Millions of fans around the world were asking when Game of Thrones would return. To answer them, we created a fully-interactive Facebook Live event.

To do this, we froze the Season 7 premiere date in a 4,000lb block of ice. Then invited our millions of fans to melt it with comment-powered flamethrowers.

Stars from the show encouraged fans to unlock easter eggs for more firepower. Like using the word “dracarys” to unlock two flamethrowers.

In the end, we rewarded fans with the premiere date – and a teaser for Season 7. Which quickly became the most viewed teaser in the show’s history.

We set out to up the ante for what a Facebook Live event could be. Creating an aesthetic that matched the show.

We also created interactivity in the stream, turning fan comments into fire. To do this, we tracked keywords, volume of usage and the total number of viewers. As fans commented “fire” a progress bar would charge up then trigger the flamethrower.

Stars from the show would appear with easter eggs for the viewers. Like commenting with the word “dracarys” to trigger two flamethrowers.

In under an hour, 400k+ fans on Facebook Live blasted through a block of ice to reveal the Premiere Date and a show teaser.

Then the unexpected happened: with the comments outpacing anything Facebook had ever seen (over 16,000 per minute/1.1MM in less than an hour), the world’s most powerful social network crumbled, and their live stream crashed. Twice. Yet each time it returned, even more viewers joined.

Our date announcement message reached a massive global audience, creating an unforgettable cultural moment...

• 1.07B impressions

• 10MM video views

• Trended on Twitter at #1 and #4 in the U.S. (at the same time)

• Trended on Twitter #2 worldwide

• 2,000+ unique press hits with a combined readership of over 15.2 B

• Other brands, celebrities and TV shows joined in our Livestream.

Fan engagement soared during and after the livestream. In fact, the enormous volume of engagement during the livestream effectively broke Facebook…twice.

• 5.3 MM social engagements on FB Live video

• 1.1 MM comments on FB Live video

o Set record for most comments on a FB Live video

o More comments than the most popular Live videos of all-time (Chewbacca Mom, NBC Presidential Election Night, Buzzfeed Watermelon).

• 408K Live Views

Our work not only raised the bar for Facebook Live, but also set a new precedent for how brands make big announcements in the future. By creating a must-see, Facebook Live experience that fans could interact with, we turned the Game of Thrones Season 7 date announcement into something much bigger—a global cultural moment that shaped conversation and sparked intrigue.

Unlike most entertainment networks who simply send out a tweet or a press release to announce premiere dates, we wanted to make the Game of Thrones Season 7 date announcement a must-see, live entertainment event for the show’s 22 million fans across the globe.

As the world’s largest social network and a leader in live streaming video, Facebook was the ideal platform for us to activate on in order to reach the most fans and create a mass cultural moment.  

We built our Facebook Live broadcast around three key principles that guaranteed a great viewing experience:

-Access to a unique experience - giving viewers the chance to witness something totally new and unexpected that they wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise

-Interactivity - the opportunity for viewers to participate versus simply watching

-Rewarding payoff - delivering a satisfying conclusion and clear benefit for those who tune in

• Situation: For the first time in seven years, Game of Thrones was delayed from its usual April premiere date due to a prolonged winter shoot schedule. Fans had no idea when it was coming back and it was driving them mad.

• Brief: Turn the anticipation of the new season into conversation and engagement.

• Objectives: Create a must-see live event that matches the aesthetic and tone of Game of Thrones. To up the ante for production quality and interactivity of livestreams.