HBO’s new post-apocalyptic series “The Last of Us,” based on a 2013 video game of the same name, raked in 10 million viewers in two days across linear and HBO Max, making it the second biggest premiere on the network in a decade. But the marketing strategy started long before the show’s Jan. 14 debut. A whole two years, in fact.

It began—appropriately—on “Last of Us Day,” a holiday launched by the video game’s creator Naughty Dog, run by Neil Druckmann, who is also the series’ creator and co-showrunner. “We wanted to give the fans something special on that day, so we started releasing digital drops called ‘breadcrumb content,’” according to Emily Giannusa, VP at HBO Marketing, to set the scene for the recreated world, build excitement among superfans, and exemplify the network’s fidelity to the video game itself.

We spoke with Giannusa about the series’ experiential strategy, what she learned about fandom from working on eight seasons of “Game of Thrones,” the importance of staying curious and flexible as a marketer today, and much more.

Speaking of experiential, Reddit’s interactive “Future Tellers” house of clairvoyance impressed B2B audiences at CES earlier this month. Read about how its first activation at the Las Vegas-based tech bonanza married the platform’s digital product with physical experiences to pitch its “early adopter” status and future-forward expertise.

Lastly, using a multichannel approach to messaging in your CRM strategy—rather than relying on a single channel to communicate and engage with prospects—can paint a clearer picture of the entire customer journey, from points of engagement to conversions. But beyond choosing the right CRM platform, developing a strategy roadmap will help unlock additional marketing potential from your communications. Here are some considerations for building a CRM strategy, plus tips for reframing your engagement methods to improve results.

Until next week,

Kaylee Hultgren
Editor
Chief Marketer

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