Marketing Innovation, Intensive Growth, Urban Marketing
Mark Evans
Marketing Management
California University
Time Warner’s cable channel HBO has a hit program called Game of Thrones which has over 14 million viewers per episode. It is HBO’s highest rated program among all its programs and viewers. The massive success of this program is primarily with white audiences which compromise over 76.6% of the audience followed by 13.2% of African-Americans and 9.2% Hispanic. HBO has used the following marketing channels from chapter 1 of our textbook to promote Game of Thrones (television, radio, magazines, posters, billboards and the Internet).
Even though this program has such massive success and intensive growth as stated in chapter 2 of our textbook, HBO still believes that they can reach further into the urban audiences (i.e. African-American and Latino audiences). HBO has used an innovative way to market to this urban audience for the upcoming season of Game of Thrones as stated in chapter 2 of our textbook. This innovative marketing relies on hiring 10 hip hop and Latin musical artists. These artists are putting out new songs that weave references to characters in the hit series Game of Thrones. HBO believes this will connect with urban audiences subsequently gaining more viewership from this demographic.
I have learned that marketing includes product placement in other products such as hip hop and Latin music. I would say that this is exactly what our textbook was referring to on the topic of innovative marketing and intensive growth. HBO wants to expand its urban audience by reaching this audience through music that they listen too. I find it a very shrewd strategy because this has helped many companies when musical artists mention their brands in their songs whether it is luxury items, clothing,