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Millennial, Gen-X Opps: HBO Max launches experiential initiative for House of the Dragon (Score 38)

 is promoting House of the Dragon, its new Game of Thrones spinoff, with a themed lens on Snapchat through which fans can engage with the show's flying, fire-breathing dragons. Users can also take selfies that transform themselves into fire-breathing dragons or unleash the beasts into their surroundings via Snapchat's worldview mode. The initiative also includes OOH aspects; the AR dragons took over buildings and local landmarks across the world including LA's Venice Beach grand canals. New experiences will launch as the series continues introducing new dragons. Thus, we will continue seeing experiential efforts inspired by the show; sellers should contact soon to secure last-minute ad dollars.

So far this year, iSpot reports HBOM has allocated roughly $70m toward national TV commercials, more than triple the roughly $20.6m allocated within the same 2021 timeframe. The brand allocated around $41.1m toward this channel last year after having allocated less than half that, around $17.1m, in 2020. HBOM's 2022 commercials have targeted male viewers of shows such as the 2022 Winter Olympics, NFL Football, College Football, College Basketball and NBA Basketball.

Per Pathmatics, the brand has spent approximately $238.9m on digital ads YTD, only around half of the approximately $418.1m spent by this point last year. HBOM's estimated full-year 2021 spend, $588.1m, reached more than double that of $250.5m in 2020. Since the beginning of 2022, the brand has earned ~28.6m digital impressions via Facebook (55%), Instagram (34%), desktop video (9%) and desktop display (1%) ads.

As you can tell, HBOM's TV spend is increasing rapidly while its digital spend dwindles. This shift leads me to believe the brand is primarily targeting millennials and Gen-X. The recently-launched campaign will appeal to millennials, who tend to love experiences (more HBO also invests in radio, print, OOH and local broadcast.

Agency & martech readers - HBOM's BBDO Worldwide.