Chapter 366: Ratings Don't Matter

"The marketing campaign is already well-prepared."

In the meeting room, Kara Faith stood at the forefront of the long table, "What remains now is execution."

She glanced at Murphy to her left, who simply nodded slightly without speaking.

Just as on the set and in post-production, where Kara Faith always took the lead, in such occasions that showcased the authority of a producer, Murphy also deferred to Kara Faith.

After all, they had already had enough discussions privately, so there was no need to repeat those discussions in the meeting.

Kara Faith instructed her assistant to distribute documents to the people responsible for various promotional activities for "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire," making sure each task was clearly explained. Although the quality of the TV show was assured, winning substantial support still heavily depended on effective marketing.

Such work meetings would not last long; everything was based on efficiency. In just half an hour, Kara Faith announced the meeting adjourned and left the meeting room together with Murphy.

"I won't see you out."

At the elevator hall, Kara Faith said to Murphy, "I've arranged for a reporter from the Fox Network; they are waiting for you outside the building, make sure to say something."

"Don't worry," Murphy waved his hand, "I've already prepared what to say."

Now entering the promotional phase, he again became high-profile, frequently appearing in the media. Like these planned "chance encounters" with reporters, which had been arranged several times before, Murphy always managed to drop some newsworthy comments to garner attention.

This time was no exception. As soon as he stepped out of the Fox building, Murphy was immediately surrounded by several reporters. This time, his discussion mainly centered around George R. R. Martin.

With 20th Century Fox's promotion of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, George R. R. Martin's reputation surged, even earning him the moniker "America's Tolkien" from some media outlets.

"All adaptations stay true to the original. Martin has been involved in the production from the start. If you've seen his blog, you'd know his enthusiasm is quite infectious," Murphy confidently praised in front of the cameras. "Game of Thrones is adapted from a truly great work. George R. R. Martin has woven a highly complex story that spans thousands of miles, shapes numerous characters, and crosses millennia, earning him the title of 'America's Tolkien' by Time magazine."

He added with a smile, "My saying this isn't meant to spark a debate or to claim that he is the be-all and end-all of fantasy literature. It's simply to point out how good his work is."

This interview marked the beginning of a series of intense promotional activities.

25 days before the premiere, the Fox Cable Network released a new teaser for "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" titled "The Raven Leads the Journey to Another World."

This latest teaser featured a multitude of characters, with a raven guiding the viewer's gaze throughout the entire preview.

After the teaser aired, the online response was overwhelmingly positive. Many fans speculated that the three-eyed raven was actually a prophet or an avatar of the old gods, yet in this segment, it played the role of a guide leading viewers into a fantastical world.

On day 24, Stanton Studios and 20th Century Fox released five character posters centered around the Iron Throne, featuring Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, King Robert Baratheon, Queen Cersei Lannister, the dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen, and Jon Snow, Ned's illegitimate son.

Each character posed on the Iron Throne in a way that matched their persona, with slogans that related to their roles in the story.

"Winter is Coming" suited Lord Eddard perfectly; "Killing clears my mind" added an air of authority to King Robert; "Everyone besides us is an enemy" complemented Cersei's lowered, cold gaze; "I do not have a gentle heart," matched Daenerys's half-shadowed profile, enhancing a cold, ruthless atmosphere...

Day 23, Fox Network aired an interview with Sean Bean about "Game of Thrones."

Day 22, Murphy's official blog released a new 60-second trailer, causing a media frenzy—describing it as epic.

Day 21, Fox Limited Television released a 10-minute behind-the-scenes special and invited the assistant director Paul Wilson for an interview, who wholly embraced Murphy's all-out promotional style, listing ten highlights of the series—Sean Bean and Jessica Alba's star-studded cast, thrilling storylines, intricate political plots, incredible characters, a level of fantasy never before achieved on TV, and a superb director, among others.

Day 20, the production team's official blog revealed a panoramic map of the continent of Westeros, with various landmarks and their descriptions.

The Wall: A grim landmark steeped in the blood and souls of countless Night's Watchmen, standing

 firm to protect the Seven Kingdoms from threats beyond the northern borders, despite frequent breaches by wildlings.

King's Landing: Situated along the southern Blackwater Rush, appearing luxurious, home to the Iron Throne, and the epicenter of all conspiracies, murders, and dark deeds...

Day 19, the latest extended trailer was released online, showcasing all "players" in "Game of Thrones" expressing their various desires for power from atop the Iron Throne.

From the viewing party onward, "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" entered a phase of relentless marketing.

Despite the broad scope of this bombardment, Stanton Studios and 20th Century Fox remained targeted in their approach.

After all, being a cable TV series, the first goal was to win over cable subscribers by garnering high praise and attracting more attention. Generally, TV shows are popular mass cultural products, often seen as less sophisticated compared to artful films.

However, since the turn of the century, the paradigm has gradually shifted due to the impact of cable-produced series like "Band of Brothers." Cable networks rely on subscribers for their main revenue, not needing to compete for average viewers like network stations. For cable networks like HBO, AMC, and Fox Cable, serving their economically and socially upper-middle-class American subscribers is crucial. As for ratings, the fixed subscriber base of cable networks makes them far less critical than for network stations.

So, it's understandable why some cable TV series trend towards elitism and edgier content. "Game of Thrones" has a clear broadcast strategy: secure high-end viewers on cable first, then attract their attention with sensational content, creating significant buzz and spreading to a broader audience through reruns, DVD releases, and online streaming, eventually becoming a genuinely popular series and achieving substantial profits.

Whether these goals will be met will be seen on the premiere day, when "Winter is Coming."

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