This past week a simple setting and editing mishap resulted in $2.3 billion in free advertising for Starbucks. And the best part, it wasn’t even a Starbucks cup – it was a generic craft services cup.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/07/starbucks-got-2point3-billion-in-free-advertising-from-game-of-thrones-gaffe.html

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It certainly speaks to the strength of the Starbucks brand (people just ASSUME it’s Starbucks), but it’s also a lesson in influencer marketing and how nonprofits can be a part of popular culture.

Sure, it’s unlikely that Jon Snow will show up wearing your company’s golf polo. But cultivating those relationships online and making sure your celebrity and athlete advocates have a bunch of your “swag” can better your chances of them tweeting on your behalf, or showing up somewhere (and having their photo taken) in your T-shirt.

Greenpeace opportunistically – and creatively – capitalized on the buzz by inserting themselves into the conversation and making the case for the dangers of single-use plastics.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup-snafu-draws-greenpeaces-attention

Food (or coffee) for thought…

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