Binge, Mindshare, POLY 'burn' billboard to launch House of the Dragon

Binge has partnered with Mindshare and oOh!media's POLY to launch season two of House of the Dragon by 'burning' a billboard. 

The billboard at Taylor Square in Sydney is ‘burned’ by a dragon using CGI technology.

The creative concept features several Australian landmarks "raising their banners to pledge their allegiance" to the duelling factions in the series—Team Green and Team Black. A dragon then breathes fire on the billboard, with the creative changing to appear scorched.

Fiona King, Binge marketing director, said: "The Binge brand is all about entertainment, storytelling and getting people talking. With the launch of House of the Dragon season 2, we had an incredible opportunity to fuse fantasy with reality in an innovative and creative way that aligns with what our brand is all about.

"Using CGI technology to fly a dragon in over the city landscape and breathe fire onto a billboard about the show is the perfect way to capitalise on this."

Rob Delaney, creative strategist at POLY, added: "Out of home storytelling, much like House of the Dragon itself, is rich, multifaceted and provides a canvas for continued creativity and innovation. With faux OOH advertising gaining global traction, we've taken it to the next level and created a new concept, combining CGI and an OOH special build to drive audience interaction and engagement across physical and digital environments.

"This has been a true collaboration between Binge, Mindshare, and POLY, and we can’t wait to see the reaction to virtual dragons flying over Sydney and interacting with our Taylor Square site."

The House of the Dragon ad campaign is live across TV, OOH, transit, retail, social, and digital.

As part of the broader marketing campaign, the streaming service will also reveal CGI banners dropping from iconic landmarks across Australia as part of a global activation where cities pledge their allegiance to the green or black councils.

"Over the past year, we have seen faux-OOH executions take the internet by storm," Sarah Newcombe, group planning director at Mindshare, said.

"Now we’re delighted to bring this concept one step further, taking it beyond the social media feed and onto the streets of Sydney with a real-life creative swap after the CGI event – a concept dubbed ‘faux-real OOH’ which we love."

Binge has also worked with Bunsters Worldwide to create limited edition hot sauce – one green and one black. Other activations as part of the marketing campaign include a special fan screening event at the IMAX Melbourne theatre, custom made House of the Dragon branded wines thanks to Treasury Wines, and special Fox Sports integrations.

King added: "The biggest show in the world is back and through our noisy unmissable marketing campaign, we’re leaning into the major plotlines of the show to get people talking."