For HBO GO, we took their Game of Thrones fantasy IP and turned it into a rap battle for the ages.
We helped HBO Go hype the Game of Thrones finale by organizing and filming an epic rap battle with the biggest artists in the country.
We built this project from ideation and relationship management for influencers, to shooting with a live audience and editing the final series and supporting social media amplification.
HBO GO is the home of the best TV series including the epic fantasy drama Game of Thrones.
In its 8th and final season, Game Of Thrones has become so iconic that it is part of our social culture. The premiere was going to attract for sure all the fans on HBO and HBO GO but we wanted to focus on the most exigent audience of all. We needed to make HBO GO top of mind for Generation Z in relation to Game of Thrones and have them hit that subscribe button.
Everyone knows that the key to Generation Z Is Video Content. And one of the few doors they always keep open is the one to their favorite music beats.
That being said, hip hop is one of the most popular music genres in Romania, with the youth at the core of the movement.
First, we needed to be a part of this movement, so we created a video series that mixed the rap battle concept with the epic story of Game of Thrones. Battle of Thrones became the toughest battle in the Westeros of Romanian rap music. The content series consisted of 8 battles grouped into 4 episodes, aired in the first two weeks of the GOT’s final season premiere.
Then, we needed to communicate this creation to the right crowd. We partnered with PORC, an urban wear brand who became our publisher and hosted the series on their YouTube Channel PORC TV, giving it a strong creative push on social media. They were also the ones to moderate the thousands of comments coming in.
Battle of thrones attracted all eyes from the hip hop community but also brought in the Game of thrones fans, becoming a trending topic on YouTube. After all, we did challenge 8 of the most famous and skillful MC’s so the fan comments kept pouring in. Sides were taken, opinions were voiced, and we happily encouraged it. Even the MC’s made alliances and build teams in order to get the throne. A little bit of controversy never hurt nobody, right?
Having your favorite MC impersonating your favorite Game of Thrones character? That’s pure entertainment. And if you weren’t a fan of the series by then, you were for sure, intrigued and incentivized to watch it.
All 4 episodes of the series were filmed “one-shot” in 7 hours in front of a live audience in a “ 2.35:1”(2.35 by 1) cinematic wide format that fully fills mobile phone screens, making Battles of thrones the first “No black stripes” Romanian production for mobile.
The iconic Throne was also reimagined for the opening credits of the series and the entire show was reenacted as a real hiphop battle, with videogame inspired graphics and mechanics.
PORC TV scheduled an official premiere on YouTube for each episode and thousands of fans showed up online to watch it first. The first episode registered over 40,000 views in less than a day and 1.5 million impressions. The second episode entered YouTube Top Trending Videos creating a serious buzz.
An epic rap concept
8 battles
4 episodes
PORC TV
8 battles
4 episodes
PORC TV
3,8 MILLION IMPRESSIONS
OVER 590,000 ORGANIC VIEWS
2,300,000 MINUTES WATCHED
over 8,000 SOCIAL SHARES
OVER 590,000 ORGANIC VIEWS
2,300,000 MINUTES WATCHED
over 8,000 SOCIAL SHARES
1 SHOT | 7 HOURS | LIVE AUDIENCE
The iconic Throne was also reimagined for the opening credits of the series and the entire show was reenacted as a real hiphop battle, with videogame inspired graphics and mechanics.
PORC TV scheduled an official premiere on YouTube for each episode and thousands of fans showed up online to watch it first. The first episode registered over 40,000 views in less than a day and 1.5 million impressions. The second episode entered YouTube Top Trending Videos creating a serious buzz.
The iconic Throne was also reimagined for the opening credits of the series and the entire show was reenacted as a real hiphop battle, with videogame inspired graphics and mechanics.
PORC TV scheduled an official premiere on YouTube for each episode and thousands of fans showed up online to watch it first. The first episode registered over 40,000 views in less than a day and 1.5 million impressions. The second episode entered YouTube Top Trending Videos creating a serious buzz.
