SodaStream’s play on Game of Thrones is the perfect piece of content

Producing a great piece of content for your brand can be a challenge, with the different elements sometimes seemingly at odds with one another. Can a brand image gel with the content’s story? And how will it be seeded across social media?

There’s no all-in-one how-to manual, but SodaStream’s Shame or Glory video is a great example of how good content is done. Since its debut last week, this piece of content has garnered over 5 million views on Facebook and almost 2 million on YouTube, making it an unequivocal success.

It’s not always possible to have a brand or a product that’s as exciting for viewers as the next big Hollywood blockbuster. So what SodaStream, (a sparkling-water machine company) did was leverage the popular HBO TV series, Game of Thrones.

Though there’s no direct connection, by parodying one of the series’ most iconic scenes (using the one of the actors, no less), the video makes an instant connection with millions of people out there, even if they’ve never heard of SodaStream before.

Effectively, by hopping onto the fandom behind a popular entertainment property in a creative way, SodaStream has reached an audience who may never even have thought about their product before. It’s the ultimate hook for brand awareness.

It’s Socially Conscious

The content’s primary story follows a shopper being “shamed” as he walks away from the grocery store after having bought some plastic bottles. This is SodaStream’s attempt to not only raise awareness for their product, but to a more societal problem here in Australia.

While 90% of Australians recycle, more than half have made no attempt to cut down their consumption of plastic-based products. These broader issues aren’t something that should be shied away from, particularly if your product offers a potential solution. No one wants to destroy the planet, or see an animal go extinct, or know there are children going without presents on Christmas. If your product or brand can help in a meaningful way, then why not incorporate it into your content?

The Content is King

By making the “shame” people should feel when buying plastic bottles both the primary social message of the video and the key pop-culture hook for viewers, Shame or Glory has tackled a serious issue using a humorous and entertaining hook.

It’s only once the content is nearing its end that the product is mentioned, and even then, it’s introduced by another guest Game of Thrones actor while he playfully torments a prisoner in a medieval dungeon. The content never breaks its theme, even when advertising the product, which makes it a highly enjoyable watch the whole way through – something worthy of sharing.