Brands scramble to play the GoT game

With deals close to Rs 70 crore, GoT could turn out to be the most merchandised entertainment property of the year in India.
Urvi Malvania reports.

The latest season of the fantasy epic Game of Thrones debuted last week with 5 million tweets.

For an English television show aimed at a niche urban audience this is remarkable, as is the Rs 70-odd crore merchandise deals at retail value that it has struck with some of the big brands in the country.

And as more and more brands and audiences flock the show, GoT could well turn out to be the most merchandised entertainment property of the year in India.

Brands such as Fastrak (Titan), Myntra, Johnnie Walker Whisky, fashion designer Masaba Gupta's premium label are among the 20 plus licensees that have signed on with GoT.

Bhavik Vora's firm Black White Orange has been involved with merchandising the show and Vora said that interest has soared in recent years.

Such is the desire to be a GoT partner that Vora says, "Usually, companies within a category do not like sharing rights for a property. In this case, we have multiple apparel companies that have readily shared the rights. As a result, nearly 10 different apparel brands covering all distribution channels have launched themed lines of clothing around the premiere."

Estimates peg that the show would have merchandise deals worth Rs 60 crore to Rs 70 crore (Rs 600 million to Rs 700 million) in retail value in the country this year.

The products include the regular run of merchandised lines -- mugs, T-shirts, bags and such others with prices starting at around Rs 300 and going up to Rs 15,000 with one line (from Masaba's luxe designer collection) going as high as Rs 40,000.

One of the more innovative Thrones themed products available to Indian fans this year is the GoT edition of the board game Monopoly.

Ayushman Chiranewala, brand head, Fastrack, says, "GoT is perhaps the most popular show among the youth globally, and the association of Fastrack strengthens the brands' connect with the millennial buyers and Gen Z."

As a result of heightened interest in the show, there are more than 500 designs around GoT themed merchandise from India alone.

Masaba Gupta, who has a premium line around the show, says, "The collection paints a canvas of Winterfell (a mythical kingdom in the show) through a fusion of medieval aesthetics with our design sensibilities. Innovation lies in the silhouettes and materials, while the clothing line comprises of sharp power suits, and gown sarees, long trenches for both men and women along with accessories that explore leather and studs."

Brands like Fastrack have focused on particular characters from the show.

They have launched products in three categories -- watches, sunglasses and bags and identified characters like Arya Stark, Jon Snow, and the Night King to base the merchandise on.

"We have designed our products around them by incorporating the Sigils (magical symbols) of the houses they represent as well as elements from the outfits that the characters wear in colour schemes that are close to the individual characters. The elements of the show were married with the brand's design aesthetics," says Chiranewala.

Internationally, the show has associations with a number of categories, including cookies and make-up.

The popular cream cookie brand Oreo released a limited edition Game of Thrones themed collection with special packaging using the elements of the show.

Sneaker brand Adidas has launched six pairs of limited edition shoes to commemorate its association with the latest season, while make-up brand Urban Decay has launched a limited edition range of products including eye-shadows, lipsticks, and highlighters.