April 16, 2019
Utilizing Current Events for Marketing Purposes
The Red Cross recently had a brilliant marketing scheme. In an effort to drive up blood donor numbers, the nonprofit organization leveraged the upcoming season premiere of the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones, for its marketing campaign.
“Bleed for the throne.”
The slogan was paired with a red-tinged artist’s rendering from a Game of Thrones scene and the font associated with the show’s title letters.
At the very least, the campaign accomplished one goal: to start a conversation. Game of Thrones, with its millions of loyal fans, has a marketing power that other brands are attempting to harness. But this is a smart strategy! Leveraging current events can often be the fresh air that a brand needs to spin out some new marketing materials.
So how does a brand take advantage of current events for marketing purposes? Of course, this has to be done in good taste (unless a brand simply doesn’t care about reception and simply wants to make a splash — that is a different conversation!).