WALTERS & HOGSETT JEWELERS in Boulder, CO, knew that “winter was coming” — and they decided to take action. The jewelry store and its marketing agency, Fruchtman Marketing, put together a short video commercial around the phrase “bend the knee,” which is often used in HBO’s hit television show “Game Of Thrones” to indicate paying homage to one’s lord, but in jewelry parlance indicates something different: proposing to one’s beloved. The video includes majestic, somber music intended to invoke the “Game Of Thrones” introductory music, and dark, close-up images of metal and glowing particles that pan out to reveal a finely-textured engagement ring.
“I’m calling it ‘opportunity marketing,’” says Shane O’Neill, vice-president of Fruchtman Marketing, “Which is to say unplanned marketing opportunities that connect with current events.” As the final season of “Game Of Thrones” just launched a few weeks ago, viewership is at an all-time high. O’Neill says that the campaign, entitled “Game Of Rings,” is being run via YouTube Advertising and targets engagement ring consumers who watch “Game of Thrones.”
