The creative began with the desire to alert fans around the world that “winter is here” by transforming them into the show’s White Walkers. Using their selfie lens, fans adopted the look of the infamous creatures, complete with trademark ice blue eyes and frosty breath. The world lens capability was also leveraged, delivering an interactive "tap to shoot" experience that shot dragon glass at the Night King’s army, who popped up after the filter was applied. Fun, and engaging, the GoT filters were conceptualized as a perfect interaction for premiere-night watch parties.

Millions of the show’s fans, along with cast members Kit Harington, Sophie Turner and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, took part in the undead action on the app, producing a record number of impressions on Snapchat for a TV show-sponsored lens. The lens ran on Snapchat in 16 countries on Sunday, July 16, the day of the Season 7 premiere. For one week prior, the selfie lenses could be unlocked by fans via a Snapcode that HBO promoted on social accounts, including in posts featuring cast members including Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, and more mugging for the cameras in their White Walker lens.

Over 45 million fans in 16 global markets transformed into White Walkers. The average user played with the Game of Thrones lens for 23 seconds (beating the 15-second average for a sponsored lens). Meanwhile, those who unlocked the lens via Snapcode played with it for an average of 127 seconds — a record for engagement on Snapchat sponsored lenses.

HBO ensured that when winter finally came, it was truly a season to remember. Game of Thrones social following grew to over 32M across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Season 7 was the most watched premiere and HBO program ever. It also dominated social buzz and was Nielsen's most social TV series of 2017.

For the past six seasons of Game of Thrones, the worldwide fan community has been told that “Winter Is Coming.” To promote Season 7 and foreshadow the imminent threat of the Night King descending on Westeros, HBO celebrated the end of a long wait and let fans know that “Winter Is Here” with the interactive White Walker Snapchat lens on premiere day. Given the theme of Season 7 and the way the massive fan-base craves to immerse themselves in the rich world of the show, this execution was a must.

To promote Game of Thrones Season 7, and give its massive audience a brand new experience, HBO bought a sponsored lens on Snapchat that gave fans the opportunity to turn themselves into a dead-eyed, ice-breathing White Walker. The lens amplified a huge cultural moment by offering a uniquely mobile interaction for fans, transporting them into the world of the show they know and love.