of Thrones blood drive to promote season 8

Last night, during the Super Bowl, HBO and Bud Light debuted a commercial to promote both of their brands. We present to you: the last ride of the Bud Knight:

The Wall Street Journal talked to some people involved with the ad, and according to one of them, the commercial is “the centerpiece of an estimated $20 million marketing blitz” for the final season of Game of Thrones. (If you’re wondering, Anheuser-Busch paid for the ad time and HBO for the production.)

And by the sound of it, we haven’t seen anything yet. Per WSJ, HBO is also planning to hide Iron Thrones around the world in preparation for a global scavenger hunt. AND the network is planning to hold a blood drive. The tagline? “Would you bleed for the throne?” That is intense.

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All of this is part of a bid for HBO “to increase the show’s massive fan base.” You might wonder if Game of Thrones needs a big marketing push — it’s already one of the most talked-about shows on TV and was even the most popular on-demand show in 2018 despite not airing any new episodes. People are going to watch the final season no matter what, so why spend all this money? But HBO’s strategy isn’t just about getting more eyeballs on Thrones; it’s also about getting them to take a look at the other shows on the network, so after Thrones is over they’ll hopefully stick around.

Will it work? We’ll see. Frankly, I can see the blood drive idea putting a few people off, but I guess you go big or go home. The final season of Game of Thrones premieres on April 14.

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