Case study · Travel & Leisure
The Light wanted people in Leeds to see it as a food, drink and experience destination. We opened Starks Tavern, a Game of Thrones pop-up bar with the throne itself, timed to the new series. Then we let offices Dial a Direwolf. Launch night drew 800 people, 120% more than a usual Friday, and The Light was the number one trend in Leeds.
- #1 trending in Leeds
- 800 launch night visitors
- £9K launch night revenue
- 40 direwolf office visits
- Client The Light, Leeds
- Sector Leisure, food and drink
- Services Creative concept, experiential, social, PR
- When Timed to the new Game of Thrones series
- Audience Young Leeds professionals
- Channels Pop-up bar, social, regional media
What did The Light need?
The Light wanted to be reconsidered as a food, drink and experience destination, not just a shopping centre. It asked for a pop-up that drove footfall, awareness and online conversation.
- Business objective: drive footfall and spend at the centre.
- Communication objective: reposition The Light as a forward-thinking destination and get Leeds talking online.
What was the insight?
Game of Thrones was the biggest show on TV, and fans wanted somewhere to celebrate. A real throne is a photo nobody can resist.
The idea was Starks Tavern, with a direwolf on call.
What did we do?
- A pop-up bar. Starks Tavern had an official throne, actors and themed cocktails.
- Dial a Direwolf. Offices in Leeds could request a real-life direwolf visit by tweeting the campaign hashtag.
- Filmed and shared. We filmed the visits and seeded the content online.
What did it achieve?
Results by stage of the AMEC evaluation framework, with the source for each figure.
| Stage | Measure | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outputs | Pieces of media coverage | 11 | Prohibition coverage log |
| Outputs | Direwolf office visits | 40 | Prohibition campaign reporting |
| Out-takes | Twitter trend ranking in Leeds | #1 | |
| Outcomes | Launch night visitors | 800 (120% above a usual Friday) | The Light |
| Impact | Launch night revenue | £9K | The Light |
What did The Light get from it?
A packed launch night and a city talking about The Light. Takings on the first night beat expectations.
What did we learn?
- Give people a reason to post. A throne and a direwolf were made for social.
- Bring the stunt to them. Office visits reached people at work, ready for a Friday night out.
- What we would do differently. track visits and spend across the pop-up’s full run, not just launch night.
