Great House Mottoes from Game of Thrones and How Brands Can Relate To Them
Game of Thrones – the medieval fantasy series based on George R R Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, is an international hit. In its sixth season, the show’s premiere alone, drew a staggering 8 million views from fans.
The popularity of this HBO Original, has your social network feeds full of comments, quotes, mentions, shares and (coughs) spoilers. No matter how hard you try, there is no escape route!
Although the show is full of myths, magic and everything in between, it could come as a bit of surprise that it also offers some valuable takeaways for digital marketers! In fact, many of the mottoes of from the great noble houses on the show are so inspiring, thought provoking and motivating, we thought we’d share some.
This is a list of some of the Westerosi house mottos and how brands and agencies can relate to them.
“Winter is Coming” – House Stark
Killing a Stark seems to be one of the favorite pastimes of author George R R Martin. The fan favorite house from the north is losing members and direwolves by the dozen with each passing season. Their house motto “Winter is Coming” refers to a warning of a long winter, which lasts for years in the mythical land of Westeros! In a more indirect manner, the motto hints at conserving resources and prepare for hard times to come.
Using resources judiciously is also something businesses must look forward to. Whether it is their employees, time, money or digital resources, they need to be prepared to take on ‘winter’, which can symbolize tough competition.
This especially holds true for small businesses or startups, which have limited resources to begin with. They need to “brace themselves” and allocate resources strategically to get maximum returns.
“Hear Me Roar”/ “A Lannister Always Pays His Debts” – House Lannister
“Hear Me Roar” may be the official motto of the House Lannister, but its other, equally well-known motto, “A Lannister Always Pays His Debts hits the right chord for agencies.
Known for strong-willed, feisty members who love to be in power and one-up their enemies, House Lannister inspires agencies to become fierce go-getters, a trait they must adopt in order to survive amidst competition.
And since a Lannister always pays his debts, they too must leave no stones unturned for ensuring the success of their brand or business, come what may. With an effective strategy in place, they can surely run successful campaigns for their clients. Make no mistake, like a lion in the sigil of the great house, the brand or the agency also creates campaigns that make their presence felt!
“Fire and Blood” – House Targaryen
The once powerful house, Targaryen of Dragonstone, has a three-headed dragon as its sigil and commands power. Headed by the only surviving member of the family – Daenerys Targaryen, who aspires to take the Iron Throne by fire and blood, to have it all set to make a re-entry in Westeros.
In common lingo, this is almost akin to – “I will find a way” or “I will make one”. This is what brands need to learn and implement for a successful stint just like the Targaryens who rules Westeros with all their might and fierceness.
“We Do Not Sow”– House Greyjoy
Last we left off, House Greyjoy is in troubled waters. The mutinous brother and sister duo – Yara and Theon fled with the best ships of the Pyke, leaving their uncle Euron, the newly anointed king fuming! They literally paid the ‘Iron Price’ for them.
The official motto of the great house is “We Do Not Sow”, which means they take everything by force and don’t bend their knees to anyone. This pretty much explains the Greyjoy Rebellion.
If we were to transfer the sentiment to the branding world, this basically means that brands and agencies should do their own thing, follow their own instincts and hold their fort instead of caving in, following trends and doing what everyone else seems to do. They need to be trendsetters and not followers!
“Ours is the Fury” – House Baratheon
Segway – the much-hyped, technology-laced invention of Dean Kamen was hailed as the next big thing. It was coveted by one and all, including celebrities and claimed to be the technology of the future. However, when it was launched, it failed to take off mainly due to – overhyping.
It got people talking about it and campaigns were launched too aggressively to market the product, which wasn’t yet there on the market and was completely shrouded in mystery. However, when Segway launched in 2001, it didn’t match up people’s expectations and the product, which was being hailed as something exceptional,flopped.
“Growing Strong” – House Tyrell
House Tyrell at present is under much distress with Ser Loras Tyrell in the cells and the Queen Margery seems to have atoned for her sins after having a ‘talk’ with the High Sparrow.
But the recent episode of the ongoing season drops a hint about her having an ace up her sleeves. After all, she has taken her lessons from the very wise Oleanna Tyrell and there was aforeshadowing of the death of a major character already in one of the episodes in the past anyway!
Trust the Tyrell’s to come up with surprises and shockers at the last moment much like their house motto “Growing Strong”!
Brands can learn from the Tyrells a lesson or two about holding their fort and hanging on in there till the time is right. They need to wait for the iron to get hot and then strike or wait for the opportune moment to run their marketing strategies.
“Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” – House Martell
Unlike House Baratheon, where Gendry holds the beacon, House Martell is definitely extinct with Oberyn, Tristane and Doran Martell (the father and son duo killed by Eliara Sand and the Sand Snakes). Like the Tyrells, their motto also has strong undercurrents of perseverance and rising from the ashes. “A spear against the sun” is the house motto and just like the upright spear, they refuse to follow the norms and take the road less travelled.
Brands can adapt the motto of House Martell to persevere, no matter what the adversities are and carry forward their legacy without batting an eyelid!
“Family, Duty, Honor” – House Tully
Remember Katelyn Stark nee Tully? Like a true Tully, she fought for her children’s cause and stood by her family through all odds. Her uncle, the Blackfish also shows the same grit and valor this season by refusing to give in to the Frey’s scheming ways.
Brands too need to be loyal to their customers and their customers needs. They should put their users first and foremost and make decisions based upon the same.
Although the Game of Thrones season 6 is preparing for a wrap-up, these mottoes of the great houses of Westeros will always remind of their glorious past, present and future and continue to inspire us in a unique way. What do you reckon? Can you relate to these mottoes? Or can’t you? Let us know!
